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Jackson rolls to district title in first-half obliteration of undefeated Seckman
Jackson football entered its Class 6 District 1 championship game on the road against 10-0 Seckman as a slim favorite, but it didn’t take any time before the Indians started trampling the hosts en route to a 55-21 win.
Seckman’s stout defense couldn’t find an answer for Jackson in the first half as the Indians continued to pile on points, eventually building a 48-0 lead by the break before sending in the reserves for the second half.
They scored, then got a stop, then scored, then got a stop, then scored – you get the jist. The Indians (10-1) put together a domination for the ages against a Seckman (10-1) team that made headlines in Week 1 with a win against Valle Catholic and rode the wave to an undefeated record.
“We feel really good,” quarterback Drew Parsons said. “The seniors have done so much for us. They set really good leadership examples for us. It's amazing. It's pretty easy with the running back like Jaylon Hampton, just giving him the ball and letting him go to work.”
The Indians elected to receive the opening kickoff and promptly scored with a 47-yard Jaylon Hampton touchdown run. After the defense forced a 3-and-out, the freshman did it once again to increase the lead to 14-0.
Blayne Harris caught a 56-yard touchdown pass on a play-action sequence to extend the lead to 21 before Hampton got his third touchdown of the day on a screen reception resulting in a 23-yard score, upping the lead to 28-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Kai Crowe recovered from an earlier fumble with a 76-yard touchdown reception early in the second quarter, upping the Indians' lead to 35.
Separated by a tough 5-yard touchdown run from junior back Zach Crump, sophomore quarterback Drew Parsons hit Harris for another 51-yard score through the air to build a 48-point halftime lead.
The sophomore passer had a much more explosive approach to the game against Seckman, and it resulted in three passing touchdowns of more than 50 yards.
After making his true varsity debut last week in a 28-point win against Lindbergh, Parsons got the opportunity to make his name known in his first career start – and he did exactly that. While the Drew Parsons Project started nine months sooner than expected, he’s making the most of his first reps.
“Drew's a cool customer,” Indians coach Ryan Nesbitt said. “He's an incredibly talented player. We're really fortunate to have a No. 2 quarterback that's as talented as he is.
“He did his job. He's got good weapons around him, he's got a quality offensive line – he did his job and had some really nice throws.”
In total, the Jackson defense forced six Jaguar punts in the first half, moving all of the pressure off of the offense early on. While the front end proved it could hold its own, Jackson’s defense made sure that nothing got by.
In total, the Jackson offense finished with more first-half touchdowns than Seckman had first-half first downs. The point of emphasis for the defensive unit was coming out hot. It did just that and much more.
“Our goal was to come out with energy and set the tone,” senior defensive back TJ Altenthal said. “When we came out, we set the tone early, and I don’t think their offense was ready for that.”
Brock Reagan’s 20-yard touchdown run following a chunk gain from Crump kicked off the second half with a big Indians touchdown to put the icing on the cake.
Seckman finished the game with 21 points on three second-half scores, but Jackson still walked away with a lopsided 34-point victory at 55-21. The game marked the most points that the Indians have ever scored in a district championship game.
Knocking off the top-seeded Seckman Jaguars in the Indians’ first win over the top seed in their district since their 14-0 victory at St. John Vianney in 2013.
Crowe led the Indians with 132 receiving yards in the win while Harris followed close behind at 126 yards, both on four catches.
The freshman sensation Jaylon Hampton finished with 106 yards on 12 rushes – good for 8.8 yards a pop – while scoring three touchdowns in the win, two on the ground.
Crump added another 67 yards and a touchdown behind him, while Parsons’ lone rush went for 23 yards to finish third in yardage.
Parsons kept out of the rushing category with a prolific night in the pocket, passing for 300 yards and four touchdowns on 11-of-15 passing in just his first start for the Indians.
“Drew stepped in and did a huge job,” Harris said. “I mean, I couldn’t be more proud of that kid. He did amazing and got us to the win tonight.”
Moving forward, Jackson enters the state quarterfinal round with a home matchup against Christian Brothers College at Jackson High School’s “The Pit.”
While the Indians have linked up with the Cadets numerous times in lower-level play, the November 17 matchup will mark the first time the two clubs have ever met in varsity play.
The moment is tremendous, and there’s no other way to put it. The Cadets have won six consecutive games dating back to their 49-14 loss to De Smet in Week 6, and are chock full of Division-I talent.
It’ll take a concerted effort to bring down Christian Brothers, but the Indians have proved time and time again that they’re equal to the greatest of tasks. When the stakes are highest, Jackson looks to advance to its first semifinal in MSHSAA’s top flight since 2001.
“We're gonna enjoy tonight,” Nesbitt said. “We'll wake up and see who we’ve got and start the process all over. They're all really good from here on out, so we’ll have to be playing really good football for sure.
“When you get to this point, the kids are locked in. I think they're gonna be an easy group to motivate.”