Have the Jefferson Blue Jays shown us, absolutely and without discussion, that late 2025’s struggle was a total fluke in an otherwise long, glorious march to success since the 2010s? Well, for one thing, Jefferson High just defeated a Montgomery County brand that was soaring while the Blue Jays sunk last October and November, one which rebounded from 2026’s frustrating trek on defense to perform like it was 2025 all over again, back when the Wildcats had the same blue-collar attack, and a crushing defense beside it. Jefferson didn’t know it was facing the Purple People Eaters, but the Blue Jays persevered in a seminal 14-12 semifinal triumph.
The junior Oliver Klump made the stop of the night for Jefferson against Montgomery County, which ran a Wildcat attempt for a last second 2PT conversion that could have tied the score. Lafe McCurdy is not your mama’s Varsity single-wing QB at just 5’7″ and 152 pounds, but he’s fast, and Klump had to break a block from opposing WR Isaac Hinkle (another weird tactical choice at a soaking-wet 150 pounds) to set the edge, and make the winning stop on McCurdy at the 1-yard line.
The Geek wrongly expected a rollicking, fun contest between Sam Kerley’s club and the visiting Varsity Wildcats, one in which JHS would have to play very hard to prevail. That last part is all that the prediction had right! Jefferson’s offense took the field under duress due to the surprise absence of the veteran starting quarterback Kerley. Montgomery County’s defense licked its chops, manufacturing three first-half takeaways and taking a 6-0 lead into the break. The Jays were in trouble against a high-scoring foe, somehow having avoided the 0-21 type of deficit against QB Jackson Benney, and a lineup that put up 34 points on Bowling Green. Montgomery’s offense, not its defense, was supposed to be the threat to spoil Blue Jay Way’s semifinal. When the Montgomery County defense came alive like it was November 2025 again – against a backup quarterback – it could’ve been all she wrote.
Say hello to Jefferson’s freshman QB Logan Young, who – like Jaxson Jablonski of Seckman – wasn’t even marked as a quarterback on the Blue Jays’ depth chart when head coach Matt Atley last submitted one of MSHSAA’s fancy new rosters. Young skipped right over the upperclass depth chart to take the reins when Kerley, as was dished by Live Stream STL in pregame, missed the MCHS semifinal on Friday. Kerley played at the end of the regular season. The announcers reported the story as if he was under the weather, not injured. If that’s the case, it was little consolation to the aptly-named Mr. Young, who was thrown in the fire.
The Gridiron Geek knew he was bound to miss at least one big Jefferson Blue Jays story while the Jays were romping a bunch of overmatched teams in a row this midseason. That story was Young’s effort on defense, a hobby for which the new QB isn’t noted on his HUDL profile, which makes him a running back. Jefferson’s official roster doesn’t make him a quarterback, either. But the speedy frosh defensive back – running back – receiver – quarterback – uhhh, the freshman Utility Man was doing a lot more than one diddy-bump turnover-party recap after the Herculaneum contest satisfied No. 24’s dues. Young donned the Turnover Chain so often that he was due to soar up the JeffCo and STLMetro charts with any big effort. Voila – three darned interceptions against St. Vincent, snagged off of the Indians’ sophomore replacement QB Hunter Mattingly, helped stake the Blue Jays to 2026’s conference title, while putting Young up into double-digit takeaways on the year. Then, he followed that up with a victory as JHS’s quarterback.
Young didn’t have a breakout game in the offensive backfield against Montgomery County. He was also not as explosive as usual at the cornerback spot while having to shoulder the load of a rookie start behind center. The 5’9″ power-plebe did something else that’s even more valuable, though – he was patient when the Blue Jays drew bad luck on their possessions, and didn’t try to force a whole lot. Jefferson’s defense, as a unit, held down the fort while a strange sort of “old pro” performance from a freshman QB won the day. Young scampered for a 24-yard TD and a four-yard TD to produce the winning points and an eight-point lead before MCHS scored Friday’s final touchdown with the clock running out. Young doesn’t live up to his name – he played mature football and let the clock help the Varsity Blue Jays, not just as the surprise QB, but as a corner who tackled-up and frustrated the Wildcats in Quarter 4. Jefferson’s Brandon Crader was the Class of 2027 hero, if there was one, picking off QB Jackson Benney of the visitors.
We’ve published a longer feature on Young’s breakout that’s about a dozen days late, but that’s about the average span of time that it’s taking any of the Dirty Dozen’s monumentally crazy stories to sink in this fall, anyway. Catching the St. Vincent-at-Jefferson stat line by random chance, following another Week 9 that Mississippi Magazine had avoided, has allowed the site to include Young’s courageous (and effective) next day as a QB-plus-CB Iron Man against Montgomery County, in addition to a little more video.
Sneak preview – we’re calling it one of the area’s best underclass performances in the last several years. If Young Romaine remains an integral part of Jefferson’s offense as only a freshman, we’ll have to keep Patterson patting him on the back.
Meanwhile, the Valle Warriors coasted right along against 3-8 Hermann, 54-14, in District 2’s #1 versus #2 semifinal. Valle led the futile Bearcats 54-0 at the half, though that’s actually not one of Valle Catholic’s scarier outcomes this year. Hermann was lucky to be a middle seed in any district, given the former stronghold’s losing record. There just wasn’t anywhere for HHS to plunge below seeding #5 because winless Confluence was the district’s caboose. Jefferson High’s defensive backfield alone should ward off an avalanche of Week 11’s proportions from either of Valle’s two QBs, though the Blue Jays have to watch that they don’t become fatigued against the deadly Warriors, the way that St. Pius did after one early flourish in an otherwise dreadful 50-point loss.
Valle Catholic is keeping an eye on rival Lamar, which is drawn in the eastern side of this year’s Class 2 state bracket.
Photo Credit: St. Pius X Football Facebook