Putnam North looks to get off door mat
There will be no more breaks for Putnam City North as long as Will Taylor is within earshot.
Following a 2½-hour opening day practice on Monday, coaches were telling the more than 70 gathered Panther football players that there would be an optional set of conditioning drills after practice for those who wanted to participate.
Taylor, a senior linebacker and tight end who just recently committed to Missouri State, made sure to let his teammates know how optional it really was.
“Optional means mandatory now,” Taylor said to a group of younger teammates. “Get over there. Break time is over.”
While it’s just a small example of senior leadership, it represents a wholesale change in mentality to head coach Ryan Laverty.
When he took over the program in 2016, Laverty said he was questioned about whether Putnam North’s best football days were behind it.
The one-time powerhouse had fallen out of contention in class 6A with back-to-back 4-6 seasons in 2013 and 2014; a 2-8 season in 2015; and a 1-9 season the year Laverty took over.
Laverty said he was forced to readjust. That meant sending away kids who had the talent but lacked the discipline and focusing in on instilling program values and principles.
“We wanted to build that culture where it’s an expectation of hard work and going the extra mile and not just something you just do,” Laverty said. “This is an opportunity to be apart of a brotherhood and be apart of something special.”
Things started to click last year for North. Though it didn’t affect the wins and losses column much — the Panthers finished 3-7 — Laverty said his team regained that fire and the pride that it takes to turn a program around.
“They are tired of being the doormat of 6A football,” Laverty said. “Going into our third year our sophomore group is going to be seniors and the expectations have never been higher.”
Seniors like Taylor and defensive tackle Juan Macedo, who lead a unit of nine returning starters on that side of the ball.
“We have a lot to prove this year,” Taylor said. “We are here now we are going to be someone to mess with.”
On offense, senior receiver Jamal Jeffers said he wants to do his leading on the field through big plays in big moments. He’ll be helped by junior quarterback Aaron Norment, who could be poised to have a breakout season after throwing for 2,200 yards and 10 touchdowns as a sophomore.
But all that will come later. To start the year, the leaders just want to make sure the younger guys follow through on their optional but mandatory conditioning.
“The measurement of any great team is how well your players take over,” Laverty said. “Coaches push and push, but once you have that group to hold each other accountable, that’s when you know you have something special in the making.”