OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Tay Tay Jenkins is reaping the rewards of the work he has put into his craft.
“It’s just me getting stronger, me being able to break more tackles,” Jenkins said.
The Westside junior running back has developed multiple aspects of his game this season.
“Probably my vision, my blocking and me seeing what I see on the field,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins credits his improvement to dedicated preparation both on and off the field.
“Studying game plans, working out in the weight room, me getting stronger and me just developing as a person,” Jenkins said.
Westside football coach Paul Limongi has noticed Jenkins’ growth across all areas.
“I think, overall, he’s grown in all aspects of his game,” he said. “Obviously, he can run the football very well, he’s very good out of the backfield as a pass catcher and he can block. He’s really becoming a complete back.”
Jenkins is coming off a five-touchdown performance in a win over Creighton Prep — his former school. That included four rushing scores and one on a kickoff return.
“We love to give him the football and see what he can do and he has the potential to make a big play whenever he has it,” Limongi said.
“When I first came here, I didn’t think that I was going to play,” Jenkins said. “[Limongi] trusted me … everybody trusted me,” Jenkins said.
Limongi praised Jenkins’ work ethic and preparation.
“There’s no one who practices harder and who’s ready to play on Friday nights than him,” Limongi said.
Jenkins has accumulated 26 total touchdowns eight games into his junior season, with 22 coming on the ground.
“He kind of holds everybody together, lightens the mood, but he also knows when to turn the switch and get serious when it’s game time,” Limongi said.
Jenkins said he draws motivation from opponents during games.
“People just talking stuff to me on the field and then me getting pumped to score,” Jenkins said.
The Warriors are using last season’s Class A state championship loss to Millard South and an earlier upset by Omaha Central this year as motivation.
“Our toughness, our physicality, our focus is way better since all that happened,” Jenkins said.
“We just want to play to our potential,” Limongi added. “We want to maximize our efforts. We want to get better every day and every week and if we do that, things are going to work out the way they should.”
Jenkins stressed the importance of consistency for the remainder of the season.
“We’ve just got to keep striving forward, striving up and make sure we have no ups and downs from here on out,” he said. “Just keep elevating and getting better.”
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