Jackson earns homecoming win over Hillsboro Indians

Three turnovers in the first quarter were too much for the visiting Hillsboro Indians to overcome on the road Friday night in Week 7, as the host Jackson Ironmen celebrated homecoming with a 69-21 Frontier Athletic Conference win over HHS. 

The Ironmen (1-1, 4-3) forced four turnovers for the game, including two fumbles and an interception in the first quarter and another fumble in the second, with all four turnovers resulting in points for Jackson. The game also saw seven different Jackson players reach the end zone, with Israel (Izzy) Schindler leading the way with three touchdowns. Schindler finished the game with 11 carries for 104 yards, unofficially.

Despite the tough start to the game, Hillsboro (0-2, 0-7) did have some positive moments, including the play of freshman Rush Workman, who finished the game with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Landon Holland and a 65-yard touchdown run. 

Hillsboro senior Braylon Mayes also scored on a 45-yard rush. Mayes was the Indians’ leading rusher with an unofficial five carries for 82 yards and the aforementioned touchdown. 

The Indians’ opening drive began with an 11-yard rush by Malachi Aber and a nine-yard run by Mayes. After a penalty and a tackle for loss, plus a short gain by Jonathan Malone, Jackson recovered a fumble at the Hillsboro 24-yard line. Four plays later, Schindler capitalized with his first touchdown of the night and a 7-0 lead with 8:01 left in the first quarter following the extra point converted by CJ Crabtree.

Kel-el Captain returned the kickoff for 17 yards, and Malone gained four yards on first down on Hillsboro’s second possession of the night. Jackson recovered a fumble on the very next play and scored two plays later on a 15-yard run by junior Tate Rosler. The PAT was good, giving Jackson a 14-0 lead with 7:21 left in the first.

After a three-and-out by Hillsboro, Jackson only needed two plays to score their third touchdown of the opening quarter, this time a 56-yard run by Ashton Seymour. The PAT was blocked, making the score 20-0, which stood at the end of the first quarter.

Hillsboro’s next drive saw a seven-yard rush by Collin Swackhamer, a five-yard gain by Malone and two-yard runs by Aber and Malone, respectively, before Jackson’s Landon Rapp intercepted the Indians’ first of three pass attempts on the night. 

The Ironmen then put together a six-play, 38-yard drive that ended with Rapp connecting with Seymour for a 13-yard touchdown pass at the start of the second quarter. Crabtree’s PAT was good, with Jackson leading 27-0. 

Jackson scored again on their next possession, with a 35-yard touchdown run by Christian Gillum on the first play of the drive. Following the PAT, the Ironmen increased their lead to 34-0. They added another seven points to the board with Schindler’s second touchdown of the night, this one a five-yard run, and the extra point by Crabtree for a 41-0 advantage with 5:29 left in the first half. 

After a three-and-out by Hillsboro, Jackson senior Dayton Kallner returned the punt 76 yards for a touchdown, giving Jackson a 48-0 lead with 3:19 left in the second quarter following the extra point converted by Crabtree. 

The string of bad luck continued for Hillsboro, with the ensuing kickoff resulting in a fumble recovered by Jackson. Seven plays later, Schindler scored his third touchdown of the game on a 10-yard run for a 55-0 lead once the PAT was converted by Crabtree. 

The Indians got on the scoreboard on their next possession, as Kel’el Captain returned the kickoff 30 yards. Mayes rushed for nine yards and 17 yards on the next two plays, and after a timeout called by Hillsboro with 18 seconds left in the first half, Workman connected with Holland for a 23-yard touchdown pass. The extra point by Grant Shepard was good, making the halftime score 55-7 in favor of JHS.

With a running clock in the second half, Jackson added one touchdown in the third quarter after a 12-yard drive, with sophomore Sean Tanner running four yards into the end zone. The PAT was converted by senior Austin Walker for a 62-7 Jackson lead with two minutes left in the third quarter.

The Indians scored their first of two fourth-quarter touchdowns on the following possession. After a drive that included positive yardage by Malone and Workman and a 20-yard rush by Jay'onte Waters, Mayes took off for a 45-yard touchdown run on third down. The PAT by Shepard cut the deficit to 62-13 early in the fourth quarter.

The last touchdown of the night for JHS came on their next drive, with a 28-yard run by sophomore Austin Towning and ensuing PAT making the score 69-14 with five minutes left in the game.

For their final possession, Hillsboro had a one-yard gain by Waters and a two-yard gain by freshman Zeeondre Turner before seeing Workman “Rush” 65 yards for the last touchdown of the night, followed by Shepard’s third converted extra point.

The Indians (0-2, 0-7) will be on the road for a third straight week Friday, Oct. 9 as they face Miami Trace. The Panthers (2-0, 6-1) defeated Chillicothe (1-1, 6-1), 28-14 Friday. Jackson will travel to McClain (0-2, 4-3) next week, as the Tigers fell to Washington (2-0, 3-4) in Week 7.