Coaches who maximize their players’ potential and athletes who guide them to newfound success highlight some of Bozeman High School’s best players.
Today we bring you the fifth installment of the News Herald’s “High School Sports Mount Rushmore” series, which will look at all six Bay County schools and highlight key and quintessential figures from each school’s sports program.
A historic seasonBozeman football’s offensive explosion leads to dominant season, Coach Griffin named Coach of the Year
An all-new program reaches new heightsBozeman cheerleading team takes state runner-up spot in program’s second year
Mountain players and coaches are defined by the impact they make on the program, the community and beyond, and we at the News Herald appreciate our readers and invite you to get involved.
Each article is accompanied by a survey for people to vote for who they think represents the fifth spot on the mountain.
Chandler Burkett
At 6’3″ and weighing 240 pounds, Burkett was a commanding presence on the football field that was hard to miss. In three seasons, he recorded 250 total tackles, nine sacks and 61 TFL. Burkett was named First Team All-State during his senior season, was named Bay County Defensive Player of the Year and was a central figure in leading the Bucs to a then program-best eight regular season wins.
A three-star prospect in the class of 2013, Burkett attended the University of Maryland where he played five seasons and recorded 76 total tackles, 4.5 sacks and 13 TFLs.
Jason Griffin
Jason Griffin spent six years as the football coach in Bozeman, compiling a 38-27 record, but the “quarterback whisperer” and offensive guru had his best year in 2023, leading the Bucs to a 12-1 record and a trip to the Class 1R state semifinals.
Bozeman’s offense averaged 32.2 points per game and was led by quarterback Peyton Gay, who threw for 2,665 yards, 35 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Gay also ran for 777 yards and five touchdowns. Gay plans to attend Texas A&M University this fall.
The offensive line also included Chance Jenkens, who rushed for 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns and will attend the University of Southern Mississippi.
Jeff Patton
A mainstay in Bozeman’s athletic community, Patton has led the baseball program for 16 years. With a record of 363-138, Patton led the Bucs to 20 or more wins 10 seasons.
Under Patton’s direction, the Bucs won seven district championships, two regional championships and two state championships. During that time, more than 20 Bucs players earned college baseball scholarships.
Courtney Russ
After coaching the junior volleyball team for five years, Russ saw the success of a local competitive cheer team and wanted to bring that to Bozeman, and in 2023 she generated enough interest throughout the school to form a non-tumbling competitive team. In her first year, the Bucks won the regional tournament and finished seventh at the state tournament.
Bozeman hit its stride in just its second season, finishing as runner-up at the Class 1A Rajnon tumbling state championships.
Banji Bamidele is a sports reporter for the Panama City News-Herald. He can be reached at abamidele@gannett.com or on Twitter @AdebanjiBamide1..
