Clay Center’s Brody Hayes still replays the season in his mind. The Tigers accomplished so much and Hayes is proud of every single moment.

“I was very proud of my team this season,” Hayes said. “Everyone played super physical all season and that was one of our goals. I felt we performed well and handled adversity extremely well. I could not ask for a better group of guys to go to battle with. I am very grateful for the relationships I created and strengthened this fall.”

From the first game of the season, to Clay Center’s state semifinal loss to Cheney, Hayes said there were so many moments that stood out to him.

“Winning our first home game this year on our brand new turf field was amazing,” Hayes said. “The atmosphere of the crowd and the energy that the boys brought was incredible. I felt that that win really jump-started our season. Also clinching an outright league title and district title for the first time in 30 years was a cool memory as well.”

Hayes was a versatile playmaker on both sides of the ball, earning multiple postseason accolades and awards. He racked up over 1,400 all-purpose yards and 22 touchdowns on offense, while recording 101 tackles (seven for a loss) and two interceptions on defense.

“Personally, I thought I performed well,” Hayes said. “I did my job as best I could for this team. I felt I grew as a leader as well. One of my goals before the season was to grow in my leadership skills and I thought I did a nice job with that.”

Trust, respect and accountability were the three things that Hayes felt made Clay Center’s season so successful.

“This group of boys has worked extremely hard for multiple years so I knew we were due for a big year,” Hayes said. “From lifts in the winter to workouts on the field in the spring and summer, we got better every single day and it paid off.”