Against all odds, Jackson ends 15-game Howell streak at “The Pit”

The first win of the Ryan Nesbitt era couldn’t have possibly come any sweeter. Against the reigning Class 5 state champions of Francis Howell (1-1), Jackson (1-1) took a thrilling 42-35 victory in a back-and-forth affair at “The Pit.”

Losing by a 41-14 margin last year at Howell, Jackson looked to avenge a lopsided loss and did so in wild fashion, downing a Howell team on a 15-game tear dating back to the start of the 2022 season – the second game of which came, of course, against the Indians.

For the second time this season, quarterback Adrian Fox marched his offense under the field and, under the direction of Nesbitt, combined with freshman runningback Jaylon Hampton to create a 1-2 punch in the running game that Howell simply couldn’t stop as the game progressed.

With a fourth-down stop on Howell’s final drive of the game, Jackson secured a signature win – the first in Nesbitt’s tenure as head coach of the Indians – that is sure to be remembered for the hometown-faithful for a long time.

“It's hard to find the words,” Nesbitt said. “Tough, tough team win coming down the stretch. Both teams are out of gas and just hanging on. I’m incredibly proud of our guys for finding a way to make one more play, and that's that's ultimately what it was.

“You can't write a better script, you know? Honestly, we thought about it – from the time I realized who the home opener was against, being these guys and the familiarity that I have with them. It's special. There's no other way to say it.”

Jackson coach Ryan Nesbitt smiles after receiving the game ball for his first coaching victory at Jackson after a September 1, 2023 game between the Jackson Indians and the Francis Howell Vikings at Jackson High School's "The Pit" in Jackson, Mo. The Indians defeated the Vikings, 42-35.Cole Lee ~ clee@semoball.com

After a moment of silence for Billy Joe Thompson Jr., Jackson Tribal Council member and a significant community figure whose family postponed his funeral in light of Jackson’s home opener, Jackson took the ball all the way down the field to open the game.

“The Pit” came to life after a three-yard score from senior runningback Jason Goodman gave the Indians a touchdown lead right off the bat, and it stayed hot despite a number of momentum swings.

After a series of punts, Howell scored back-to-back touchdowns to take a 14-7 lead, but Jackson managed to knot the game at 14-all just before halftime with a diving score from senior TJ Altenthal out of the wildcat formation.

After a Hampton touchdown and two field goals from senior kicker Kai Crowe, Jackson began to settle after mounting a 13-point lead in the third quarter. With a stout defense, the Indians started receiving great field position and capitalized on three consecutive drives, but the buck stopped there for the Vikings.

Howell stormed all the way back to take the lead at 28-27, but a subsequent Jackson touchdown from junior runningback Zach Crump, who rattled off a 19-yard run to take the lead, followed by a 2-point conversion to Crowe in the back corner of the end zone gave Jackson a one-score lead.

Jackson junior runningback Zach Crump (No. 21, right-middle) and teammates celebrate after scoring a go-ahead touchdown during a September 1, 2023 game between the Jackson Indians and the Francis Howell Vikings at Jackson High School's "The Pit" in Jackson, Mo. The Indians defeated the Vikings, 42-35.Cole Lee ~ clee@semoball.com

Finally, after veteran Viking quarterback Adam Shipley capped off a near-flawless Howell drive to tie the game, Nesbitt readied his last offensive push to retake the lead.

After a perfectly executed series of draw plays, handoffs and quarterback-keepers, Fox found himself in a one-on-one with a Viking defender, stiff-arming him to the ground and breaking off a 31-yard run to bring the ball inside the 10-yard line.

The very next play, the freshman phenom Hampton scored his second touchdown of the game to grab the lead back from Howell with just 3:13 remaining in the fourth quarter. In just his second game eligible to even dress varsity, Hampton made a splash impact and pushed the Indians to a dominant day against a tough Howell defense.

“We knew it was gonna be a tough game,” Hampton said. “We knew we were going to come out with a win. We came in confident and we just did our thing.”

The Jackson offense runs toward the sideline after kneeling the clock out during a September 1, 2023 game between the Jackson Indians and the Francis Howell Vikings at Jackson High School's "The Pit" in Jackson, Mo. The Indians defeated the Vikings, 42-35.Cole Lee ~ clee@semoball.com

With one last stop from the Indian defense, the team secured one of the biggest wins in program history against Missouri’s fourth-ranked Francis Howell Vikings. After defeating one of the best teams in the state of Missouri, the Jackson Indians look toward what the future has in store for the team.

“We're just building so much,” senior linebacker Peyton Klund said. “I feel like when you watch the film, you can really see our effort and just our love for the game as a team. We just love everything about it. Our defense, we fly around, you know? We just really love and appreciate the game.”

Jackson accumulated over 600 yards of offense in the win, with a nearly perfect balance of 307 yards through the air and 311 on the ground.

A feather in his hat, Fox’s 19/30 game saw him finish with a completion percentage of 63.3 — averaging 16.2 yards per completion another 10.2 every time he dropped back.

In total, Fox accounted for 467 yards of offense between his arm and his legs. Hampton combined for 221 yards as the young back made a number of plays both receiving and rushing.

The duo of senior wideouts, Crowe and Blayne Harris, combined for 143 receiving yards with 55 and 88 respectively.

Downing a reigning state-champion ball club, the Indians have proven that they can compete with almost any team in the state after a series of adjustments between weeks one to two.

“The ceiling is through the roof,” Fox said. “I feel like we have a ton of talent here and I feel like we have a really high ceiling. I'm super excited.”

All of this being said, seven regular season games still stand in front of Jackson as the Indians look to defend their SEMO North Conference title streak, currently standing at five dating back to 2018. The title defense begins on Friday, Sept. 8 with a matchup at Farmington.

While the Knights might not jump off the board as the best team in the region, Jackson has historically fallen into some tight battles when traveling to Haile Memorial Stadium. Nesbitt is aware of the test and looks to continue the momentum into week three.

“Right now, we're just gonna enjoy tonight,” Nesbitt said. “We'll wake up in the morning and get right back to it. I've done this long enough to know that you’ve got to enjoy the wins. It's never easy – always fun, but never easy, so we'll enjoy tonight and we'll wake up and get back to work in the morning.”