Vianney departs Jackson with 35-14 victory

The Indians committed five turnovers in their loss to the Golden Griffins.

Jackson opened the third quarter on a good note, scoring a touchdown 2 minutes into the second half to close within six points of Vianney.

But by the time the third period ended, the Golden Griffins were in control and on their way to a 35-14 win at Jackson.

Two interceptions and a fumbled kick return in the quarter doomed Jackson (1-2), which made five turnovers on the night.

"You can't do that and expect to win," Jackson coach Carl Gross said. "Our offense basically gave them 14 points."

Vianney (3-0) put together an 82-yard drive midway through the third period to go back ahead by 13 points, then took control of field position with a fumbled kickoff and scored on a 14-yard interception return to take a 28-7 lead late in the third period. Vianney concluded a 56-yard drive with another TD in the first minute of the fourth period to seal the win.

"I told our guys they had a good quarterback [Steve Callanan] and a good receiver -- that No. 2 [Tim Windhorst] was something," Gross said. "Their quarterback is big and has a strong, good arm and he can run with the football. They made the plays."

Callanan, who suffered a collarbone injury last year early in Jackson's 28-12 win at Vianney, finished with 20 completions in 33 attempts for 228 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for two touchdowns.

He directed Vianney's nonstop attack -- "We didn't know they were no-huddle," Gross said. "You can't tell that on film." -- with near flawless precision.

Callanan ran for a 3-yard TD with 10:14 to play in the first quarter to cap a 38-yard drive set up by Darreon Peal's 57-yard return of the opening kickoff. The kick failed.

Callanan passed 16 yards to Windhorst for the first of his two touchdowns early in the second period. That capped a 72-yard drive that included passes to four different receivers, including an 18-yard pass play when Callanan eluded a third-down blitz and a 33-yard hookup with 6-foot-5 tight end Zack Franke.

Jackson responded with a drive from its own 28 to the Vianney 3-yard line before Joel Penrod fumbled into the end zone for a Vianney touchback.

Penrod, who rushed for 190 yards last week in a win against Roosevelt, was limited to 20 yards on eight carries Friday. Jackson had just 54 yards rushing in the first half and finished with 146 yards on the ground.

"Vianney was very good up front on both sides of the ball," Gross said. "They were big and strong."

Jackson junior Trae Smith picked up 52 yards on eight carries -- most in the fourth quarter -- to lead the Indians in his first action since returning from surgery to repair cartilege in his knee.

"He did some good things," Gross said, "and he was happy to get out on the field. He had a good week of practice, and I thought he played well. Joel was his biggest fan."

Smith scored on a 7-yard run that closed out scoring.

By then, the game had been decided.

Jackson had opened the second half on a promising note when John Gray had the lone pick against Callanan and returned it to Vianney's 32.

On the next play, quarterback Rex Meyr lofted a pass that Luke Crader snared on the goal line. Grant Ressel's kick made the score 13-7.

But Vianney came right back with its decisive march. Callanan tossed a 32-yard completion that Windhorst took from a Jackson defensive back at the 18-yard line, and Callanan fired a 7-yard scoring strike to Windhorst a few plays later.

Jackson fumbled the ensuing kick but Vianney did nothing with it. After a punt to Jackson's 5, Meyr was intercepted but Vianney gave the ball back on a fumble on a pass play. On the next play after the turnover, Meyr was intercepted by David Kramer, who ran 14 yards for the touchdown and a 28-7 lead.

Despite the loss, Gross saw some positives in his team's play, particularly a defensive effort despite being backed into a corner on occasions.

"We still played hard," Gross said. "I thought our defense made some good adjustments.

"We're playing hard and trying to get better. In the conference we're still undefeated and our goal is to win conference."

Jackson opens SEMO North play at Sikeston (0-3) on Friday.