Jackson unable to hold down Fort in semis

~ The Waynesville running back gouged the Indians for 255 yards and three touchdowns.

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. -- This was a different kind of smashmouth football. More like slash you up the gut.

Waynesville scored on three of its first four possessions in the second half Friday night to complete a rally from a 14-point deficit against previously undefeated Jackson, which had allowed more than 14 points just once in the last four weeks and twice all season.

The Tigers did a lot of the damage with one play, 32-zone, a right side run out of their trademark spread offense that Fort turned into consistent gains in the second half.

"They couldn't stop that play," he said.

The Tigers fed the ball relentlessly to Fort, who ran for 181 yards on 17 carries in the second half and finished the game with 31 carries for 255 yards -- the highest total against Jackson by a single rusher this season.

Waynesville ended up with 386 total yards, also the highest total against the Indians, and -- Jackson fans might note -- finished the night with just two penalties, both holding calls.

The Tigers did most of the running, Fort said behind right tackle Jason Ostrowski (6-foot-4, 270 pounds) and right guard Chris Young (6-2, 255).

"They're the senior hogs of our line," Fort said. "We don't have the biggest offensive line, but they have a lot of heart."

Jackson has seen spread before, but perhaps not the speed of Fort, a 6-2, 215-pound senior who galloped 77 yards on one touchdown run in the second half that put the Tigers ahead.

"There was nothing different" about the Tigers' offense, Jackson coach Carl Gross said. "They just do it a little better."

Jackson's defense, which had allowed only two 100-yard rushers all year and yielded only 21 points once this season, a win against Poplar Bluff, came frustratingly close to stopping Waynesville.

The Tigers took their opening possession of the second half to Jackson's 45 before Kevin Pridemore took down quarterback Lyle Cox for a 5-yard loss. On the next play, Cox rolled right and nearly ran into Pridemore and another Jackson defender for a big loss. He scrambled left and turned it into an 8-yard gain for fourth-and-7. Fort then ran a fake punt to the right side for a 36-yard gain. He was in the end zone two plays later.

"That changed the whole game," Fort said.

After Jackson marched to Waynesville's 5 but could not cash in, the Tigers employed the power sweep formation, with two fullbacks in front of Cox and Fort. They marched the 95 yards in five plays, as Fort was able to find the seam and outrun Jackson's defense 77 yards for the score.

"They just jumped up and pushed us," Gross said.

His defense did force a turnover on Waynesville's third possession of the half, as Pridemore recovered a fumble at the Waynesvile 30 in the fouth period. Trailing 18-14, Jackson was unable to cash in.

Waynesville then put the game away with its third TD of the half. That came on a pass play after 10 running plays, including a third-and-2 conversion at the Waynesville 35 when Fort ran 7 yards. A few plays later, a third-and-4 pass from Cox to an open T.R. Raines in the end zone covered the final 29 yards.

"They were coming up to try to stop the run," said Waynesville coach Rick Vernon, "and we threw that play-action."

Fort scored Waynesville's first-half TD with a 6-yard run that capped a drive of nine straight Fort runs in which he covered 45 yards and Jackson was flagged for a personal foul.

"We watched countless films of Jackson and any team they played couldn't run," Fort said. "They're a bunch of hard hitters, and they fly around and play with heart."

On Friday night, their hearts were broken when they couldn't hold the Fort.