Among the important lessons Jackson learned in its loss to Sumner Sept. 11 was this:

Speed kills.

Sumner broke several big plays during an 8-minute stretch of the third quarter, and went on to beat the Indians 38-26.

"I think what they really learned was, what the coaches tell them can and will come true," Jackson coach Carl Gross said of the experience.

Tonight at 7:30, Jackson (1-3) will host another St. Louis Public High League team with serious speed: Beaumont.

The Bluejackets are 3-1, with their only loss coming at the hands of Sumner, 28-12.

Beaumont poses a new challenge for Jackson. While they boast similar speed and size, the Bluejackets are more straightforward in their approach.

"Sumner is going to run misdirection and put you to sleep with their play pass," Gross said. "Beaumont will come right at you. They'll go sweep right and sweep left and use their speed. They'll run up the middle to keep you honest, then they'll line up two wide and run a couple Corvettes deep for a pass."

One of the Bluejackets' "Corvettes" is wide receiver Michael Redden, a converted tight end with good size and hands who has made several big plays this season.

Carnell Wings quarterbacks the Bluejackets.

"We think we've got a pretty balanced offense," Beaumont coach Melvin Walls said. "We'll do whatever works."

Defensively, Beaumont is led by linebackers Leonard Johnson and Dwayne Smith, and defensive back Lance Young.

"They man up in the secondary and turn everybody else loose," Gross said. "Their linemen are in the gaps in a sprinter's stance. It's sic 'em."

For Jackson, senior Andy Callis will start at quarterback for the second consecutive week. Junior Chris Freeman started the first three games of the season. He was 3-for-3 with a touchdown pass in a fourth-quarter relief role last Friday.

The Indians will try to control the football like they did in their 37-21 win over Graves County, (Ky.) last week. In that game, Jackson running back Todd Wessel ran for 291 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown run.

And the Indians did not turn the ball over, a trend they certainly hope will continue.

"We know they're a disciplined team," Walls said. "We don't expect them to make a lot of mistakes."

A good way for Jackson to avoid trouble is to keep the football away from the Bluejackets.

"The best thing we did last week was controlling the football," Gross said. "We don't want to give them too many chances to beat us with a big play."