Hawks QB hands Jackson football fifth loss

Kerry Gibson burned Jackson for the second consecutive year.

The Hazelwood Central quarterback threw for 230 yards in the Hawks' 38-3 victory over visiting Jackson on Saturday afternoon.

"Their quarterback is really something," Jackson coach Van Hitt said of Gibson. "Their receivers are very fast and he throws the ball and puts it right on them."

Gibson led the Hawks to a 35-7 victory in Jackson last season on their way to the Class 6 state title. Hitt said this year's edition of the Hawks is similar to last year's.

"Where they might be a little stronger on defense than they were last year and maybe not as strong on offense," Hitt said.

The Indians' offense struggled to find its groove. They rushed 25 times for 19 yards. Ethan Ruch led the way with 15 carries for 33 yards.

"We had a downpour right before the ballgame and the field was pretty slick throughout the entire game," Hitt said. "I felt like we played better than we have all year today, both offensively and defensively. We moved the ball at times."

Jackson threw the ball 19 times and completed seven passes for 55 yards. Hitt credited Hazelwood Central's defense for limiting his offense.

"They have, by far, one of the best defenses we've seen in quite a few years," Hitt said. "Their defensive front, they are very sound and they have the best corps of linebackers of anyone we've faced in Jackson in many years."

Jackson's lone points came on a 25-yard field goal by Morgan Johnson early in the fourth quarter.

Hazelwood Central scored on its opening drive of the game and added a touchdown and field goal for a 17-0 lead at halftime. The Hawks struck for a pair of third-quarter scores, including a punt return for a TD, to pad their lead. They added a touchdown after Johnson's kick.

"Defensively, we played fairly sound all day," Hitt said. "They caught two passes on us. One set up a touchdown and one for a touchdown. Just had trouble containing their speed, to be honest with you."

Jackson dropped to 0-5 this season and returns to action Friday when it travels to Farmington.

-- From staff reports