CRUSADERS GET 'MEYR-ED' ON A WET NIGHT IN JACKSON 21-6

JACKSON -- Anyone who follows Jackson athletics knows of Tory Meyr the football player, the basketball player and the baseball player.

But Tory Meyr the actor?

There had to be some reason Meyr didn't have anyone within at least 10 yards of him when quarterback Chris Stockton hit him down the left sideline for a 60-yard touchdown.

It was the biggest play of the game and Meyr's second of three touchdowns as Jackson pulled away 21-6 over Belleville (Ill.) Althoff Friday night.

"It's a one-receiver route," Meyr said of his 60-yard reception. "I kind of hesitate like it's a run and then I go out. It's an all-or-nothing play.

"We wanted to attack on first down when they weren't ready and it worked out."

Meyr -- the smallest player of either team's starting unit at 5-foot-11, 155 pounds -- accounted for 20 of Jackson's 21 points.

Jackson improved to 5-1 while Althoff dropped to 3-3.

Meyr opened up the scoring, taking a reverse in for a 5-yard score with 8:02 left in the second quarter. Meyr's sheer will got him into the end zone as he pushed a player at least 20 pounds heavier than he was for the last three yards. Meyr ended up with five catches for 104 yards.

Meyr's 60-yard bomb from Stockton on Jackson's first offensive play in the second half made the score 13-0, but the extra-point kick failed.

Stockton (6-of-10, 102 yards, one interception) hit Meyr in the corner of the end zone from 17 yards out with 11:46 left in the game to wrap up the win. But Meyr wasn't done scoring, running another reverse for the two-point conversion.

"It was just another great night for Tory," said Jackson coach Carl Gross.

Meyr now has 28 catches for 486 yards and nine touchdowns this season.

As impressive as Meyr was, so was Jackson's defense.

Althoff's only touchdown came on the last play of the game, capping off a drive against Jackson's second-team defense.

Before that, Althoff couldn't do much of anything.

Althoff ran the ball almost exclusively until the final drive, but the Crusaders managed just 65 yards on the ground on 35 carries.

"We played very well on defense," Gross said. "We played downhill and we played very physical. Instead of waiting for things to come to us, we went and attacked it. Last year we got caught sitting back on our heels a lot. This game we didn't do that."

The Indians' running game was effective, albeit boring, as the longest running play from scrimmage was 10 yards on the soggy and slippery field.

But Jackson was able to move the ball with the run and, for the most part, avoided going three-and-out too often.

Fullback Jason Schuller ran the ball 13 times for 49 yards and Chris Freeman rushed 15 times for 46 yards.

Last year, Althoff defeated Jackson 28-0 in a game that Gross said was the worst game a Jackson team has played in 20 years.

That game was used as motivation for Friday night.

"This game a year ago really put a bad taste in our mouth," Gross said.

"It was a big game for us," Meyr said. "We knew we had a three-game home stand and we figured this would be our toughest game. We were reminded of last year's game quite often this week and in practice we got after it. Tonight we came out and played hard."

Jackson standout sophomore Mario Whitney injured his thumb returning an interception in the fourth quarter. Gross said it looked to be just a jam.

Prep Football

Thursday's Game

Sikeston 47, Cape Central 27

Friday's Games

Jackson 21, Belleville Althoff 6

Caruthersville at Scott City, ppd.

Chaffee 20, East Prairie 0

Perryville 42, Festus 6

St. Vincent 24, St. Pius 0

Fredericktown 41, Potosi 20

Dexter 6, Charleston 0

Columbia Hickman 27, Poplar Bluff 20

Borgia 29, New Madrid 6

Malden 7, Kennett 6

Portageville 7, Hayti 6

Anna-Jonesboro 21, Chester 20

Ballard Co., Ky. 46, Cairo 0