By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
In his first season as head coach of the Benson Bruins 8U football team, known as the NewWaveBoyz, Tay Daniels has watched his players respond to an early loss and injuries to key players by winning four straight games and growing into the type of team he envisioned when he arrived at Benson.
Now 4-1, the Bruins have not allowed a touchdown since their 7-0 season-opening loss to the Tac City Bolts. But for Daniels, the team’s progress has been about more than its record. He wants to build an environment where young players develop as athletes while gaining the confidence, leadership and support they can carry beyond football.
“This is my first year at Benson. I’ve been coaching for about five years now, and I have been under my dad coaching,” said Daniels. “I’ve coached a little bit with the Parkland Raiders. After that, I coached last year with the Pac Highway Junior Pirates. Then this year, I went over to Benson.”
Daniels said the decision to join Benson was about finding an organization that matched the type of environment he wanted to create for his players. Having a familiar home field and a family-oriented organization helped make the move an easy one.
“I was looking forward to a family vibe, my home field, and Benson definitely provides that,” said Daniels. “That actually was a big part of me actually coming over to Benson.”
That sense of family has carried into Daniels’ approach with his players. While developing young football players is an important part of his job, Daniels sees coaching as an opportunity to provide encouragement, leadership and stability for children who may face challenges away from the field.
“I am big on health and not only health but just seeing the youth succeed,” said Daniels. “I played when I was younger, so just that extra push was big for me when I was younger, and that person for me was my coach.”
Daniels said the impact of a coach can last well beyond a season. He wants his players to understand that their development is not limited to football but extends into the classroom, their personal lives and the young men they will eventually become.
“Seeing kids succeed and do what they want to do, not only in football but outside of football, and then becoming young men and seeing them go on to that next level, as far as students and athletes, that’s the joy that I get from coaching,” said Daniels.
The Bruins entered the season ranked No. 3 on the West Coast, but their path to a 4-1 record has not been without adversity. Injuries to several key players disrupted their early schedule.
“We started off week zero, jamboree week, ranked number three in the West Coast. We ended up having some big injuries to a couple key players,” said Daniels. “Our quarterback ended up having a collarbone injury, and we had a couple linemen out due to some leg injuries.”
Those injuries kept Benson from participating in a scheduled tournament. The Bruins then faced the Tac City Bolts in Week 1, losing 7-0 in a game Daniels believes could have gone differently.
“We ended up getting upset that in week one, 7-0,” said Daniels. “We beat ourselves. We had two touchdowns that were called back that game, so we weren’t supposed to lose it, but you know the ball game didn’t go that way.”
The Bruins responded to the loss by tightening up defensively and continuing to improve each week. Since the Tac City game, the NewWaveBoyz have not surrendered a touchdown.
That response has become one of the defining characteristics of the team. Daniels credits a group effort rather than relying on one individual, although several players have emerged as important pieces of Benson’s success.
“A couple key players, I would say, obviously our quarterback, Raynen Royce-Alejaga, who’s a very big part of our team,” said Daniels. “Our linemen, of course, and not even just one of them, but all of them. Everything starts with them, and we can’t do nothing without them.”
Daniels also credited Kayvion Rogers, Jaidyn Harris, Elijah Elmore, La’Khai Laster, Kyreece Jordan, Amarius Leon, Yves Yusul, Kitara Seui and Jaziel Solis among the NewWaveBoyz players who have contributed to the team’s success. But Daniels said Benson’s identity depends on contributions throughout the roster.
“We’re big on team, and we are only as strong as the weakest link,” said Daniels.
As a first-year head coach, Daniels said his approach begins with a genuine interest in developing young players regardless of who arrives on his roster.
“I say one thing that makes me different is that it starts with me really being genuine and wanting to see the kids succeed,” said Daniels. “I am not a coach who really cares what kids come to me [to play]. I just like to coach. I’m very big on leadership.”
For Daniels, that emphasis extends to how he teaches the game.
“Coaching leadership, development and coaching kids in the sport of football is my strong suit, and what I believe separates me from other coaches,” said Daniels.
Perhaps the biggest source of pride for Daniels has been watching his players respond when things have not gone according to plan. He said the group dealt with challenges during the offseason that he did not want to discuss in detail.
“I’m proud of them because they’ve been through a lot this offseason. I am not going to get into nothing specific, but they’ve been through a lot,” said Daniels. “A lot of ups and downs and a lot of obstacles that they had to go through just as a football team.”
Daniels said he has seen that growth from week to week as players continue meeting the standards their coaches set for them.
“And seeing them get better every week is amazing,” said Daniels. “Seeing them touch another bar that we set for them as coaches every week, and them actually reaching that standard is beautiful for me to see from them as players that they’re stepping up and they’re taking the challenge.”
For Daniels, that growth may ultimately be the most important measure of the NewWaveBoyz’s season. The wins matter, but so does how a group of 8U players responded when their season did not begin as planned.
“It was a rough start,” said Daniels. “But they got their backs from being up against the wall, to now rising to what they know they can do.”
