When Ean Jones (11), Chancellor Gray (12) and Bryan Bratcher (12) first joined high school football, the team lacked confidence. From 2021-2022, the team had only won a third of the games they played and suffered disastrous losses, losing 11 out of 20 games by over 20 points. But over the span of three years, the team started winning games and reducing margins of loss — notably losing by three points against Christian Brothers in 2023 instead of 36 points two years before, and losing by six points against Whitehaven in 2023 rather than 41 points in 2021. Despite showing clear improvement, the team had a long way to go, still maintaining a losing record. This season, football captains Jones, Gray, and Bratcher take the reins with the intention of leaving a legacy and building a winning team, not an ‘improving’ team.
Jones, Gray and Bratcher were named team captains over the summer, marking the first time the team has had captains since head football coach Teran Conley started coaching at White Station. When the three captains joined the program as freshmen, it was clear that it was time for a change.
“When I first got here it was Coach Conley’s first year,” Jones said. “The first year was like the beginning of … a [new] dynasty. It’s been a drastic change from our records and the program itself.”
The three captains came into the team as young players full of potential who were forced to endure games when their team would lose by over 40 points. Instead of walking into an already accomplished program, they were faced with the monumental task of building a successful program themselves.
“I had a couple people come to me about transferring schools, but I feel like at White Station it’s teaching me to work for what I want and I’d rather work for it than have it easy,” Jones said. “As a man, we need to work for things we need and want in life instead of trying to get it the easy way.”
As the team’s records improved, Jones, Bratcher and Gray distinguished themselves as hard-working and talented players; however, they needed to grow as leaders who were respected by their teammates to prove they would be capable captains.
“The way it appears to me, if they say something, would their peers listen?” Conley said. “It’s not about you anymore, it’s about the unit first, and learning how to serve and learning how to take the responsibility.”
Coaches voted over the summer on which players would be captains and Jones, Bratcher and Gray were the clearest choices. With that, the three players ascended into captaincy, ready to take on the 2024-2025 season.
“What we’ve been preaching in football is to take every week 1-0 [winning a game every week],” Bratcher said. “Every week. My mentality is … if we operate effectively, there is nobody in the state who can beat us.”
Each captain brings a different skill set to the table, from their abilities on the field to their leadership styles and personalities. They each play unique positions: Jones is a linebacker, Gray floats between different defensive positions and Bratcher is a quarterback, running back, and wide receiver. Off of the field, they also have unique personalities that contribute to the team’s well-being. For example, Bratcher stands out because of his consistency and the respect that he commands from his peers and coaches.
“[Bryan displays] consistent leadership,” Conley said. “What he’s not doing is faking [and] trying to impress me; like that’s who he is, and it’s natural, and he can maintain it without even trying, so it was easy.”
Jones, on the other hand, is known as a focused, dedicated player who pushes hard during practice. He is driven by his determination to be the first in his family to play football in college, then in the National Football League (NFL).
“They work hard, especially EJ,” Gray said. “EJ used to be the troublemaker. He is a whole different person now. Coach had a long talk to him [about] how he had to step up because he had to take someone else’s spot because they were seniors, so when that senior left he stepped up and stopped being childish.”
In contrast to Jones, Gray has no aspirations of playing in college. Despite his quiet and soft-spoken nature, Gray stands out because of his responsibility and maturity.
“Chance is like more on the quiet side … but I think being more quiet definitely … is setting a good example,” manager Audrey Schusster (11) said. “[It’s] just like maturity, Chance is very mature.”
The three captains have precedents to set since they are the first to be in their position in years. They carry the responsibility of leading a team through a season where, after three years of training under a new coaching staff and practicing more intensely, students expect not solidity, but greatness.
“From my perspective, when I first got here, there were so many people who doubted us, it was kind of ridiculous,” Bratcher said. “From the change from when I got here back in December to now, this team has come so far … and I genuinely can’t wait to put on a show. This team can’t wait to put on a show.”
