‘I’m built for this.’ Jordan Haskins leads Bryan Station rout of Lafayette
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Coach J.T. Haskins installed son Jordan at quarterback to spark the offense.
- Jordan rushed for 117 yards, scored twice, and intercepted a pass.
- Bryan Station dominated Lafayette 39-0 and prepares to face Frederick Douglass.
Bryan Station’s offensive struggles against top teams got to the point this season where head coach J.T. Haskins knew something had to be done.
In back-to-back losses against Frederick Douglass and Madison Central — both Class 6A top 10 teams and district rivals — the Defenders barely topped 200 total yards combined as they were outscored 70-24.
Worse, against the Indians in Richmond, they gave up a pix-six and a scoop-and-score fumble recovery TD among their four turnovers in the 43-14 defeat.
So, last week, Haskins turned to his most highly touted player to take over at quarterback.
The problem: Jordan Haskins is also the coach’s youngest son.
“I was kind of hesitant in the past of putting him at quarterback, because — I’m going to go ahead and say it — everyone thinks nepotism, that I’m favoring my own kid,” J.T. Haskins said. “That is not the case.”
Friday, Jordan Haskins got his second start at quarterback since middle school. Despite a halting first quarter that included two punts and a turnover on downs, Bryan Station rolled to a 39-0 win at Lafayette in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs.
Jordan Haskins rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns and threw a blistering 15-yard TD pass to Brayden Wilson.
A two-way player, Jordan Haskins previously played wide receiver in addition to his duties as one of the top junior defensive backs in the nation. He nabbed an interception on defense in the second half.
However, he had trouble in the passing game, completing only three of his 16 pass attempts.
“Offensively, it was slow. We couldn’t really get the run game going. I didn’t throw the ball well the first half,” Jordan Haskins said. “That comes down to me as a quarterback. I have to get the guys rolling and know that we have to start fast every game from here on.”
The slow start didn’t last. The Defenders (6-5) blew the game open with 20 points over a five-minute span of the second half. Bryan Station’s defense held Lafayette (5-6) to a mere 40 total yards.
Meanwhile, its offense gashed the Generals with huge touchdown runs. Avery Johnson opened the scoring with a 72-yard touchdown late in the first quarter and added a 52-yarder to cap the night and start the mercy-rule running-clock with 5:21 left in the fourth quarter.
Haskins made up for his pass problems by breaking TD runs of 48 yards and 63 yards. Raymond Young also added a 15-yard TD run.
“They came out a little flat, but they turned it on in the second half,” J.T. Haskins said. “I got into them a little bit and let them know that, if you come out this week playing like you did the first half, next week is going to be trouble for you guys. I pretty much challenged them to do better in the second half, and they stood up to the challenge.”
Next week, Bryan Station will face No. 5 Frederick Douglass at The Farm. The Defenders are 0-8 against the Broncos since “The School on Winchester Road” opened in 2017.
J.T. Haskins said he didn’t have any concerns about calling Jordan’s number at quarterback last week against South Oldham.
“Anytime you’ve got a top-300 kid in the nation, chances are he knows how to play the game,” said J.T. Haskins, who helped lead the Defenders to the Class 4A state finals in 1999 as a quarterback and defensive back, the same roles he’s asking of Jordan now. “He’s, by far, well-prepared to play any position on the field.”
Jordan Haskins rates as a four-star recruit in the Class of 2027 on the 247Sports.com composite index and is No. 288 in its national player rankings, No. 30 at safety and No. 6 overall in the state. He has reported offers from at least 13 colleges, including Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Louisville.
Bryan Station’s players welcomed Jordan Haskins’ new role as well. He had already established himself as a team leader.
“He’s a great teammate. He’s always there when we need him,” senior defensive end Ethan Thomas said. “I feel like he gets with everybody and knows what to do whenever he’s needed.”
Friday’s game proved more difficult for Jordan Haskins than his first start against South Oldham in which he threw for 204 yards and three TDs and ran for another. He embraced the challenge.
“I just think that I’m built for this, and this is my moment to show everybody. … I can be a playmaker on both sides of the ball,” Jordan Haskins said. “These last two weeks, I just had to dial in and get in the playbook more and just be with my o-line and receivers extra and just hit it running and just trying to get the system going. The main thing for me is just making the right reads, making them faster and just getting through my progressions fully and making the right decisions and getting the right guys the ball.”
