Jaxson James spent his sophomore year learning from 22 seniors. Now those seniors are gone, and the Liberty High School junior is the one doing the teaching.

James enters his second season as starting quarterback with a reshaped roster and a new classification. Liberty drops from 6A to 5A this fall after the school's average daily membership fell to 981, below the OSAA's 1,026 cutoff, according to the Wilsonville Spokesman. The move lands the Falcons in the Northwest Oregon Conference alongside Aloha, Canby, La Salle Prep, Wilsonville, Woodburn and Hillsboro.

That last name matters. Hillsboro High, where James's father Matt played quarterback in the late 1980s, is now a district rival.

Matt James went on to Portland State University, where an injury moved him from quarterback to receiver. He became a standout over his final three seasons with the Vikings. He's now on Liberty's coaching staff, working with receivers.

"My dad was a quarterback all his life going into college, so I think that I really just wanted to be like him," James told the Hillsboro News Times as practice opened the week of Aug. 20.

Last season, the younger James helped lead Liberty to a 5-5 record and a 6A playoff berth, where the Falcons fell 35-31 to Clackamas. He earned second-team all-league honors in the Pacific Conference. His older brother Ben, a senior receiver, played alongside him.

With Ben graduated and the senior class gone, James said he's pushing himself to be more vocal. He described himself as someone who prefers to sit back and listen but said his sophomore year taught him he needed to step out of that shell. The familiarity helps: many of the players now stepping into varsity roles are teammates James has known since Liberty's youth football program.

James acknowledged the move to 5A gives a young group an easier challenge to grow, but he isn't lowering his expectations. He said the team's culture and closeness give the Falcons a shot at a state championship run.

"I think this is a group that can make it to the state championship," James said. "We have such a good culture. All the guys on our teams like each other, and you could say we're all best friends with each other."

Beyond team goals, James said he wants to earn all-league recognition again and be the best mentor he can for players experiencing varsity football for the first time.

Oregon's high school football season opens Friday, Aug. 28; Liberty's first opponent has not been released.