Advosports

A season after hauling in nine interceptions and helping the St. Joseph Flyers to a 10-2 record and a trip to the TAPPS regional playoffs you would think Hayden Vesely would shoot for double-digit picks in 2010, but that's not exactly the case.

"Just play hard and win. That's the main thing we're shooting for and whatever I can do to help my team win, that's my main goal," said the returning TAPPS all-state safety.

Playing hard will be paramount in his final season as a Flyer. Vesely knows how fortunes can change in football as he went down with a broken collarbone in last year's regional playoff loss.

"We played a good team in the playoffs and we were right there, just one play here and one play there and play every down like it's your last, you never know," said Vesely about his team's 17-15 loss to Dallas Parish Episcopal in the TAPPS regional playoffs.

Vesely is entering his third season on the varsity team and although he has gotten faster and stronger, leadership is the aspect of his game that has developed most since coming up to the varsity team as a sophomore.

His leadership will be important this season as Vesely is one of four seniors in the St. Joseph secondary that will be looked upon to cover wide receivers and give a defensive line with tree new starters extra time that make a difference between a sack and a completed pass.

"You have to stay on all those guys and help them through everything. They'll pick it up and as long as they work hard it's all you can ask for," said Vesely about the young Flyer defensive line.

During the teams preseason and the first few weeks of the regular season Donnie Slatter said he wanted to keep things simple for Vesely since he still has to adjust to the new head coach.

"Hayden's going to play a big role, he's an athlete and you don't do too many things to mess him up," said Slatter. "You allow your athletes to play."

The Flyers only lost one district game from 2006 to 2009 and won by an average of 19 points in district last year, but the new decade of Flyers football is one of transition as Slatter replaces John Mares, the school's all-time winningest coach, and the school has been reclassified into TAPPS Division I, District 2 with schools like Austin St. Michael's, San Antonio Central Catholic and Brownsville St. Joseph.

Despite the new district Vesely has confidence in his team's ability to play well in 2010.

"They put the uniform on the same way and you go out and play hard," said Vesely about his new district foes.

With senior wide receiver Steven Martinez's transfer to Victoria East this season, Flyers fans shouldn't be surprised to see Vesely bring his good hands to the other side of the ball and contribute to the St. Joseph offense as well, where he could play quarterback, running back or wide receiver.

"Last year we had a stout receiving core and I was part of it a little bit," Vesley said. "This year I hope I get a chance to catch the ball a little bit."

Although the 2010 season is the last run for the 15 seniors on the St. Joseph roster, Vesely will use last year's injury as fuel for his final season.

"Play every down like it's your last. I went down in that game and would give anything to do it all over again," Vesely said.

• Print
• •
• Share
  • Share this item

    Send this to a friend

  • Grab the link

    Copy and paste the link:

  • Blog about it

    Blog about this page.

  • Close
• •
• Comment