Offensive outburst pushes Jackson to big road victory

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Battle finally got a taste of Class 5.

It's bitter.

Jackson overcame an early two-touchdown deficit by scoring 42 unanswered points en route to a 48-19 bashing of the host Spartans on Friday night.

Battle, a Class 4 school without a senior class, is expected to move up to Class 5 or Class 6 next year when a wave of current eighth-graders join. In its first test this year against a team from Missouri's top two tiers, the Spartans (5-2) followed an explosive first few minutes with a crumbling final two and a half quarters.

Battle led 13-0 late in the second quarter before unraveling against an Indians' team that began its comeback by scoring three touchdowns in a span of 2 minutes, 30 seconds. The scores spanned halftime -- even the 15-minute break couldn't slow down Jackson -- and continued during a 28-point third quarter.

"Extreme momentum shift," Battle coach Justin Conyers said. "All of the sudden you look up and it's a 35-point swing. You just don't know what happened or where the game went."

Jackson's tackle-breaking running back, Colten Proffer, had 266 yards on just 17 carries -- a 15-yard average. He had runs of 44, 41 and 43 yards and scored twice.

His 44-yard touchdown run 24 seconds into the second half capped Jackson's quick scoring spurt of three TDs in less than three minutes. The Indians piled on three more over the next 10 minutes, using a fast-paced no-huddle attack led by quarterback Dante Vandeven and Proffer, who also had four catches for 38 yards.

In all, Jackson (6-1) scored six unanswered touchdowns in 16 minutes of game time, a furious rally that had the Spartans stunned and didn't end until a minute was left in the third.

"I feel like that we just got ahead of ourselves," Battle running back Nash Sutherlin said. "We had a 13-0 lead, and we got cocky."

Battle freshman quarterback Brevinn Tyler finished 9 of 26. He misfired on 11 straight passes, a stretch that started late in the second quarter and didn't finish until a completion with five minutes left in the game.

Sutherlin was the bright spot on a dismal night for Battle. He rushed for 139 yards on 24 carries. As a defensive back, though, he was one of many who couldn't contain Proffer. The senior broke nearly a dozen tackles and, sometimes, wiggled free of multiple defenders.

"He was elusive," Sutherlin said. "We thought we had him, and he'd just slip right by."

Vandeven finished 12 of 18 for 148 yards. He threw two TD passes and ran for two more, orchestrating a speedy system that shredded Battle.

Jackson scored on seven consecutive drives starting late in the second quarter and ending with a touchdown early in the fourth. Six of those seven drives took six plays or less. There was a two-play touchdown drive and a three-play scoring march with much of the damage done on the ground. The Indians finished with 372 yards rushing and 520 yards total.

"We work better when we go fast," Proffer said. "We were going fast and getting after it."

Jackson's touchdown tear didn't begin until Battle's sloppy final few minutes of the first half.

Leading 13-0 and backed up on its own 23, Tyler threw an interception on a third-and-long. Ty Selsor's pick put Jackson at the Battle 25-yard line. Four plays later, it was 13-7.

Said Indians coach Brent Eckley of the interception: "Huge play."

Trey Smith returned the ensuing kickoff 50 yards and Battle had first down at the Jackson 21. Sutherlin was caught for a loss and Tyler threw three incompletions, including one drop, to turn it over on downs. Moments later, Vandeven hit Xominique Davis for what looked like a 10-yard completion, but Davis weaved through defenders for a 45-yard touchdown, scoring with 6 ticks left before half and sparking what would be a wild third quarter.

For Battle, a team ineligible for the playoffs this season, there's always next year.

"We play them Week 1 next year," Conyers said. "And we're definitely looking forward to this matchup."

Jackson hosts another Columbia team, Hickman, this Friday.