JACKSON TRIO EARNS 5A ALL-STATE; PERRYVILLE PUNTER NAMED TO 4A TEAM

All season long, the Jackson High football team searched for state recognition.

With the release of the final Class 5A state poll and naming of the final two all-state football teams today, the Indians appear to have earned some of that.

Jackson's magical run through an undefeated regular season was rewarded with a Class 5A state ranking and three key members of this year's squad were named to the all-state team.

Jackson's 11-1 season earned it the sixth position in the final 5A poll with seniors J.P. Hall, Devree Flint and Kent Langston receiving all-state mentions.

Hall was the only first-team selection as an offensive lineman. Second-team members were Flint at running back and Langston on the defensive line.

"It was a special year for us," said Jackson coach Carl Gross. "I think this was one of our better teams.

"I only go back to 1981, but from talking to several of our followers who've seen football games back all the way to the 1935 team, they say this was one of the better teams they've seen in Jackson also. Just because of the balance of our team."

Hall (6-4, 250) was the most consistent member of an offensive line Gross mentioned as possibly the best he's coached. Hall was a two-year starter on both sides of the line and was recently named the top lineman in the SEMO North Conference.

"J.P's kind of like Devree," said Gross. "All of a sudden he's getting paid back for all the hard work he did to make himself better."

At the urging of Gross, Hall participated in the school's wrestling and track programs to develop his athletic ability.

"J.P. would always listen to his coaches," Gross said. "We told him things he needed to do to get better and he truly wanted to get better."

Hall, currently receiving attention from Division I colleges, was the most dominating member of the Indians' outstanding line which also featured Langston, Justin Petzoldt, Nick Lohman and Kyle Thompson.

"His ability to line up and knock people off the ball and establish the line of scrimmage on the defensive side of the ball allowed us to gain yards," Gross said. "J.P. was our most consistent offensive lineman, and we had some good ones.

"Our offensive line really developed. As a coach it was a great thing to watch this unit come together and play as one."

Flint (6-0, 200) was the main beneficiary of Jackson's strong offensive line. But Flint also did few things on his own to become the second-most prolific scorer in the history of Southeast Missouri.

Flint scored 30 touchdowns and ran for 1,936 yard on 242 carries to lead the Indians' offense. His point-total of 188 points was second only to the 198 points scored by Portageville's Bob Carlisle in 1953.

"Those are as good a numbers that have been put up since (Britt) Mirgaux at Scott City or Kelvin Anderson at New Madrid," Gross said. "I knew no one recentlu had put up the scoring numbers he had."

Mirgaux ran for 2,357 yards in 1993 for the Rams and in 1989 Anderson gained 2,132 yards for the Eagles. Both went on to play at Southeast Missouri State University, where Flint is being heavily recruited.

"Devree had a phenomenal season," Gross said. "Every week I was just amazed. He'd carry the ball, take a lot of shots and he learned to finish his runs. He just kept putting the numbers up."

Langston (6-3, 220) was the spiritual leader of the Indians and came up with several big defensive plays throughout the season. He led the Indians in quarterback sacks and tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

"Kent was an igniter," Gross said. "He'd do something and then jump up and be super emotional. The rest of the team would kind of feed off it."

* In Class 4A, Perryville's Josh Moll earned second-team all-state status as a punter.

The 6-foot, 170-pound senior averaged 42.6 yards on 28 punts for the 4-6 Pirates. Moll also displayed a strong leg as the Pirates' kicker, averaging nearly 50 yards on 32 kickoffs. He also kicked 16 extra points and one field goal.