Jackson is getting defensive already
When the offense scores nearly seven touchdowns per game, any defensive prowess that certain football program exhibits often gets overshadowed.
That might be the case for the average Jackson fan, but veteran Indian coach Brent Eckley sure as heck noticed what his defense did last season.
"We talked about that just this week," Eckley said Saturday after watching his defense often get the better of his offense in the Indians' "Gatorade Game" at The Pit. "We looked at some of the numbers. At the end, we were at 14 or 15 (points per game allowed) that we gave up for the year. But that included that last one that got loose on us."
The "last one" Eckley was referring to was a 69-28 loss at eventual MSHSAA Class 5 champion Vianney in the quarterfinal.
Before that game, the Indians were unbeaten in their initial 11 games, which was in large part due to their defense.
Through 11 games, Jackson allowed just 104 total points (9.4 per game).
"Defensively, we played really well last year," Eckley said.
What many don't realize is the explosive numbers put up by the offense was often based on the performance by the Indians' defense.
"What we did last year was we got off the field, forced punts and tackled pretty well," Eckley said. "Our defense played with a lot of pride."
Jackson forced multiple opponents into short drives, which did two things:
* Exhausted the opposing defenses due to the number of snaps they had to play, and
* Allowed the Indian offense to run (and pass) through, around and over those exhausted defenders.
"The way that we are able to score is that we gained possessions when the defense got stops," Eckley said. "They go hand in hand."
The Jackson offense had its moments in the intra-squad scrimmage, but the defense did its part, as well. The final play by the starters in the scrimmage resulted in a defensive play that lifted the spirits of the squad -- or at least half of it.
Indian quarterback Cael Welker scrambled around on a red-zone play before committing the sin of throwing the ball late AND over the middle, which was picked off at the goal line.
"I would say that our defense is a little ahead of our offense right now," Eckley said. "The defense played better than the offense tonight.
"We got a chance to get some plays on the defense. But I didn't feel like we were very sharp offensively. That is something that we talked about. There are some things we have to improve on."
From a star factor, the Indians are loaded defensively, as Eckley returns seven starters.
Senior Cole Amelunke is coming off a season in which he was first team all-region and all-conference, while his classmate Caleb Craft (second team all-region) was also recognized for playing a part of one of the state's best defensive units.
The most productive defender was now-junior Randol McDowell (169 tackles, including 29 for a loss), who earned second team all-state honors, as well as was the Class 4 and 5 all-region Defensive Most Valuable Player.
He also was named as the SEMO Conference North Defensive Player of the Year.
Junior Bryce Norman and senior Riley Pike were also dominant at times a year ago.
"Our depth is pretty good," Eckley said. "We've got a handful of kids that are crossing over and learning both sides. We're in pretty decent shape."
That doesn't bode well for the rest of the football programs throughout Southeast Missouri.