Jackson owes 1-0 start to inspired special teams

When a special teams unit is playing well, the results of its effort on a football field are often easy to overlook.

Making extra points, covering punts and kickoffs, and successfully executing a punt from the snap to the kick can easily be taken for granted.

Jackson showed just how valuable special teams can be when it rallied to defeat Francis Howell Central 28-21 in the season opener last week.

The Indians won thanks in large part to a botched Howell Central punt snap, a blocked field goal and a blocked punt for a touchdown.

"It was a huge difference-maker," Jackson coach Carl Gross said. "Grant [Ressel] did a nice job kicking the ball down field -- once in the end zone and the other times inside the 5. Rex [Meyr] did a nice job punting the ball.

"People don't understand. Just something as simple as having your kid catch the punt. If you don't catch the punt, the ball will get a 10- or 20-yard roll. I tell our punt returners, 'You catching the ball is like one or two first-and-10s.'"

The Indians will put their special teams unit to the test again tonight when they travel to Parkway North for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

Ressel finished 4-for-4 on extra points in the win as he continued to be nearly automatic on PATs. Last season Ressel was 28-for-30 with two extra points blocked.

Meyr took over for all-conference punter Joel Penrod and was consistent in his seven punts. Two of his punts netted nearly 50 yards.

Jackson's field goal block came after the Spartans drove nearly 70 yards and took more than 7 minutes off the clock with the score tied 21-21.

On the next Spartans possession, Danny Miller blocked the punt which Steve Begemann recovered in the end zone for the game-winning score.

"The kicking game, when you think about it, you always have a chance for a game-changing play," Gross said. "Whether it's a kick return, a punt return or a block, those are momentum-changing plays. That's why it's so important."

One of the reasons Jackson's special teams unit was in a position to make some of the plays it did was due to the play of the defense. Playing 10 new starters on defense, Jackson made vast strides as the game went along.

The Indians allowed 176 rushing yards in the first half but just 38 after halftime. Facing an option-style offense, Jackson's defense recorded 18 tackles for loss. Senior tackle Dallas Proffer led the Indians with five tackles for loss, and six Jackson defenders recorded two or more tackles for loss.

"That was a pretty impressive number," Gross said. "That's huge. It makes it second-and-long or third-and-long. Those are huge plays. I'm telling you, this is a high-octane bunch. They want to play well."

The defense could have its hands full against Parkway North, which ripped through Central's defense last week. The Vikings rushed for 285 yards in a 29-7 victory against the Tigers at Houck Stadium.

Vikings fullback Mike Bunton led the team with 106 yards rushing, and two other backs had at least 73 yards on the ground. Parkway North was efficient in the air as well, completing six of eight passes for 82 yards.

"It's just another huge challenge for both sides of the football," Gross said. "Another thing about them is their special teams is one of their strengths."

One area Jackson will have to improve is offense. The Indians finished with just seven first downs and were led in rushing by Josh Wheeler's 37 yards. Wheeler had the offensive highlight of the game with a 56-yard touchdown catch on a screen play.

In the fourth quarter, though, Jackson's ground game was able to eat up valuable time behin d the hard running of Cody Randen and Drew Bucher.

"I think the offensive line may have been embarrassed by our rushing numbers," Gross said. "And we had way too much pressure on Rex. I hope our offensive line takes that personally."