Jordyn Raynor is a four-sport athlete at Vancleave and three of them are football
Jordyn Raynor’s journey to flag football began in PE class her freshman year at Vancleave High School.
It was spring and Vancleave tackle head coach Kevin Fant was shorthanded at kicker in practice when he spotted Raynor kicking a football for fun in his PE class.
“(Fant) came over and he said ‘would you want to come try out?’” Raynor told the Sun Herald. “Because they just lost their kicker that year, he was a senior. I thought he was joking, so I just laughed. He was like, ‘No, I’m being serious.’ He said to come out to spring training. So I did and I was really nervous, but it’s been really fun. I’m really glad that he asked me to.”
Raynor is now a junior and a four-sport athlete. She runs track, plays on the tackle football team, plays the sport globally known as football — soccer — and most recently joined the school’s inaugural flag football team during the pilot season of Mississippi’s newest sanctioned sport.
She also became the first girl to ever make a field goal at Vancleave when she knocked in a 30-yarder against Forrest County Ag. last season. Raynor would score 39 points during the year from two field goals and 33 extra points.
“I just really love the atmosphere and those guys always treat me with respect,” Raynor said. “And I think it’s just really cool to show other girls in the community that you can do whatever you put your mind to.”
A new opportunity
When Vancleave became one of the first 12 schools in the state to field a flag football team, Raynor jumped at the chance.
“I was really excited, because instead of being out with out with a bunch of boys, I can be on a football team with girls,” Raynor said. “I have more connections with them and we get along so well.”
Raynor plays middle linebacker for the flag team and is also the backup quarterback. She made several tackles and picked off a pass in last week’s season-opener against East Central.
Her experience on the tackle team has made her new opportunity an easier one to translate to.
“I think that watching the boys play and like hearing some of the things that coaches say, I’ve been able to relate it to flag football,” Raynor said. “I’ve been watching them and seeing them just be aggressive. So I was just trying to embody what they do on the field out here. It’s not the same, obviously, because people don’t tackle people, but it does help just seeing their aggressiveness and trying to relate it back to flag football.”
Raynor still plays both sports, along with soccer in between. Her fourth block class consists of a workout with the tackle team before hitting the field for kicking reps.
Then her flag teammates arrive and it’s time for practice.
“She’s got a competitive nature about her,” Fant said. “Some people are just super-competitive and that’s what allows her to play multiple sports. It doesn’t matter if it’s checkers or football, a competitive person wants to win. I think she has that about her, so whatever she does she’s going to bring that drive and competitive nature to it.”
Vancleave and the rest of the pilot field of teams have a six-game schedule with a playoff to follow. The Bulldogs are off to an 0-1 start after an 8-0 loss to East Central, but were strong defensively thanks in part to Raynor’s leadership.
“She’s a really great athlete and a great leader,” flag football head coach Todd Alford said. “I think she’s one of the strong points of this flag football team.”
