Jrayton Dansel has embraced a new challenge entering his upcoming season at Andale. After a breakout first year as a linebacker, the veteran defender is eager to become more than just a playmaker — he wants to be one of the Indians’ leaders.
“Ever since this last spring I’ve been excited to step into more of a leadership role,” Dansel said. “It makes me excited because now I want to be a guy my team looks to in the big moment.”
That leadership has been built through another productive offseason. Along with Andale’s strength program, Dansel spent the summer attending camps to compete against top talent while showcasing his abilities in front of college coaches.
“I’ve been doing my usual thing getting bigger, faster and stronger with our weights program,” Dansel said. “But I’ve gone to camps all throughout the summer competing and showcasing my skills in front of college coaches. The camps keep me competitive and give me a chance to look for things I need to improve upon.”
The offseason wasn’t limited to camps. Dansel also competed on a 7-on-7 team during the winter, an experience that helped him develop an area of his game he believes will be crucial this fall.
“Last year was my first year at linebacker, and though it was very successful, there are things that I’m learning about that will step up my game,” Dansel said. “The biggest thing is covering space. I had limited pass drops last season due to our defensive scheme, but when my time comes to drop back, I want to make sure that I can execute.”
Dansel has taken a detailed approach to improving. Film study has become a major focus as he works to eliminate false steps, keep his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage and become a more complete linebacker.
“How I’m working on these is by being hypercritical of myself watching film and doing drills,” he said.
The hard work comes after a standout junior campaign. Dansel finished with 81 tackles, one interception, five forced fumbles and one fumble recovery while also contributing offensively with 181 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on just 23 carries.
Despite those numbers, Dansel has set even loftier expectations for himself.
“My goals for myself include getting 100 tackles and at least 10 turnovers,” he said. “This may seem like a low bar, but due to lopsided scores varsity guys play three quarters of a game at best.”
Individual accolades, however, take a back seat to team success. At Andale, the standard has long been competing for championships, and Dansel said the Indians’ mindset hasn’t changed.
“Team goals are to get the No. 1 seed in the playoffs and win state,” Dansel said. “‘State champs’ has always been our breakdown. That’s everyone’s mentality — to find a way to Hutchinson. Because of our past successes, we know what the price is to put ourselves at the top of our bracket. It takes everyone’s commitment, clear down to the water boys.”
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