Jackson football preparing to ward off rising Kirkwood in road quarterfinal

There are very few programs in Southeast Missouri that can say they went to six state quarterfinals in seven years, but Jackson is there and is showing no signs of slowing down.

The Indians, having rolled Seckman for a second consecutive year in the Class 6 District 1 championship as the No. 2 seed, are ready and raring to go for a matchup with District 2-winning Kirkwood this Friday night.

That being said, the Pioneers are undoubtedly just as excited as they look to get back into the state semifinals for the first time since their Class 6-winning 2016 season.

Led by coach Jeremy Maclin, legendary former Missouri football wide receiver with an impressive National Football League résumé to boot, those Pioneers have a lot of hype, and for some great reason.

Knocking off Christian Brothers last round, using a late surge defensively to hold off the Cadets in a 28-26 victory on the road to pull off an upset just about nobody saw coming, Kirkwood is at the center of local interest going into the quarterfinals.

A quick glance at the Pioneers’ schedule will tell you they’re underwhelming, but further analysis will tell you that’s anything but the truth.

At 8-2, Kirkwood has fallen twice this season, but its losses, one to 11-1 Lafayette and another to 9-1 Eureka, are among the most impressive in the state and reflect a team with an elite defense and a tough offense to boot.

Owen Nesslage ranks among the best passers Jackson has seen all season. With over 3,100 passing yards this season, and a 31 to 8 touchdown/interception ratio, the Maryville baseball commit is a serious problem for any defense.

Collin Griffin enters with over 700 rushing yards, while Chris Potter and Larry Robinson both have nearly 800 receiving yards each, with Jacob Eberhart adding another 513.

Eberhart’s three picks lead Kirkwood’s defense, while the No. 0-wearing Carson Lindquist has a team-high five sacks for the Pioneers going into Friday night.

Jackson hasn’t seen a team with this many playmakers since the Edwardsville game at the very least, and it’ll take every last ounce of effort to claim its place in the semifinals against a loaded field between either Nixa or Lee’s Summit North.

Coming in on the road, the Indians, now 9-2 for the season, have won eight consecutive games following a bludgeoning first three games of the season and have maintained one of the top defenses anywhere south of St. Louis since the start of conference play.

Led by quarterback Drew Parsons, entering his second quarterfinal in as many postseasons as Jackson’s starting quarterback, the Indians are looking to do damage with sights set on another semifinal berth, having claimed three between 2019 and 2021 but going idle since.

Coach Ryan Nesbitt and his team will tell you the process doesn’t change, and to some extent, it’s very true.

But there’s always a rare air about these games when you get this deep into the playoffs, and there’s sure to be some extra excitement surrounding this one.

Jackson’s faced off with the Pioneers just once in the two schools’ storied histories: The Indians knocked off Kirkwood 34-7 in the 1997 state playoffs at home, leading 1-0 in the all-time series.