Through four stops and more than 16 seasons, Moses Lake football coach Brett Jay has always had his little quarterback at his side.

Well, Jay – who led the Mavericks to opening win at Oak Harbor on Thursday – still has that quarterback in tow but he ain’t so little anymore.

Brady Jay, the two-time CBBN offensive player, began his senior campaign against Wildcats throwing for nearly 500 yards and 7 touchdowns, four of those to fellow 12th-grader Grant Smith.

The arcade-like numbers are hardly an aberration, last season the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder tossed six or more touchdowns a half dozen times.

In fact, it’s part of the elder Jay’s vision. Himself a quarterback at Finley’s River View, guiding a high-powered offense was always the hope for the eldest of three children, and only son, for Brett and Hayley Jay.

“It’s something I’ve looked forward to all my life,” the coach said. “I can’t tell you how special that bond is.”

Brady was born the February before Brett became started his first season as head coach at his alma mater. A few years into his six season guiding the Panthers, Brady found his way onto the field, and dad knew he couldn’t keep him away.

“It’s been like that since he was a little kid, it was definitely something he wanted to do,” the coach said.

As dad’s career blossomed with a one-year stop at Monroe and five more at Hanford before he took over a Maverick program that had fallen on hard, Brady grew.

And in Brett’s second year at Moses Lake, fresh off a 2021 Class 4A state playoff appearance, the coach’s son was on the team.

Brady played briefly as a freshman, setting the stage for the two-year run that followed.

He opened his sophomore season with 266 passing yards and 6 TD throws. The Mavericks finished second in the conference, a rough outing against Eastmont costing them a league title.

As a 10th-grader, Brady threw for more than 3,200 yards and 48 TD passes en route to all-league honors.

Junior season was much the same – 3,182 yards, 45 scoring passes – but there were no hiccups in league pay, the Mavericks pasting Eastmont behind Brady’s five touchdown throws and claimed the conference title the next week.

Now, for dad, the parent seeps in, with the realization that this is the final season hit.

“It goes so fast, I can’t believe how fast it goes,” Brett said. “But we’ve enjoyed each step.”

The Jays have avoided the parent-coach trappings. Brady needs no nudging, he has immersed himself in football.

“Borderline obsessed,” Brett describes his son. “He’s definitely driven, it’s a year-round thing.”

Brady’s also grounded, dad says.

“Humility is definitely part of our family,” Brett said. “He’s had some fantastic teammates and people who have helped him along the way."

Being the maestro in a Mike Leach-inspired offense couldn’t hurt either.

“I like throwing touchdowns, it’s a whole lot of adrenaline,” said Brady said, who earlier this summer committed to play at Montana. “I don’t really feel pressure and I don’t really focus on all that stuff.

“It’s been fun because we’ve been waiting for this.”

And preparing.

“Our system is quarterback-driven and he has is able to make a lot of decisions at the line,” Brett said.

The Mavericks are the favorite to repeat as conference champs, with Brady having a robust set of weapons at his disposal.

“We’re going to have a whole lot of receivers coming back,” he said excitedly.

If all goes as planned, Moses Lake will try to earn the conference’s first postseason victory since it eked past Bellarmine Prep 28-27 a decade ago. 

For now, though, the Mavericks aren’t looking too far ahead, knowing the trip is as important as the destination. 

“We just try to mention the present moment,” Brett said. “The journey is getting better every day, one percent better.”