Jackson, Central football teams have sights set on district crowns

The top-seeded Jackson Indians and top-seeded Central Tigers will each take their home fields at 7 p.m. today with district championships in their sights.

Jackson and the second-seeded Vianney Golden Griffins will meet in the Class 5 District 1 title game for the second straight season, while Central and the third-seeded Hillsboro Hawks will square off in the Class 4 District 1 championship game for the third consecutive year.

Tonight's meeting between the Indians (9-1) and Golden Griffins (7-4) will mark the sixth meeting between the two teams in three seasons. Jackson coach Brent Eckley believes the rivalry the two teams have created will be all the motivation his squad needs.

"I think the kids are more motivated than Vianney regardless of the district championship or not," Eckley said. "They're committed to playing great football against a strong, well-coached football team."

Jackson survived an overtime thriller in last week's district semifinal as senior wide receiver Xominique Davis hauled in six receptions for 68 yards and three scores to lead the Indians to a 41-35 overtime win over Oakville, which rallied to take the lead in the fourth quarter but was stalled on its first possession in overtime.

"We had several boys that had some adversity where things went wrong for them. They didn't quit. They didn't shut down. We had really nice leadership. We had boys that pulled together instead of pulling apart," Eckley said about last week's game. "We had boys that lifted their teammates up when things went wrong and the encouragement helped. That made a huge difference."

The Indians will face a Vianney team they defeated earlier this season on the road. Jackson senior quarterback Dante Vandeven was 11 of 24 passing for 229 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions and racked up 134 rushing yards and two scores on 22 carries in the 30-23 victory.

Junior Devin Marty and freshman Tionne Harris combined for 335 of the Golden Griffins' 410 rushing yards in last week's 31-14 district semifinal win over Rockwood Summit, according to stltoday.com. Harris finished 8 of 17 passing for 92 yards, while senior defensive ends Jordon Hardwick and Kyle Markway led Vianney's defense to a first-half shutout.

"They run the ball extremely well," Eckley said. "... They've got a young kid playing quarterback, and he's very athletic. He's very poised and savvy. On defense, they're very physical. They've got two kids that play defensive end and also play tight end for them. Those are Division-I kids. They've got a lot of other kids on defense that play really hard. They're a difficult defense to prepare for just because of how hard they play and all the looks that they give you."

Jackson will look to overcome several key injuries in tonight's district final. Ethan Isaksen was removed from the field on a stretcher after being injured on a PAT in the third quarter of last week's game. Eckley said Isaksen has continued to deal with headaches and won't play tonight. The Indians also lost back-up defensive lineman and special teams player Corson Crosnoe to a severe concussion. Eckley said he's unsure if Crosnoe will be cleared to return to the field this season but is hoping Isaksen and running back Gabriel Dudley [knee] can return next week.

"We're just going to have to have some other guys step up and be ready to go," Eckley said.

As for the Tigers (9-2), the return of linebacker Trevon McClard should only boost an already healthy squad.

"We've been lucky," Central coach Nathan Norman said. "[McClard] is going to be back in action. Knock on wood. We're full strength."

Central steamrolled its way into the district final, beating De Soto and Sikeston by a combined score of 105-21 in the first two weeks of the playoffs. In the first quarter of the two playoff wins, the Tigers scored on nine of their 16 offensive plays behind a much-improved offensive line.

"Those kids [on the line] have really gotten better, and that's the name of the game," Norman said. "... For us to be successful, they're going to have to improve. That's the bottom line. You can't hide from that. Every team in the state is saying that."

Senior running back Braion Owens eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on the season with his 155-yard, two-touchdown performance in the Tigers' 56-7 district semifinal win over Sikeston last week, while junior Al Young added 43 yards and two scores.

The Hawks (9-2) didn't attempt a pass in their 21-10 district semifinal victory over Festus but were led by senior running back Chris Walsh, who had 160 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries, according to stltoday.com. Sophomore Sam Mock and senior Drew Carter each had an interception for Hillsboro, which held Festus to 182 total yards of offense.

"They run a very efficient, ball-control offense. You're going to have to beat them. They're not going to screw it up and beat themselves," Norman said about Hillsboro. "... Fortunately for them, they've got a big-play back. They've got a running back that's a dynamic kid. He can score. He's fast. If you give him a crease, it's six points.

"It's kind of a double-edged sword. They're kind of like us on offense. We like to ground and pound as well, but we've got kids who can bust one and they're gone."