JACKSON OUT TO AVENGE RARE LOSS TONIGHT

The Jackson High football team was one game away from a perfect regular season last year.

That one game was a 23-8 loss in Week 5 to the Belleville (Ill.) Althoff Crusaders and don't think the Indians have forgotten what happened in that game when they face Althoff tonight at 7:30 in Jackson.

"We've mentioned it in practice," said Jackson coach Carl Gross. "A year ago we could have been 9-0 in the regular season, but this team (Althoff) kind of eliminated that chance.

"I think our kids remember we went up there and got thumped pretty good so we'd like to come back and play a little better this year. We kind of got manhandled on the line of scrimmage by them. I would like to think our kids remember that and maybe we'll come out and play very physical and take the ball to them."

Jackson, the only undefeated team in the area with a 5-0 mark, is coming off another convincing win after mauling Lutheran North 49-7 Saturday afternoon. Althoff, normally an Illinois powerhouse, has struggled to a 2-4 record thus far. Last week at home, Althoff lost to Cape Central 40-21.

"Althoff is still a plenty good football team," Gross said. "They're not the same team they were a year ago, but they are still a very good high school football team."

In Althoff's loss to Central, the Tigers got three big breaks in a 26-point second quarter to take a lead they would never relinquish. The Tigers blocked a punt for a touchdown, recovered a fumble in the end zone and scored in the final seconds of the half when a long scoring pass deflected through the arms of a defender.

"Cape Central looks like a pretty good football team and they went up and made some awfully big plays against (Althoff)," Gross said. "Three big plays won it for Cape."

Another item Gross noticed about Althoff is Crusader tailback Clyde Howard (5-9, 200). Howard roared through the Tiger defense for 197 yards and three touchdowns, including a game-opening 84-yard run up the middle of the field.

"He's strong and obviously has break-away speed because he broke one for 84 yards against Cape, and Cape has some pretty good speed in the secondary," Gross said.

Jackson running back Devree Flint has shown plenty of speed himself, rushing for 688 yards and an area-leading 11 TDs. Flint is the area's fourth-leading runner despite seeing limited action in the second half of Jackson's blowout wins.

Quarterback Justin Keen continues to provide balance as the top-ranked passer in the region with a rating of 143.8. Keen has completed 18-of-34 passes for 431 yards, eight TDs and only two interceptions.

Except for the Indians' 28-14 opening-season victory over a talented Riverview Gardens team, the Indians have had little trouble with the teams on their schedule to this point. The ease of the Indians' five victories -- the Indians have outscored their opponents 176-42 -- has come as a little bit of a surprise to Gross.

"Our team is a pretty good football team, but our competition has not been as good as it was a year ago," said Gross, mentioning Lutheran North as a prime example. "Obviously the caliber of our competition is going to drastically improve over the next couple of weeks."

District action gets under way in two weeks.