Glance at Jackson vs. Eureka Class 5 quarterfinal

Eureka (10-1) at Jackson (7-5)

When: Today, 1:30 p.m.

Last Monday: Jackson 30, Parkway North 0; Eureka 45, Vianney 7

District contest: Eureka 17, Jackson 10 on Oct. 17

Outlook: Jackson lost to Eureka by a touchdown Oct. 17 to fall two games under .500. Since then, Jackson has looked like an improved ballclub, having posted four straight victories with wins over Rockwood Summit and Central in district action and Chaminade and Parkway North in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Jackson's defense dominated last week, posting its first shutout of the season and allowing the Vikings just 178 yards -- 145 yards rushing and 33 passing. The Vikings managed just 34 yards in the second half, although they had the football for just 6 minutes, 1 second after halftime. Jackson's offense moved the ball efficiently with the run, which Jackson coach Van Hitt attributes to the improvement of the offensive line since the start of the season. Running back Adam Zweigart dashed for 142 yards and Drew Bucher added 60 on Monday. The one area where the offense struggled against Parkway North was the passing game. Quarterback Marcus Harris was 3 of 7 for 18 yards. Hitt said Harris pressed too much throwing the ball, trying to make too much happen. But Hitt added that the cold weather played a factor on the passing game. With low temperatures forecast for today, expect Jackson to use its traditional philosophy of running the football early and often.

Game notes

• Jackson returns Kevin Pridemore today. The senior defensive end was ineligible for Monday's game. Hitt said his team will play with three defensive linemen, but could vary to four linemen in some situations. In that case, the Indians likely would use Jake Wolpers as the fourth lineman. Hitt said when the defense plays with three linemen, Wolpers will come out of the game and Pridemore would play defensive end.
• Hitt said his team is better than it was the first time it played Eureka. The coach thinks his players are competing with more confidence, and the offensive line is playing much better with the experience it has gained throughout this season. Still, Hitt said Eureka is impressive because it plays hard on every down. For Jackson to stay with the Wildcats, it must do the same.
• Hitt said his team must keep a close eye on Eureka quarterback Luke Thuston, who is a threat to throw the football or run with it. Thuston has completed 64.88 percent of his passes for 1,217 yards, and has run for 1,185 yards this season, according to stltoday.com. Hitt added that Thuston is a strong defensive player, too.
• Hitt said Wednesday that all his players are available, except for Jake Wren, who likely is done for the year because of an injury. Eureka coach Ferrell Shelton said all his players are healthy.
• Shelton said the Wildcats and Indians are evenly matched. He told his players that a turnover-free ballgame is extremely important. Eureka's coach said that whichever team does a better job of taking care of the football and playing strong special teams will be the winner.
• Eureka runs the ball often. It has three backs with 643 yards or more rushing.