Staff photo / Brian Yauger Jackson-Milton freshman Hannah Huzyak drives to the basket during the team’s February contest against Lowellville.

A program taking a year off, especially at a small school like Jackson-Milton, could be a death sentence.

With just three roster players remaining, one of which was an exchange student, heading into the 2022-23 season, the Blue Jays and incoming coach Jeff Wilson were left with just one option — to take the year off and regroup.

Focusing on a long-term building plan, Wilson, assistant coach Madison Cauffield, and then-junior Macayle Thornhill each had hands in the revival.

Thornhill was in a very unique situation when the team announced its hiatus. One of her upperclassmen seasons went up in smoke, and instead of playing in her junior season, she was getting the seventh and eighth graders ready for high school basketball.

Even then, there was still uncertainty in whether or not the team would return for her senior year, and she’d possibly be back at square one once more.

Despite the tough position Thornhill was in, she stuck it out.

“I’m a very loyal person. I will not be that person who shows up and then doesn’t show up. I will put my time into something,” Thornhill said.

“I know that these girls depend on me because I’m the only upperclassmen and I don’t want to let them down to be the best that they can because I’m not all here. I will. I’ll be all here in basketball once a softball season. I’ll be all there. I’m playing in college. So I’m kind of like OK, this is not my last season. I can keep playing and this is my last season. So I’m just trying to put everything I have into everything.”

To Wilson, the senior has created a legacy with the program that will last years after she’s left the program.

“She stuck through all this,” Wilson said. “Last year when we didn’t have a team, we were practicing three girls per skill session two or three days a week, and the other days when the eighth grade was practicing, we practiced with them. … I can’t say enough about her. I told her that someday when we cut down a net, she’s part of it.”

With the first regular season with a restored varsity program in the books, Jackson-Milton finished with a 10-12 record. Their goals are still a bit away, but there’s plenty of things to be encouraged about.

One main thing being the team’s competitive spirit.

“They’re mad when they lose. They expect to win every game, and I love that,” Wilson said. “They have that drive.”

With that said, some of the players were surprised by their own success and how quickly their work is paying off. Thornhill knew it was coming, just not so soon.

“I knew that they would be good, but I honestly didn’t think they’d be this good. Like I think they’re surprising everyone, even us,” Thornhill said. “I’m so proud of them, and I’ve said this before, I’m excited to see where they get to, even next year, and in their junior and senior years.”

Four of the five highest scorers on the team are freshmen, including the team’s two top scorers. Both Amani Yasin and Emma Johns are averaging points in the double figures, with Johns averaging 11.5 points per game, and Yasin averaging 10.2 points per game. Freshmen lead the Blue Jays in points, offensive, defensive and total rebounds, assists, steals and blocks per game.

Hopes are high within the program, but the work isn’t done. The girls that were coached by Wilson and company in seventh grade are joining the team next season with a head start, and the hope is they’ll take to varsity basketball like this crop of freshmen have.

While a lot of focus is on the future, the program’s revival season has yet to conclude. Jackson-Milton’s postseason journey begins tonight at home against Ashtabula St. John.

“I told them ‘You have one more home game, don’t make it your last game,'” Wilson said. “That part of the season’s over. Now it’s survive and advance.

“We need to come out with a lot of energy (against St. John) just like they did (against Lowellville) and just carry that energy around and understand, ‘Hey, there’s no tomorrow.’ You’ve got to win or the season’s over.”

Start time against the Heralds is set for 7 p.m.

Have an interesting story? Contact Brian Yauger by email at byauger@tribtoday.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @_brianyauger.