Jackson Blanks Festus in Regular Season Finale

The regular season showdown between the Jackson Indians and the Festus Tigers was not a candid affair. In their first head-to-heads meeting since 1994, massive 22-point second quarter by the Indians set the stage for a 50-0 shutout, and the big boys came to play in this one for Jackson.

A scoreless first quarter gave the illusion of a close game in this one, but the Indians found another gear in the second. Quarterback Zach Calder connected with stud receiver Isaiah Davis and he streaked 42 yards into the endzone to put the first crooked number on the board. Who needs a kick when you’ve got fresh hands? Tony Williams bulldozed his way into the endzone to make it 8-0 after a successful two-point try.

Festus hung tight defensively in the first half, but once the Indians adjusted their game script to take into account that talented wide receiver/defensive stalwart Landen Yates was out with a knee injury, they exploited that weakness. Top wideout Arhmad Branch was doubled the rest of the way and the Indians just cruised.

The Indians weren’t done though, as Williams got his hands dirty again on a four-yard rush into the endzone after an impressive drive down the field. That just set the stage for more punishment that the Tigers would have to absorb. Calder found Davis again for a 20-yard catch and run and Williams shoved his beak into the endzone once again for a clean two-point try. That made the score 22-0 heading into the half and had Jackson fully in control.

After the speeches and the clock ticking back to full time, the Indians just kept piling on. This time Wide Receiver Kai Crowe got into the mix in an unconventional way. He used his legs to scamper into the endzone on an end-around from seven yards out to extend the lead. Naturally, Williams again punched in the two-point conversion. That turned the dial to 30-0.

After a turnover the Indians found pay dirt once again as Calder found Crowe just 41 seconds later for a 59-yard bomber. Williams did his thing again with the two-pointer and Jackson was up 38-0. That closed out the third quarter and pretty much sealed Festus’ fate.

In the fourth the Indians just kept coming though. It was Davis again, for his third touchdown of the game, busting his way through coverage for a four-yard trot into the promised land. His efforts were not to be outdone though, as Adrian Fox took a QB-keeper all for himself and put the nail in the coffin to make it 52-0 and close the scoring for the night.

It was all Jackson in this one. They out-gained Festus 580 to 225 in total yards and dominated on both sides of the ball. Calder was 11-of-18 for 221 yards and three touchdowns, and managed to set up his two go-to targets with a triple-digit game each.

Crowe caught six passes for an astounding 173 yards and two scores, while Davis caught six for 102 and a TD, and also had 84 yards and a score on the ground. Crowe had a rushing touchdown as well, giving the WR combo six total TDs in a remarkable victory.

A fully healthy Williams made a HUGE difference for the Indians, as he needed just 11 carries to rack up 134 yards and a touchdown. Jackson has to be ecstatic that he is back in the fold.

As for the Tigers, there wasn’t much of a story to tell. Essien Smith was the centerpiece of the offense using his legs, rushing for 120 yards on 16 attempts. He did throw eight passes, but didn’t connect on any of them. Co-QB Jeremiah Cunningham was more efficient with his arm, going 6-of-14 for 63 yards, but never found the endzone.

Hayden Bates was once again the workhorse for the Tigers, but he only managed 48 yards on 13 carries. It was certainly a forgettable day for Festus, but a calming one for Jackson.

With the District playoffs now set to get underway, these two teams will have to get their ducks in a row to try and extend their seasons. Jackson is locked in as the top seed in their division, while Festus will have to work their way through the ranks as the number 3 seed.

There’s nothing like playoff football. Let the shooters shoot.