New Faces, Same Goal: Trojan Football Quest For Gold Ball

Sports

Oct 2

By: Andrew Scruggs and Ethan Logan

The Jenks Trojans have been a powerhouse in Oklahoma football since the 90s, and have no plans of being out of contention for the state title. They have seen many rivalries, coaches, and athletes over the years, but their standard of excellence has remained the same.

Coming off of a semifinals loss in the 2024 playoffs, the Trojans are entering the 2025 season with a new head coach and new faces on the field and sidelines. We sat down with the new head coach, Adam Gaylor, first-year starting quarterback Landon Kizzar, and defensive lineman Julian Tugwell to get an inside view of the 2025 Jenks Football Program.

Head Coach Adam Gaylor coaching between plays

We first sat down with Coach Gaylor and opened the interview by asking him what it means to be the head coach and the culture he is trying to build in the Jenks football program.

Gaylor wants to create an environment centered around “faith, family, academics, football, and then everything else.” He feels that this captures the image of Jenks football and its excellence that has been carried on for generations.

Gaylor emphasizes the importance of each of these and how they apply to all aspects of the players' lives. When Gaylor brought up family, he was very proud of how all of his coaching staff have fit into the Trojan Football family.

“It is crucial that we surround our athletes with good men, good coaches, and good leaders,” said Gaylor. “We want to have great men that model great behavior for our players.”

Alongside the coaching staff, the leadership council of upperclassmen players has been setting the standard for the Jenks Football Program. We had a one-on-one with QB and member of the leadership council, Landon Kizzar, to get his viewpoint of what it means to be a leader, and how he's adjusting to the ‘Gaylor Era’.

When asked about his opinion on the new head coach, Landon immediately responded with high praise for Gaylor.

“Coach Gaylor has really been stepping up,” said Kizzar. “He’s done a great job not only as the head coach but the defensive coordinator too.”

We also sat down and talked with Senior DL Julian Tugwell.

“I’m loving the coaches,” said Tugwell. “We are all on one page and it feels like family.” With all of the changes throughout the summer, Tugwell believes that he and the team have adjusted well.

Both Kizzar and Tugwell mentioned a couple of new additions to the practices, such as “good on good,” which refers to how they have started pitting their best against their best, getting the most quality out of the reps. Intensity was also an emphasis of both players as well as Gaylor.

Gaylor has also made the point to emulate the sense of how it is at a game into their practices.

“Things change, being on defense then special teams, then offense comes out, and offense turns it over, now you’re back on defense,” said Gaylor. “Nothing is known. 7 on 7 is not the same time every day, the individual is not the same every day.”

Gaylor emphasizes this in his practices to replicate what it's going to be like on Friday night, to shock the system for the players, and prevent practice from becoming mundane.

These changes, both within the culture and the practices of the Trojan Football program, are priming Jenks to be the best they have looked in recent years. The continuity in practices and the community being built as a football family has put the Trojans in the best position possible going into the rest of the season and into the playoffs.

Even through the changes to practices, and new faces on the field and sidelines, the Trojans haven’t changed their goal one bit; taking home the Gold Ball.