Merced High brothers enjoy finally playing together, hope to lead Bears to another title
Older brother Jaylen Thao-Booth is listed at 6-feet and 220 pounds on the Merced High School football roster. The Bears senior has been nearly unblockable this season.
His not-so-little brother, Jalonn Booth, is listed at 6-2, 250 pounds and is a two-way starter on Merced’s offensive and defensive line. As a sophomore he’s already one of the strongest players in the Bears program.
The Booth brothers will be hard to miss when Merced (2-2) squares off with Atwater (0-4) in the 51st Santa Fe Bowl on Friday night at Dave Honey Stadium. The Bears hold a 35-15 edge in the all-time series.
“With these two guys it’s hard not to have them on the field all of the time,” said Merced coach Rob Scheidt.
Looking at the Booth brothers now, you can only imagine what it was like when they wrestled in the family living room as kids.
“I definitely let him know who was in charge when we were kids,” said Jaylen, 17, who is 22 months older. “I had to check him when he got out of line. Growing up we would reenact WWE, just messing around. We would reenact Monday Night Raw or Sunday Smackdown.”
Surprisingly the wrestling matches never resulted in any major injuries or broken furniture.
The only casualty was a broken picture frame.
“We hit the wall and knocked a picture off of our TV and the frame broke,” Jalonn said. “It was a picture of me. We just put it back. I don’t think our parents ever noticed.”
Double impact
The Booth brothers are definitely getting noticed this season when opposing teams study the Bears on video.
It’s hard to miss them.
Jaylen is the reigning Central California Conference Lineman of the Year and he’s playing even better this season.
It’s not often you see a defensive lineman lead the team with 46 tackles, three sacks and 14 tackles for loss through four games.
“Jaylen has been with us for three years and he’s been dominant for all three years,” Scheidt said. “He was Lineman of the Year last year and I don’t expect anything different this year.”
Jalonn has been an immovable object on the line for the Bears. He’s recorded 16 tackles, including two tackles for loss this season. He’s also paved the way for a rushing attack that has racked up 837 yards on the ground.
Jalonn also does the heavy lifting during the running back touchdown celebrations, lifting Chase Smith and Ryan Lee high into the air.
“It’s very rare to have a freshmen play varsity like Jalonn did for us this past spring,” Scheidt said. “That was a really good decision. He works hard in the weight room and he’s super strong for his age.”
The Booth brothers worked hard to change their bodies during the COVID-19 pandemic and they went different ways. Jaylen shed about 30 to 40 pounds with the hopes of gaining some speed and explosiveness. Jalonn did the opposite, bulking up from 190 pounds to 250.
“I don’t get moved off the ball,” Jalonn said. “At 190 pounds, playing nose guard would have been tougher. I could get still get through, but it was much harder. Now with the weight behind me, I’m like a train coming through.”
Finally playing together
The brothers never had the opportunity to play on the same team together growing up. This past spring with Jalonn playing up on varsity as a freshman at Merced High was the first time they were on the same team.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to teach him the ropes, help prepare him mentally and help him get better,” Jaylen said. “I can help him get his mind right. I remember I had a lot of seniors show me the ropes when I was a sophomore. They took me under their wings.”
Jalonn is all ears when it comes to learning from his older brother.
Jaylen has helped him learn how to watch video, how to get off the ball, how to set the tone and has really worked with his younger brother on certain mental aspects of the game. When watching video together, Jaylen can teach his younger brother how to read the offensive linemen and how to spot keys that will help him in the game.
“It’s great watching him firsthand,” Jalonn said. “I get to see what he does. We come home and he can explain how he did something or break it down on film. He’s a three-year letterman, a Lineman of the Year, he knows what he’s doing.
“I love playing with him,” Jalonn added. “It’s very different. Its a great opportunity to learn from him. It’s fun and intense.”
Jaylen expects big things from his brother.
“ I think he has the potential to be more dominant than I am,” Jaylen said. “If he can learn the proper technique and understands the game, he’s going to be a big threat in the future.”
Chasing another championship
As for the present, the Booth brothers are both focused on winning a second consecutive CCC championship.
Jalonn says a conference championship this fall would be even more special than the shortened spring season. They’re enjoying the challenge of navigating their way through a full season.
Jaylen wants to finish his high school career with another championship.
“Winning a CCC title would mean a lot,” Jaylen said. “It would be back-to-back titles and two banners hanging up in the gym. It would show how dominant Merced High is as a school and a program. It would show what are coaches were able to do with the little numbers that we have.”
This Week’s Games
Thursday
Buhach Colony at Downey
Friday
Merced at Atwater
Patterson at El Capitan
Livingston at Hilmar
Los Banos at Beyer
Johansen at Pacheco
Orestimba at Le Grand
Gustine at Mariposa
Waterford at Delhi
Stone Ridge Christian at Woodland Christian
Chowchilla at Dos Palos
This story was originally published September 16, 2021 at 12:40 PM.
