The 2016 high school football season was shaping up to be a great one for the Tigers of Snyder High School. They were in hot pursuit of their first NJSIAA state playoff berth in almost three decades. Everything was falling into place for head coach Ray Marshall in just his second season as leader of the Tigers.
But then, something dramatic happened, something so totally avoidable, like a weak pass rush on a quarterback.
The Tigers’ quarterback, Jahleel Baker, was suspended from the team for disciplinary reasons by Marshall.
“We hadn’t qualified yet,” Marshall said of the playoff race and Baker’s suspension. “People were giving me heat about suspending him. But I did it to teach him a lesson. He had character issues, things that he had to get rid of. So we had to sit him out.”
Imagine that. A coach is in hot pursuit of history and he sits his starting signal caller? That took a lot of guts on Marshall’s part.
But it was done with one thing in mind – to change the sophomore’s way of thinking and his lackadaisical approach to the game.
“It really affected me,” Baker said of the suspension. “I wasn’t able to help my team. I felt like I was letting my team down. I felt like I was letting everyone down by being a goofball and not taking the game seriously. I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to be doing. I had to pay the consequences. I felt very disappointed in myself.”
The suspension served as a wake-up call to the talented Baker.
“He came to practice every day,” Marshall said. “Those two weeks he was out, Jahleel was a changed man. He practiced like he was playing. He was on the sidelines helping the other kids. He was correcting others. It was like night and day. He was a totally different kid.”
Baker returned to action in time for the state playoffs, a game that the Tigers dropped to Parsippany Hills.
But the lesson was learned. Baker was never going to be a problem child ever again.
Baker also had a good teacher in former teammate Nolan Burns, now at Robert Morris University playing football.
Burns, a former two-time Hudson Reporter All-Area honoree and two-time Hudson Reporter Athlete of the Week, sat Baker down during the summer and the two had a heart-to-heart chat.
“He made me see that not everyone could be a leader, but I could be a leader,” Baker said. “Last year, I wasn’t a good leader. Once I saw Nolan, I had to keep it in mind that I could be a leader and I could do the things he did to get to college.”
“I think that was the whole key,” Marshall said. “Nolan Burns sat him down before he left for college and told Jahleel what he needed to do. Jahleel saw what Nolan is doing with college and decided he wanted the same. Once Jahleel realized that he could do the same thing, maybe even better, then he realized what he could be. Everyone is telling him that he has [NCAA] Division I talent, so he doesn’t fool around in practice. He’s all seriousness. Last year, I would have never dreamed that could happen.”
As the 2017 season began to take shape, Marshall saw a totally different Baker.
“He started acting the way you want a quarterback to act and how he should act,” Marshall said. “There was a big change in him.”
Burns also taught Baker another valuable lesson.
“He told me that he wanted me to be humble and smart,” Baker said. “That’s what I’m trying to do. As of now, I try to bring everyone else up. Everyone listens to me now.”
Last weekend, Baker led the Tigers against neighboring rival Marist.
“Everyone there kept telling me that they were going to beat us,” Baker said. “I just did what I had to do.”
Baker merely completed 14 of 19 passes for 302 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Tigers to a lopsided victory.
And for his efforts, Baker has been selected as the Hudson Reporter Athlete of the Week for the past week. Baker is the first such honoree of the 2017-2018 scholastic sports season. The weekly feature will culminate in June, 2018 with the presentation of the Hudson Reporter Male and Female Athlete of the Year awards.
Baker, who was also honored in October of 2016, is obviously a changed young man since last season.
“I’m staying humble and practicing harder,” Baker said. “I feel like I’m in control, both on and off the field.”
Marshall is pleased that his talented quarterback has turned his life completely around.
“It’s one of those magic wishes I kept asking for,” Marshall said. “I think that he can open up some eyes. People are starting to see what he can do. He’s working hard.”
He’s also 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, so Baker has the size and strength that colleges look for.
“He can also run,” Marshall said. “He’s running the ball even better than I thought he could.”
“I’m very excited about the way I’ve been playing,” Baker said. “I’m pretty sure I can do even better than this game.”
Baker isn’t wasting any time thinking about the future. Even though he’s only a junior, Baker has paid visits to several colleges with his mother, Shakeerah Baker.
“I’m going to take my SATs [Scholastic Aptitude Tests],” Baker said. “My grades are better. I realize that if I want to go to a better college, I needed to get my scores and my grades up. I realize that now. More than anything else, I realize that my team needs a leader. I’m working on that every day.”
There’s no denying Baker’s talents. He has a cannon for an arm, has great size and can run like the wind. It’s the reason why he was selected to the Hudson Reporter All-Area team last season.
But now, it appears as if Baker has added the last intangible to his college resume.
“The bad times are behind him,” Marshall said. – Jim Hague.
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.
