Q & A with Valley View Blazer Jayde Taylor. By: Ryan Fletcher
1. You’ ve been a successful multi-sport athlete at Valley View. Discuss playing each sport. Playing football for Valley View has meant a lot to me. I didn’ t play my sophomore year, and it showed me how much I missed playing the sport. With the success we had over the last two years, I will never forget the teammates and experiences I got to enjoy from it. Baseball has been an even crazier ride. I’ m lucky enough to have been to the state championship every year of high school. We lost my ninth and tenth grade year but winning last year made it more special. I’ ve learned so much from Valley View baseball, and it has shaped me into a better person and player on and off the field.
2. You have been considered by many to be one of the top defensive players in football in Northeast Arkansas. Discuss your playing career on the gridiron along with success your team has had. I’ ve been playing football since I was five years old, and it has always been a part of my life. I’ ve been known to be the one that was never afraid to hit someone and always wanted to bring aggressiveness to the field. My junior year our defense was very successful with players like Brian Huff playing. My senior year we didn’ t expect to be as elite as we were. What worked so well was our chemistry on the team and especially the defensive. No one tried to do too much and just worried about doing their job, and that’ s what made us so successful.
3. You have also played in multiple state title games in baseball and have won a ring. What was the journey like of winning a state title and at the same time finishing runner-up and coming up a little bit short? Winning the state title last year meant so much more to our team after we lost it two years in a row. At the beginning of the year, it was almost like the team didn’ t have an option but to win it. We didn’ t want to go through the pain of losing another one three years in a row especially since the last two that we lost were off of walk offs in extra innings. That just pushed us even more to win it that year
4. You get to say that you played with Slade Caldwell who is an Arizona Diamondback. What has that experience been like? Do you talk to him still? I’ ve played with Slade since I was eight years old in travel ball and against him since I was 13. I’ ve known him for most of my life and his work ethic is unreal. Playing with him has shown me what it takes to be elite at the game of baseball and how much work has to be put in to play at the next level. He got to come and practice with the team a couple of weeks ago right before he went off for spring training and that was really cool.
5. Discuss your senior season in baseball. What can we expect from you? Senior season this year is extremely important for me and the rest of the seniors. We have made it to the finals every year and we want to make it back this year. I think this year there ' s more pressure than the last since a lot of our key players graduated.
Jayde was a guy that we had pegged as a freshman as someone who would throw important innings for us later in his career. We know what we are going to get with Jayde, and his stuff is good enough to compete with anyone.” Valley View Pitching Coach Matt Snyder
“ He is as tough and athletic as any player I have ever coached. He has a mentality that can’ t be coached!”- Valley View Football Coach Sean Cockrell