25 Teams in 25 Days: St. Martin Yellow Jackets

When searching for St. Martin football’s identity, first year Head Coach Woody Cagnoletti wanted to mirror their community which resulted in the teams wanting to be “blue collar built.” That blue collar mentality didn’t wait for the fall either, but quickly became the motive that following spring.

“We went backwards in a sense. Back to the old school way of doing things,” said Coach Cagnoletti. “This summer was really difficult for the players. We pushed them and coached hard. Spring Training is when I was first hired and it was a very physical spring. The players did a fantastic job. They absolutely responded to everything that we asked them to do, and we feel good about where we are.”   

“I think we had the hardest summer of all schools. We just grinded and I think we’re ready,” said senior defensive lineman Jayden Curtis.

“Those 15 days in the spring of nonstop contact has definitely built a lot of people’s character and has shown who’s in it and who’s not in it,” said senior safety and running back Exavier Wiggins. “I love that about Coach Woody. It showed me who’s with me through the pain and the struggles and winning all above.

After an intense off-season for the colony, the Yellow Jackets became closer than ever and now lead the team as players.

“We’ve noticed that after three years together, our players know what I expect and what we expect as a staff and they’re starting to lead and that makes everything so much easier,” said Coach Cagnoletti. 

“It’s mainly on the field but even off the field just checking up on players if they’re hurt, getting sleep, eating, working out, coming out on the field when it’s the weekend and running a few sprints or going over plays and things like that,” said senior right guard Chadrick Arevalo. “On the field it’s if I see someone slacking off just giving them a pat on the back and telling them they’re not going to die and to keep on pushing through.”

When you have veterans on both sides of the ball, those players are easy to trust. On offense, returners include quarterback Kevin Marshall and overall athlete Seth Crockett. As for the defense, you have the powerhouse of three star defensive lineman Jayden Curtis leading the way.

“Obviously Jayden Curtis,” said Coach Cagnoletti. “Jayden Curtis has blown up. He is a big time recruit for us and so happy that he’s committed and he’s put that behind him. He’s excited about that and having that off his back and being able to focus on his guys. He is the anchor to our defense.” 

“The linebackers for sure and our secondary. They are very explosive and so is our defensive line as well. We’re very physical and none of us are scared of contact, so that’s what we’re really seeking is contact,” Curtis said. “I committed to UCF so I could focus on the team so we can be the best we can be, and I think we’ll be really good this year.”

“We are using some guys on both sides of the ball this year which is something that we haven’t done a lot of in the past. We feel like we need to get our best players on the field at all times as much as we can to help us with success. We’ve got some guys like Exavier Wiggins who’s going to be playing both sides of the ball. He’ll be playing a little running back for us and obviously he’s a three year starting safety for us.”

“I love it. I enjoy being that two-way player and I love having people look up to me on offense and defense and I just enjoy the attention of being that guy at St. Martin,” said Wiggins. 

With the much needed changes in the offseason, becoming a player led team and using their best guys on the field at all time, the Yellowjackets believe this could finally be the year to make it to the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

“We’re working towards getting to where we need to be in order to compete and that’s the thing. Where are we in terms of being able to compete against the other teams in our district? I feel like in the growth of the team that we’ve seen since I’ve been here for three years, we’re getting there. We’ve just got a long ways to go and that’s a part of what everybody calls the process. Everybody has their own definition of what their process is and things like that. For us, it’s about a standard,” said Coach Cagnoletti. “Going to class, waking up, taking care of their bodies and doing everything to a certain standard, and we’ll put ourselves in a position to compete.’ 

“A successful season? Playoffs. I can’t wait,” said Arevalo. “We’ve just got to have that mindset, playoffs. ”

“Going to playoffs for sure and just celebrating with our team,” said Curtis. “Watching my teammates and brothers after a win like when we played Hancock last year and we beat them in overtime. When they stormed the field, that’s a moment and memory forever.”

“I don’t care about the record or any of that. I just want to go to the playoffs,” Wiggins said. “I want to do something that St. Martin hasn’t done in a long time. I want to make history and let it build up from there.”

Their first stop on the way to that playoff berth will be August 29th at Vancleave High School.