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Mount Rushmore of Bozeman High: Vote for a fifth sports great for the Bucks

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Coaches who get the maximum potential of their players and an athlete who engineered newfound success highlight some of the very best at Bozeman High.

Today we dive into the fifth part of the News Herald’s “High School Athletics Mount Rushmore” series. The series features all six Bay County schools, highlighting the significant and quintessential figures of the athletic programs at each school.

Historic season Griffin coach of the year as Bozeman football’s offensive eruption leads to dominant season

Brand new program reaching new heights Bozeman cheerleading rises to be state runner-up in program’s second year

The mountain’s players and coaches are determined by their impact on the program, the community and beyond. We at the News Herald appreciate our readers and would love to get you involved.

Accompanying each article is a poll to vote for someone you believe would represent a fifth spot on the mountain.

Chandler Burkett

Standing at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds Burkett was hard to miss as he dominated on the football field. In three seasons he totaled 250 tackles, nine sacks and 61 TFLs. Burkett earned first-team all-state honors and Bay County Defensive Player of the Year his senior season, when he was a key cog in leading the Bucks to a program-best eight regular season wins at the time.

A three-star prospect in the 2013 class, Burkett committed to Maryland where he played for five seasons and totaled 76 tackles, 4½ sacks and 13 TFLs.

Jason Griffin

Jason Griffin spent six years as football coach at Bozeman and accumulated a 38-27 record. The “quarterback whisperer” and offensive guru saw his best year in 2023, when he led the Bucks to a 12-1 record and a Class 1R state semifinal appearance.

Bozeman’s offense averaged 32.2 points per game and was led by quarterback Peyton Gay, who threw for for 2,665 yards, 35 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Gay also ran for an additional 777 yards and five touchdowns. Gay will walk-on to Texas A&M this fall.

The offense also featured Chance Jenkens, who rushed for 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns and will walk-on at Southern Mississippi.

Jeff Patton

A mainstay at Bozeman athletics, Patton has led the baseball program for 16 years. Boasting a 363-138 record, Patton has led the Bucks to 10 seasons of 20-plus wins.

Under Patton’s leadership, the Bucks have secured seven district titles, two regional championships, and have made two state championship appearances. During this period, over 20 players from the Bucks have received scholarships to play college baseball.

Courtney Russ

Russ, a junior varsity cheerleading coach for five years, saw the success of local competitive cheer teams and wanted to bring it to Bozeman. In 2023 she gathered enough interest around the school to create a non-tumbling competitive team. In the inaugural season, the Bucks advanced through regional competition and finished seventh at state competitions.

In just its second season Bozeman broke through and finished runner-up in the Class 1A Large Non-Tumbling state championships.

Banji Bamidele is a sports reporter for the Panama City News Herald. He can be reached at abamidele@gannett.com or through X, formerly known as Twitter, @AdebanjiBamide1.

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