JACKSON VISITS TYRONE-LESS SUMNER

Sumner has size.

And it has speed.

But it doesn't have Tyrone Griffin.

Griffin, a 235-pound runner who received a football scholarship at the University of Wisconsin, was a one-man wrecking crew last year when Jackson and Sumner High hooked up in an epic 31-30 battle in which Jackson won on a late two-point conversion.

But even without Griffin, the Bulldogs will put talented athletes on the field when it plays host to Jackson at 7:30 tonight at Gateway Tech.

"They're super athletic," said Jackson coach Carl Gross. "They're quick and they're real big up front. It will be another test."

Sumner is coming off a 36-0 loss to perennially tough East St. Louis week. Though the score was lopsided, the Bulldogs held running back Damien Nash -- who is being recruited by the likes of Nebraska and virtually every NCAA Division I power -- to just 65 yards on 13 carries (5.0 yards per attempt). Nash, a former Riverview Gardens star, was ruled ineligible by the IHSA, but that ruling was reversed for at least one game after further investigation into his residency in the East St. Louis district.

Jackson running back Mario Whitney figures to see the same type of swarming defense tonight.

Whitney had a solid season debut last week against Sikeston when he ran for 125 yards, but they were a difficult 125 yards as Sikeston contained the fastest athlete in Southeast Missouri pretty well.

In fact, Jackson's offense, which produced just 217 yards of total offense despite its 30-3 win, was somewhat of a disappointment.

"It would have been nice if we would've had an offense show up," said Gross when asked if he had any concerns after Game 1. "We won the game with defense and special teams. We didn't run the ball well and we were disappointed. Every play we had a breakdown somewhere. It wasn't the same person every time, but we just had a bunch of breakdowns. We've emphasized that it takes 11 to play this game."

However, Jackson's defense was impenetrable against a large, but slower Sikeston offense. And the special teams were superb as Mark Wade blocked an unbelievable three punts and James Simmons' punting was very good.

"Hopefully, we'll play the same or better on defense and our special teams will stay good," said Gross.

If this game is anything like last year's game against Sumner, look for Jackson to try throwing the ball more than it did last week.

Last year, Whitney ran for just 54 yards on 14 carries (3.8 yards per carry) against Sumner. Meanwhile, receiver Tory Meyr, who graduated, caught five passes for 104 yards, three touchdowns and two 2-point conversions.

For Sumner, Gross said running back/linebacker Larry Walker (6-0, 185) is the team's best player.

"He can play," Gross said.

Gross described Sumner quarterback James Lawrence (5-8, 150) as a "scooter."

Sumner is big up front. The Bulldogs have six players on their roster of more than 240 pounds.