Pandemonium at “The Pit”: Jackson football shocks Christian Brothers

On fourth down with five yards separating Jackson from a football semifinal and the biggest upset in program history, quarterback Drew Parsons called his own number. “The Pit” won’t soon forget it. Against the No. 1 team in Class 6, the No. 1 team in Missouri and a borderline top-100 team in America, Jackson knew its home-field advantage would be necessary. But a 45-42 victory over Christian Brothers was beyond the wildest dreams of the 4, 000 Jackson faithful in attendance on Saturday, Nov. 22. Going up 17 at the halftime intermission and 24 by the largest lead, Jackson used its comfortable lead to cruise to the victory as if cruising is anything close to what happened. It was far from easy, but by the skin of their teeth, the Indians survived another week. CBC whittled that lead all the way down to three points with a touchdown halfway through the fourth quarter, but Jackson managed to bleed the final five minutes off the clock thereafter. For the first time in the 87-year history of “The Pit,” finished in 1938 by the Public Works Administration and the home of Jackson Indian football ever since, the “Pit Effect” knocked off No. 1. “It’s hard to put words right now,” Indians coach Ryan Nesbitt said. “I’m just proud of our kids. Tough, tough group of guys. “This stuff is This was established a long time ago. A lot of work when nobody was around earned these moments. I’m just proud of them for being able to be that mentally tough in that ballgame.” Against a team that scored 77 points a week ago against Lafayette, Jackson knew that it’d need some major stops from its defense to come away with the victory. The Cadets scored 42 points, and somehow, defense was still at the forefront of discussion. Christian Brothers, with an offensive line recruited from all over the greater St. Louis area, couldn’t resist the penetrating actions of Jackson’s intense defensive line. “That was huge,” Nesbitt said. ”We knew it was all about managing the quarterback. He certainly made some plays, but man, I thought we did a fantastic job of never flinching.” It wasn’t perfect by any means, but that defensive line held Kansas State commit Nick McClellan to -20 yards on the ground on 11 carries, being sacked five times in the matchup, while outside of a 65-yard touchdown run, superstar back Vic Williams ran for just 36 yards on 12 carries. In the second half, Blayne Reagan made a clutch interception on the near sideline that would’ve turned the ball over either way on fourth down. “The Pit” seemed to enjoy the pick a little bit more, though, as he kept that defense making stops. “It’s amazing,” Parsons said. “CBC’s a great team, so we came into this game knowing we had to stop them once or twice, and the offense will pick you guys up.” The offense did just that. Parsons and the Indians were simply unstoppable in the first half, scoring 38 points on five touchdowns and a field goal. Even kicker Jack Outman was flawless, going six-for-six on PATs and hitting that crooked field goal. Jaylon Hampton, who’s typically a centerpiece in Jackson’s masterfully two-fold offensive scheme, ran for 80 yards on 17 carries, scoring two touchdowns. One of those two came on a 9-yard scamper that ended in him contorting three yards forward through a crowd to magically weave to a late-first-half touchdown. Hampton had a fumble on Saturday, which is atypical for him. Thankfully, offensive lineman Brysen Wessell had him covered. When No. 63 got off the turf and heroically hoisted the pigskin, the stadium roared to life. The junior running back punched it in one play later from three yards out. Parsons passed 14 for 22, throwing for 248 yards and running for another 121 that’s partially hampered by a CBC pass rush that knocked him down for three sacks. When all was said and done, the Southeast Missouri State baseball commit showed why he won the E. E. “Bus” Carr Trophy this past week. “We definitely couldn’t do it without Drew,” Indians wideout Jory Thoma said. “His scrambling ability, that fourth down that won us the game. It’s really nice to have that dual threat.” Thoma had a ridiculous game of his own. The junior wide receiver went for three first-half touchdowns, catching all seven of his targets and receiving 135 of Parsons’ 248 yards. Jackson’s best-kept secret this season, Thoma’s kept hot through the postseason so far, alongside 61 yards from Evan Turley on three catches, 46 of which came on one deep haul alone. The best play of the day, for Jackson, was a 66-yard dump-off on which Parsons fumbled the snap, reeled right, hit Thoma for about five yards of gain. The junior did the rest of the work, scoring a touchdown that rattled the floorboards at Tractor’s in Uptown Jackson. “I couldn’t do without my teammates and my coaches,” Thoma said. “It’s just really, really fun.” Fun isn’t the half of it. Jackson’s fans shocked “The Pit” to life once more, and by the end of it, CBC truly understood why the Indians’ home turf is rated among the very toughest to play in the Show Me State. The win for this Jackson team is perhaps the biggest, pound-for-pound, in the 130-year history of the program, based on CBC’s ranking and the postseason implications tied in. Nobody is blind to what Jackson is doing anymore. Bootheel Ball is starting to turn heads, whether that be the spectacular Ivory Winters teams at Hayti in the 2010s, the Cape Central teams that fought for state titles a decade ago or even Jackson’s own Brent Eckley teams just five short years ago. Now, it’s a new dawn and a new day. Ryan Nesbitt has commandeered Jackson back into the spotlight, this team on a national stage. Victory couldn’t look any more sweet upon his face as he hugged his two daughters and shared elation with countless Jackson fans on the turf. Asked about what this win says to fans and teams around the state of Missouri, the third-year Jackson coach didn’t seem to have a way to put it into perspective fully. “That’s a big one,” Nesbitt said. “We’re just truly thankful for another week.” Jackson’s next in action at 1 p. m. Saturday, Nov. 29, at Lee’s Summit High School just outside of Kansas City. The Indians take on the Tigers, who are 8-4 this season but enter on an eight-game win streak that, most recently, includes the likes of now-10-2 Liberty. Traveling nearly six hours for the state semifinals, the Indians are ready to embrace one more guaranteed opportunity to be on the field together as they fight for a spot in what would be their first-ever MSHSAA Class 6 state championship game. What’s held Jackson together this season, through 12 games, 12 victories and an unforgettable run to the semifinals, has been its home-grown chemistry and an unmissable on-field bond with each other. “They’re my brothers, you know?” Parsons said. “We call it brotherhood, and people might think it’s weird, but we just love each other. We love being around.”.
https://www.semissourian.com/sports/pandemonium-at-the-pit-jackson-football-shocks-christian-brothers-937096d5