Katrina affects Jackson opener

The Indians will christen their season on Saturday against Mississippi's Hillcrest Christian.

Jackson's reputation as a football town is well deserved judging from the usually packed stadium for the Indians' home games.

Apparently that reputation has spread well beyond the area, as Jackson will play host to Hillcrest Christian on Saturday. Hillcrest hails from Jackson, Miss., located 385 miles to the south.

While attracting a team from nearly six hours away may say a lot about Jackson's football tradition, it also speaks of a larger problem which has plagued the program of late. With an enrollment of nearly 1,600, the largest in Southeast Missouri, Jackson is finding it increasingly difficult to fill out its football schedule.

"For us, it's pack a lunch, sometimes pack two to go play somewhere," Jackson coach Carl Gross said.

This will be the second different opponent for Jackson's opener in the past two years, after hosting Gosnell, Ark., last season. Jackson routed Gosnell 33-8 last season, which may have factored in Gosnell's decision to back out of its scheduled opening-date with Jackson this season.

An open date appeared likely for week one until Hillcrest entered the picture in April.

Jackson athletic director Kevin Bohnert said Hillcrest officials believed Jackson's reputation as a strong football community made it an attractive road trip for the team.

"The coach and the school wanted the kids to experience playing here," Bohnert said. "He thought this was something he wanted his kids to see."

After much work last spring just to find an opponent for its home opener, Jackson nearly found itself idle again as the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina put the game in jeopardy. While the Jackson, Miss., area did not suffer the type of damages as cities further south did, Hillcrest has been out of school all week. Power outages and problems with transportation in the area caused the game to be postponed to Saturday.

To his recollection, Gross said this will be the first time one of his teams has played an opener on Saturday, and in order to keep his players focused, he will likely practice them some on the morning of game day.

"I just know it's going to be different, a strange experience for the kids," he said. "It's going to be a long day for all of us."

The drive of more than seven hours for Hillcrest is likely the longest a team has traveled to play the Indians, but long trips are nothing new for Jackson. Besides its three games against SEMO North Division opponents Central, Sikeston and Poplar Bluff, the Indians will not face a school within 100 miles of Jackson. This year's schedule includes a trip to Jefferson City, along with district games at St. Louis-area schools Seckman and Rockwood Summit.

"It's not like that at this point we're dominant," Bohnert said. "Teams around this area, the first thing they want to know is what size school you are. ... For us right now a trip to St. Louis is a given; we'll make that trip. It's the Jefferson City trips that are tough."

All of the traveling which goes along with Jackson's changing schedule may cause frustration for coaches and school officials, but for the players it is simply another game.

"For our transportation, for our fans that like to watch us on the road, they have to travel a big piece to watch us," Gross said. "The kids never complain about it, they just jump on the bus."

The more difficult aspect of having to keep playing different teams, especially in the opener, is how to prepare. While all teams have their share of changes from year to year, when Jackson opened up with Sikeston for six straight years, the Indians at least had an idea of what lied ahead.

"You know about the history of the Cape Central's, Poplar Bluff and Jefferson City, but our kids don't know about the history of this bunch," Gross said. "I have a feeling they'll get their eyeballs lit up when they watch the film."

Hillcrest, coming off a 5-5 season, will have one definite edge on the Indians. This will be the third game for Hillcrest, which is 1-1 this season. Hillcrest won 39-10 at home last week against Central Hinds and lost its opener 37-13 at Brentwood Academy in Nashville, Tenn.

Gross said he wouldn't have expected a team to travel such a great distance if it did not expect to win.

"You knew he wasn't going to be chopped liver to make a 7 1/2-hour bus ride to play me," Gross said. "It's going to be one heck of a ball game."

The game should be a real test for an inexperienced Jackson group. The Indians return just one starter on offense and lost all of their skill-position starters. Rex Meyr, a junior, will take over quarterback duties, and senior Joel Penrod will likely lead Jackson's rushing attack.

"The big thing is when you line up and you don't have much experienced players, it's not like they know what to expect," Gross said.

Notes

* Jackson High School will have buckets set up at all entrances to the football stadium on Saturday during the game to collect money to aid Hurricane Katrina victims. Also, Jackson classes and student organizations will be raising money and a check will be given in the amount raised to the Gulf Coast Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund.