Jackson football team records second shutout in a row

~ The indians defeated Seckman 55-0 on their home field

A cool, wet night against non-conference opponent Seckman brought out only the most die-hard of Jackson fans to the Pit on Friday night.

The loyalty of an unusually sparse crowd on the dreary night was confirmed with cheers upon every update over the PA system about Chaminade pouring on more points in what would be a shutout win over arch-rival Cape Central -- the same Central team that dealt Jackson its only loss of the season two weeks earlier to dethrone the Indians as SEMO North Conference champions.

On the field before the Jackson fans, the Indians were continuing to play like a jilted team with a chip on its shoulder. Jackson was working on a streak of outscoring opponents 97-0 since that time.

Against Class 6 Seckman (1-7), Jackson posted its second straight shutout since the loss. The Indians scored on six of their seven first-half possessions on their way to a 55-0 rout of the Jaguars.

The win came on the heels of a 42-0 thumping of Sikeston.

The Indians, ranked seventh in Class 5, improved to 7-1. They held the Jaguars to 77 yards total offense after holding Sikeston to 120 yards. Jackson posted more than 400 yards offense against both opponents.

"Ever since [the loss to Central], practice has been more focused, and we need to focus on our primary goal," Jackson linebacker Josh Stone said. "Yeah, we lost the Central game, but it wasn't the goal to our season or the end to our season. We had to keep looking on and moving forward past it."

The Indians came into the contest holding the No. 1 seed in the district with two games to play, and they did nothing to hurt their cause. They held a five-point lead in the district standings over Vianney -- Jackson beat the Griffins in Week 2 and hold the head-to-head advantage in any 1-2 seeding scenario -- and more than a nine-point edge over Rockwood Summit.

"We were hungry," Jackson senior receiver/defensive back Xominique Davis said. "We were still a little bit disappointed from Cape."

Jackson forced Seckman to go three-and-out off the game's opening kickoff and then scored on two of its first eight offensive plays, ignoring the muddy conditions that became worse on the west end of the field where the Indians spent nearly the entire half.

Jackson started its first six possessions of the game in Seckman territory, and commenced its opening drive at the Jaguar 36.

Jackson's quarterback Dante Vandeven leaps into the end zone for a touchdown in the second quarter against Seckman Friday, Oct. 10, 2014 in Jackson. (GLENN LANDBERG)

Davis scored on a 29-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Dante Vandeven on the Indians' initial possession, scoring at the 8:16 mark of the first quarter.

On a fourth-and-12 play from the 29, Vandeven hit Davis in stride on a deep post pattern.

Jackson needed just 12 seconds to recover the ensuing kickoff and score on a 33-yard draw play by Vandeven, who found a large opening over right tackle.

"The lineman did a great job tonight, even in these conditions," Vandeven said. "That hole, that was the biggest hole I ran through this season and in past seasons. It was awesome."

Vandeven had two touchdown passes and two touchdown runs in the first half and saw limited action in the second half. He finished 142 yards passing and 55 yards rushing on five carries.

The Indians were stopped on downs on their third series but scored on their final four possessions of the first half for a 41-0 lead.

The conditions hampered Seckman's offense more than the Indians. In the first half, the Jaguars had two turnovers on a fumble and an interception and also had a bad snap on a punt that set up an Indian drive that needed to cover only six yards.

Meanwhile, Jackson, which committed four turnovers in its loss to Central, did not turn the ball over in the muck.

"We talked about it all week," Jackson coach Brent Eckley said. "We spent time just about every day, working on throwing and catching it and carrying it, the balls that we dip in the cooler, because we thought it probably would be like that tonight. Luckily it didn't rain during the game, but the field was still pretty wet and sloppy."

Jackson's lead grew to 21-0 when Vandeven found a wide open Ben Maudie on a cross route in the end zone with 1:00 left in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, senior Ethan Isaksen sandwiched a pair of 6-yard TD runs around an 8-yard TD run by Vandeven. Isaksen set up his second run after intercepting Jaguars sophomore quarterback Connor McCoy.

Jackson's all-state senior lineman Preston Hobeck thrived in the muddy conditions with three sacks in the first half, recovering a McCoy fumble on one.

"It makes the game a lot more fun," Hobeck said about the conditions. "I've liked it since I've been playing [Jackson Area Youth Football], and everyone else on the team likes playing in it."

Jackson's Triston Thele carries the ball in the second quarter during the game against Seckman Friday, Oct. 10, 2014 in Jackson. (GLENN LANDBERG)

Davis said the team went out with a mindset of enjoying the conditions, and it also brought him back to his JAYF days.

"Very fun," Davis said. "It takes me back to playing as a kid."

Seckman had minus-9 yards rushing in the first half and 41 yards of total offense. Meanwhile, Jackson averaged 7.1 yards a play in compiling 257 yards of offense in the half.

The domination led to a running clock the entire second half and plenty of playing time for backups.

A pair of sophomore running backs tacked on second-half touchdowns for the Indians. Bryndan Reid scored on a 22-yard run in the third quarter, and he finished the game with a team-leading 94 yards on 11 carries.

It was the second consecutive week that Reid scored a touchdown in mop-up duty.

"I like the sound of [getting in the game], but it's team first," Reid said. "I'm a team player. I'll do whatever it takes is necessary for my team."

Landon Pehle capped the rout with a 24-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

The shutout was the third of the season for Jackson and the third time Seckman, which came into the game averaging 11.8 points, has been shut out.

The task will get more difficult next week with unbeaten Miller Career Academy, ranked No. 5 in Class 4, visiting The Pit. The Indians could secure the top seed in their district, which is accompanied with a first-round bye, with a win. In reality, the Indians likely will grab the top spot even with a loss.

"I know it would be easier if we did win it, to be safe and sure," Vandeven said.

Miller Academy nearly reached the Class 4 semifinals last year but was thwarted by a last-minute touchdown by Central in the quarterfinals.

"Next week is going to be a challenge for us," Vandeven said. "We're going to have to have a good week of practice and get focused and really dialed up and put this behind us. It was a great win, but next week is going to be a little bit different."

Seckman 0 0 0 0 -- 0

Jackson 21 20 7 7 -- 55

First Quarter

J -- Xominique Davis 29 pass from Dante Vandeven (Ty Crowden kick), 8:16

J -- Vandeven 33 run (Crowden kick), 8:04

J -- Ben Maudie 12 pass from Vandeven (Crowden kick), 1:00

Second Quarter

J -- Ethan Isaksen 6 run (Crowden kick), 11:22

J -- Vandeven 8 run (kick failed), 9:04

J -- Isaksen 6 run (Crowden kick), 1:46

Third Quarter

J -- Bryndan Reid 22 run (Crowden kick), 9:21

Fourth Quarter

J -- Landon Pehle 24 run (Crowden kick), 5:06

S J

First downs 4 20

Rushes-yards 24-6 37-274

Passing yards 71 145

Passes 7-15-1 11-18-0

Punts 5-25.8 1-29

Fumbles-Lost 2-1 0-0

Penalties-Yards 2-10 5-30

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- Seckman, Connor McCoy 7-(-26), Joe Ambrose 14-34, Cole Lauders 1-1, Tristan Fritz 1-(-1); Jackson, Maudie 2-5, Gabriel Dudley 6-5, Vandeven 5-55, Jacob Starzinger 1-(-2), Isaksen 3-18, Davis 1-3, Triston Thele 4-83, Reid 10-94, Landry Moore 4-(-11), Pehle 1-24.

PASSING -- Seckman, McCoy 7-15-1-71; Jackson, Vandeven 10-16-0-142, Moore 1-2-0-3

RECEIVING -- Seckman, Ambrose 2-12, Fritz 1-4, Collen Crader 1-15, Garrett St. John 1-21, Lauders 1-14, Austen Ferbet 1-5; Jackson, Dudley 2-15, Davis 1-29, Starzinger 3-36, Crowden 1-8, Thele 1-4, Maudie 1-12, Lashone Dean 1-9, Jeremy Elliot 1-3.