Noah Jilek is building a strong future for Graham football
GRAHAM, Texas — The Graham Steers had a good season in 2021, with the team going 7-4. The Steers won one playoff game but ended up losing to Snyder in their second playoff match. The team has still managed to be one of the more competitive football programs in Young County.
One player who was instrumental in helping the Steers go far is junior running back Noah Jilek. While he hasn’t been making the most buzz among players on the Steers roster, he has managed to be a viable threat.
Jilek was the most active player on the Steers’ offensive front in 2021. He had 1,149 rushing yards and 208 receiving yards. He also scored nine rushing touchdowns.
But Jilek hasn’t been the most prominent figure on the Steers roster this year. Freshman quarterback Ty Thompson proved to be the most interesting player for the Steers. He concentrated on a balanced attack throughout the year, as he was active on the ground and in the air alike. Thompson had 1,251 passing yards with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2021. He also had 362 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 101 carries, making him the second-most active runner on the Steers roster.
The Steers anticipate that with Thompson having three more years to play with the team, there’s a good chance he will become the primary threat on offense.
“There’s not a lot of varsity experience at the position in our program,” coach Kenny Davidson said to the Times Record News.
Davidson is still very upbeat on what Jilek has to offer for the Steers.
“He’s watched some great running backs in the past,” Davidson said. “He had a good scrimmage against Burk and broke one for 60 yards for a touchdown in the latter part of the scrimmage. I like the way he runs the ball.”
But one concern remains for Jilek’s development. He had four fumbles during the season, losing two of them.
But whatever happens with Jilek, he’ll be playing for a Graham Steers team in 2022 that has high hopes of reaching the Division 4A-2 playoffs and going further towards the championship.
The Steers have won at least seven games each season since 2016, and the team will be hoping to do the same in 2022. They would even like to go further than they did in 2017, when the team went 14-1 and came very close to winning a state title.
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