Savannah Banana performer with Montezuma ties auditions on American Idol

A North Carolina performer with ties to Montezuma scored the winning run while earning a trip to Hollywood during a recent audition on American Idol.

Jayson Arendt, 24, son of Brad and Rachel Arendt of Fuquay-Varina, N.C., caught the judge’s attention when he entered the audition room followed by his Texas Tailgater teammates with the Savannah Banana League.

The group performed a line dance routine joined by judge and musician Luke Bryan, who boosted about his dancing skills afterward. Arendt then introduced himself and chatted with the judges, Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood and Bryan.

Arendt played his guitar while performing “Fire Away” by country musician Chris Stapleton.

Following the audition, Richie said Arendt had a nice voice.

“You have a distinguished voice and we don’t have anything like that yet,” said Ritchie.

After gathering her thoughts, Underwood suggested that Arendt take his music seriously.

“You guys are obviously so much fun and I love it,” said Underwood. “I want to hear more. I want to know who you are as an artist.”

Bryan said when he first started, he used to try and sing everything as loud as he could.

“It took me years to kind of to go, you know, I don’t have to sing everything loud every time,” said Bryan. “I can calm it down.”

All three judges gave Arendt a “yes,” which earned him a Golden Ticket and trip to perform in Hollywood.

Arendt is not allowed to release dates or results of participating in the show.

When asked about the American Idol experience, Arendt said his favorite part was getting to meet super talented artists across the board.

“I have made a lot of friends from it,” he said.

Montezuma ties

Arendt comes from a long-line of athletes at Montezuma.

His grandfather, Jim, was born and raised in Montezuma. Jim played four sports at Montezuma and graduated in 1960. He met his wife, Sally, at Central College. The couple had three children, Jill, Brad and Jamie.

They lived in Montezuma, then retired in 2001 and moved to North Carolina.

Brad, Jayson’s father, is a 1989 graduate at Montezuma where he was a four-sport athlete. He is considered one of the best to wear the blue and white. He went on to play football at Central College in Pella.

Jamie is a 1990 graduate and a five-sport athlete for the Braves. He helped lead the Braves to a Class 1A State Basketball Championship in 1990 under then head coach Al Rabenold.

Jamie was drafted by the Atlanta Braves out of high school. He played five years of minor league baseball while also playing football and basketball at Central College in the offseason.

Brad and Jamie are both in the Montezuma Hall of Fame.

Jill, who graduated in 1986, and family moved around some in the early days and are currently living in Kansas City. Her family spent many years in Greensboro, N.C. and also Indianapolis and Iowa City.

Arendt attended Holly Springs High School in Fuquay-Varina, N.C., where he played baseball. He played college baseball for the University of North Carolina — Wilmington. His brother, Bryan, followed in his footsteps and played baseball at UNC-Wilmington, graduating in 2025.

Bryan was drafted by the Oakland As in 2025. He will be heading to spring training in Arizona in late February.

“He is just getting started on his professional baseball career,” said his father, Brad.

Arendt’s love of music, singing and performing led him to join the Savannah Banana League in 2025.

Banana Ball is a barnstorming exhibition baseball league based in Savannah, Georgia. It was founded by Jesse and Emily Cole in 2016 as a collegiate summer team based in Savannah and competed in the Coastal Plain League until 2022.

Today, the league has six teams: the Savannah Bananas, the Party Animals, the Firefighters, the Texas Tailgaters, the Loco Beach Coconuts and the Indianapolis Clowns. The teams all play each other at venues across the United States during the season.

Banana Ball puts a fun twist on traditional baseball with new rules featuring a two-hour time limit, no walks, no bunting, no stepping out of the box, no mound visits and best of all, fans can catch a foul ball for an out.

Arendt currently resides in Savannah, Georgia, where he is working out and training for his second season with the league.

When asked about joining the league, Arendt said it was just the right opportunity.

“I get to sing and play baseball at the same time,” he said. “It is something that is close to my heart.”

Arendt said the whole point of the league is making sure the fans are engaged.

When not touring with the Savannah Bananas, Arendt and his band perform at various venues around the region and do shows of his own.

“We are so proud of Jayson’s musical efforts,” said Brad. “These opportunities are completely self-created, simply chasing his dream and not accepting “NO” for an answer. Same with younger brother, Bryan, and his professional baseball dreams. Fight thru obstacles, challenges, and find a way to continue the chase.”

“I learned many of these life lessons in my years in Montezuma, added Brad. “People like Darrell Brand, Al Rabenold, Jerry Rohach, Ron Willrich, and the late Gayle Creswell, and many others … taught me these life lessons. I have tried to teach those same lessons to my boys.”