Cohesive line keys Indians' playoff run

The Jackson football program likes to win the games in the trenches.

"Everyone knows what we're going to do," Jackson quarterback Marcus Harris said, "but a lot of people can't stop it."

Except, through the first six weeks of this season, the Indians were losing more games than they were winning.

And the game in the trenches was more like musical chairs, as the Indians tried to replace all five linemen, including three all-region selections, from the 2007 Class 5 state semifinalist team.

"We didn't have a set offensive line from week to week," senior Blake Peiffer said of the early stretch. "We were just moving around a lot. I've started in every different spot on the offensive line. I played some center the first couple games, tight end one week, some tackle and now I'm at guard."

FRED LYNCH ~ flynch@semissourian.comJackson senior running back Adam Zweigart has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Indians' improved play on the offensive line.

Peiffer has settled in between junior tackle Alex Parker and sophomore center Michael Riney with senior guard Matt Brown and junior tackle Max McNeely on the right side.

"Coach [Bob] Sink has moved them around a lot, and I think he has a pretty good combination right now," Jackson coach Van Hitt said. "This is the best combination we've had."

Just having the same group together for the second half of the season has helped Jackson (8-5) win six of seven games, avenge the lone loss in that span and earn a spot in the Class 5 state semifinals. The Indians play 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Hazelwood East (9-3).

Stability builds chemistry.

"It's huge because you know who's going to be beside you that week and what he's capable of doing, his job and responsibilities, and what you've got to do yourself," Peiffer said. "It's a lot more comfortable whenever you know who the front five are going to be and who's going to be there every week."

AARON EISENHAUER ~ aeisenhauer@semissourian.comJackson's early games provided an opportunity for the Indians coaches to tweak the players on the offensive line.

The Indians were spoiled by that stability last year from a veteran group that included all-region tackle Ethan O'Connell, all-region center Ray Bucher and 275-pound all-region guard Brian Hill. Last year's line outweighed this year's by 125 pounds across the five positions and another 40 pounds with the two tight ends thrown into the equation. Even returning fullback Andy Winkleblack came back 30 pounds lighter after tipping the scales at 250 last year.

"Our offensive line this year is a lot smaller," said senior Kevin Pridemore, who has lined up at tight end both years. "It's not a bad thing per se, but when we had the size we had last year, when we got on somebody and started running your feet, they're going wherever you want them to go.

"This year, they've had to work a little harder for the amount of feet they push their guys out of the pocket."

"Our line was criticized early," Harris said, "and I think a lot of it comes from having an outstanding line last year. They were big guys, smart guys who knew what they were doing and did it well.

"This year, we were young, didn't have much experience and took a while to get it going. They got it together lately, and I've been real proud of them."

Different members of the team mentioned different turning points, but Hitt said it was during the Poplar Bluff game, a 16-6 win in Week 7 in which the offense didn't even reach the end zone.

"We moved the ball well, and we could see that this was the best combination," Hitt said.

After losing 17-10 to Eureka in Week 8, Jackson has averaged 26.4 points per game in its current five-game winning streak. It has allowed an average of fewer than 11 points per game in that same span.

The combination settled Peiffer at guard and McNeely, who had played some guard, at tackle.

Riney, the youngest and smallest of the group, brings considerable youth wrestling experience to the center position, which he took over early in the season.

"He's strong," Hitt said. "He's very intelligent, so he understands the game, and he's blocked well."

Another recent tweak has put junior Eli Gohn in at tight end more often than Pridemore, allowing the senior to focus on defensive end. Pridemore leads the team in sacks, as Jackson's defensive line also has taken shape as the year progressed.

Junior newcomer Henry Williams took over one defensive end spot when Pridemore was suspended and has come on as the team's third-leading tackler. And junior Dalton Cochran has been charged with replacing Adam Collier, who was the SEMO North's lineman of the year at defensive tackle last year.

"Henry started making some really big plays," Pridemore said, "and Cochran is starting to take up more than just a single block. He's starting to bring on more double teams because people realize he's hard to block with one guy, so he's getting a guy taken off our linebackers and making it easier for them."

The Jackson defense has just one game in the last five in which it allowed more than 14 points in regulation, and that was a game in which it held Chaminade below its 34.4 points scoring average even with an overtime touchdown thrown in.

"I think," Harris said, "from the beginning of the season, when I saw what we had, I knew we were capable of making it this far, if not to the state championship. Just like anyone else in Jackson, I had a little doubt at first, but once we did what we were capable of, we started putting it together."