by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
Jourdon Schuyler and Braydon Skenandore live and breathe as West De Pere High School Phantom athletes. They are also both from the Oneida Nation and have known each other since being in daycare as three year olds. Jourdan said they dreamed about getting written about at the same time.
Jourdon’s parents are Lee Ann Schuyler and Gene Thomas who are also Oneida. We live on the Oneida Reservation.
Braydon’s mother is Michelle Klarkowski, Green Bay, and father is Joel Skenandore who lives in Alaska.
They are both defensive starters for the #2 state ranked in Wisconsin High School Football Division 2 West De Pere Phantoms. They are among five undefeated 8-0 teams. Jourdon is the leading tackler on the team this season as a linebacker. Braydon is a defensive lineman, missed two games to injury and has 26 tackles, 7 for loss, 2 sacks and an interception.
Braydon, 6-0 and 210 lbs., is a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and baseball. Jourdon, 5-11 and 210 lbs., plays football and baseball. Both went to ‘state’ last season in football and baseball.
“I have a strong dedication to the West De Pere football team,” said Jourdon. “I pride myself on having a strong work ethic while also providing enthusiasm at every practice and game. I also try to be the best team player I can, by motivating others and doing whatever the coaches ask me to do to the best of my ability.”
“I love playing sports and I’m a three sport athlete at West De Pere High School,” said Braydon. “I love going to practice everyday. I get the feeling that I can get away from reality while going to practice. I love game days and they mean so much to me, the whole school watching us on a Friday night is unbelievable, and we put in so much work during the week to show people on Friday nights what we can do.”
The Oneida core values are significant in leading people on their journey in life.
“Some of our tribal core values are the encouragement of our people through compassion and caring and the openness of the good spirit and mind,” said Jourdon. “Being a student athlete requires being very disciplined, but I always do my best to help encourage others throughout the year while continuing to better myself as well.”
“I love to play and always try my hardest,” said Braydon. “I always help the young guys out and give them tips and pointers on how to get better. I try my hardest to show younger generations that you can’t give up and have to keep trying. Most importantly they can’t let anyone tell them what they can and can’t do.”
Both athletes have college plans as a part of their journey after high school.
“My dream is to become a professional athlete in either baseball or football,” said Jourdon. “But my college plans are to get a degree in Kinesiology and become a certified Performance Trainer. Athletics helps me to understand the commitment required and the skills needed to guide me down that path.”
“I am looking to go to a four-year college to further educate myself and also be a multi sport athlete,” said Braydon. “I would love to play college baseball and football. I hope that me playing these sport will also get me into a college I’m looking for that is the perfect fit for me.”
Coach-athlete and mentor relationships are important to be successful on and off the field and court.
“Steve Ellingson, freshmen football coach, was the first to help me believe in myself and understand that I could be a great football player,” said Jourdon. “He also has taken me to football camps to help better my skills and has encouraged me and believed in me.”
“Coach Ellingson was the type of guy who made practice better, he was always hard on us and expected great things from us,” said Braydon. “He always made sure we were doing things right and always helped if we were in need of it. Ellingson would always be there for us telling us about past teams that he has coached. He told us that we were the best team he’d ever coached or seen. We went 8-0 in ninth grade.”
“Varsity Head Coach Jack Batten is a coach who will never give up on you and has consistently pushed me to be the best football player and best person I can possibly be both on and off the field,” said Jourdon. “Takes time to explain things 1 on 1 and shares the same goals as you do.”
“Coach Batten is the type of guy to be a father figure, he is always caring about us and calling us his family,” said Braydon. “He expects the best of us and we always respect that. He is also a guy that will explain things to you in a simpler form if you don’t understand it. Coach Batten would also get on our butts if we didn’t do things right, and you knew the next play you had to do it right to get more reps.”
Coach Jack Batten said: “Jourdon worked his tail off this past off season and changed his physique. He is one of our strongest players and has developed into a sideline-to-sideline linebacker. Braydon is a three-sport kid that is rare these days. I always tease him he isn’t athletic but nothing could be further from the truth. He could play just about any position on the field. Both young men are great kids and even better teammates.”
Jourdon talked about his late mentor: “Randall Jourdan, not biologically my Grandpa but that’s what I called him. He was truly the most inspiring person to me, since day one he always told me to “chase after my dreams” and he died when I was eight years old and the last thing he told me was to continue chasing the dream. I know he’s watching me throughout all my sports and drama and I know he will always cheer me on good or bad. I play every game for any sports in honor of my Grandpa Randy.”
“In today’s society it is very hard to find a kid who has a caring loving compassion for not only himself but all others around him in school,” said Jourdon’s mom Lee Anne Schulyer. “He is always willing to help anyone out. He doesn’t belong to a particular crowd, he likes all students popular or not, and if you’re a shy person he’s still going to try and make you talk and if your struggling he’ll help you. If you’re heading down the wrong path he’s the kid who will help guide others back to the right way. He’s very family oriented and he enjoys spending as much time as he can with his very large family.”
Braydon is thankful for his support: “I definitely would like to thank Coach Budek. He is my favorite coach, he always puts a smile on my face, and fortunately he is also my football and baseball coach. I have made two state appearances in football and baseball.”
“I would also thank every single family member because they always encourage me and are always cheering me on. My family would always tell me stories of what sports they did and what they accomplished. That was my favorite thing to do was sit around and talk sports with family members, and we may go back and forth sometimes on who is the better sports team. I also will never forget those moments I get to spend with them,” added Braydon.
Photographs provided by Jourdon Schuyler, Braydon Skenandore and Andrew Pekarek of Preps Agenda.
