Jackson keeps it close, finishes season on a down note

If there's such thing as a single-game season pass, the Jackson Indians issued them for their final home game.

Fans were given a glimpse of the problems that have plagued the Indians all season --untimely turnovers and penalties and early big plays by opponents -- the hard running of Indian running back Stuart McIntosh and the heart of team that never gave up.

The outcome was much too familiar. Visiting Francis Howell departed Jackson Field with a 16-13 victory Friday, capping a 2-8 season for the Indians.

"Tonight just sums up our season," McIntosh said. "We played our hearts out. I don't remember one game where we completely gave up, or gave up at all. We had trouble finishing out. We always came up just a little bit short. That's been the story of our season."

Jackson finished its district schedule 0-3 and for the third straight week operated from a 7-0 hole in the opening seconds of the game.

After Parkway Central and Parkway West scored touchdowns of 72 and 70 yards on game-opening possessions, Francis Howell (8-2) struck even quicker.

The Vikings' Tim Avants took the opening kickoff from Chad Reiminger at his 10-yard line and sprinted up the right sideline for a crowd-silencing touchdown.

After Mike Kossman added the extra point, Francis Howell led 7-0 just 13 seconds into the game.

"That's happened throughout the season," said Jackson senior lineman Matt McComas. "They always seem to score on the first or second play. We've always had that problem."

But Jackson also responded the way it did in its previous two district games. Given the opportunity to start reeling, the Indians dug in and started winning the battle on the line of scrimmage. Jackson ended with 230 yards while limiting the Vikings to 117 yards.

"I feel horrible for the kids," Jackson coach Carl Gross said. "They played their hearts out. Honestly, other than the kickoff, we outplayed them. It's just kind of how the season has gone."

Forty-three of yards came on a second-quarter touchdown run by Eric Ksinzkiewiez. It came like a bolt out of nowhere as Francis Howell had mustered just eight yards rushing on its previous 13 carries in the game.

The Vikings came into the game with five shutouts this season and appeared headed for their sixth with a 14-0 lead at halftime.

But Jackson broke through on a 56-yard touchdown run by McIntosh on the third play of the second half. The run put McIntosh over the 100-yard mark for the fourth straight game. He finished the night with 162 yards on 28 carries to give him 904 yards over the final four games of the season. He finished with over 1,300 yards on the season.

Reiminger's extra-point attempt bounced off the left upright and the Indians trailed 14-6 at the 10:42 mark of the third quarter.

The Indians didn't pick up a first down on their next three possessions, and the latter ended with Tyler Profilet being sacked in his end zone for a safety and a 16-6 Howell lead with 10:51 left in the game.

Two possessions later and with just over two minutes left in the game, the Indians drove to the Viking 5-yard line on a pass from Tyler Profilet to Tyler Boyd, but Boyd fumbled on the play and the Vikings recovered.

Jackson then blocked Tony Jones' punt on the ensuing possession, recovering inside the 1.

After a procedure penalty, McIntosh scored on a 6-yard run with 1:29 left.

Reiminger's extra point cut the deficit to 16-13, but his onside kick did not go the required 10 yards and Francis Howell took over and ran out the clock.

"We thought we might have a chance at the end, but it just didn't come out our way," Reiminger said.

For Jackson it was a frustrating end to an un-Jackson-like season. It marked the first time the school won less than three games since going 2-6-1 in 1965. It was their worst winning percentage since going 1-9 in 1955.

"Thing I like about this team is we came back at the end of the season as opposed to coming out strong and dying down," McComas said. "We tried fixing a a lot of our flaws and had a lot less mental mistakes than the first game. This team really came a long way."

jbreer@semissourian.com

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