Big plays hurt Jackson in 32-31 loss to Riverview

ST. LOUIS — It didn't take Van Hitt long to have his first major decision as Jackson's football coach.

Hitt took over the Jackson varsity job this season after 29 years as an assistant. His Indians scored a touchdown with 30 seconds to play Friday night to pull within one point of Riverview Gardens in the season opener for both teams.

Hitt did not hesitate to go for the win. Junior Cole Rodgers, who had scored the touchdown on a 9-yard run, came up 1 foot short on the 2-point conversion.

Riverview recovered the ensuing onside kick and won the game 32-31.

"It wasn't an easy decision, but all the coaches got together and were in agreement that we should go for the win," Hitt said. "We hadn't contained them all night and I really didn't want to go to overtime, and I felt confident that we could score on the 2-point conversion. We just didn't get it in."

Rodgers was in total agreement with Hitt's decision.

"I was glad we went for the victory," Rodgers said. "I wanted to get the ball. We ran the same play we had scored for the touchdown, and I felt confident we would get it in. I tried to convince the officials I was in, but I wasn't. Who knows how things would have turned out in overtime?"

It was the big play that did in the Indians in the opener. The Rams scored on an 80-yard pass on the first play from scrimmage in the 2008 season.

And that was just an omen of things to come for Riverview and its talented senior quarterback, Joe Williams. Williams had touchdown passes of 84, 80 and 47 yards and had one for 83 yards called back by a penalty. The senior also scored on runs of 90 and 12 yards.

"There were three guys who we just couldn't handle in the open field," Hitt said. "The big play killed us all night. They are going to do that to a lot of teams. We watched them in the jamboree and they did the same thing."

Rodgers scored on a short run in the first quarter to give the Indians a 7-6 lead, but it didn't last long as Williams and Chris Thompson connected for the second time in the half and then Williams had the 90-yard run. The Rams led 18-7 at halftime.

"Their athleticism is just unbelievable," Hitt said. "I think we were a little in awe of them in the first half. We stood around and watched them make play after play."

The start of the second half was a whole different story though, as Jackson scored four times in less than five minutes.

Adam Zweigart, who was held in control for the first half, scored on touchdown runs of 55 and 19 yards. The Indians also scored on two safeties, both coming after bad snaps by Riverview.

Williams scored in the first minute of the fourth quarter then narrowly converted a 2-point conversion run to regain the lead for the Rams, 26-25.

The play of the game came with 3:26 to play. Williams appeared to be sacked on a third-down play deep in his own territory. But he got loose just enough to throw a shovel pass to Elliott Wilson. He took it 84 yards for a touchdown.

Jackson showed a lot of character by making things interesting in the final minutes. Mitchell McCulley had a nice return of the ensuing kickoff as the Indians started at the Rams' 48. The Indians were able to grind out three first downs on the ground. The drive was capped off by Rodgers' touchdown run. But a happy ending for the Indians fell 1 foot short.

"We had a lot of mental mistakes on both sides of the ball tonight," Hitt said. "That is something we have to correct."

@z_agate_HSbasketball_linescore:Jackson 7 0 18 6 — 31

Riverview 6 12 0 14 — 32

First quarter

RG—Chris Thompson 80-yard pass from Joe Williams (run failed), 11:48

J—Cole Rodgers 1-yard run (Morgan Johnson kick), 4:24

Second quarter

RG—Thompson 47-yard pass from Williams (pass failed), 4:52

RG—Williams 90-yard run (run failed), 2:23

Third quarter

J—Adam Zweigart 55-yard run (run failed), 11:13

J—Safety (Williams tackled in end zone), 11:06

J—Zweigart 19-yard run (Rodgers run), 8:55

J—Safety (snap out of the end zone), 7:15

Fourth quarter

RG—Williams 12-yard run (Williams run), 11:02

RG—Elliott Wilson 84-yard pass from Williams (pass failed), 3:26

J—Rodgers 9-yard run (run failed), :30