Jackson holds off Green for the win 20-13

Photo by James Ellifritz

On an evening where nobody in Robert Fife Stadium in Jackson Township was missing the recent 90-degree temperatures, this game still put off some heat mainly from the defensive side of the ball for both schools. The 1^st points of the night came from the M & M package of Manson to Martin with a TD in the right corner of the endzone to give the Bulldogs the 7-0 lead in the 1^st quarter.

A Jackson Interception near midfield by #37 with 7:09 to play in the 1^st put a halt to Green looking to go up 2 scores early on the Polar Bears. This was the start of the defenses looking to steal the attention of 2 enthusiastic fan bases. The 1^st points for the Polar Bears came from a short FG with 5:33 in the 1^st to make it 7-3 in favor of the Bulldogs. Jackson moved down the field again to take the lead but a pass in the endzone was tipped up in the and intercepted by Green’s #9 to keep with the trend of the night. The Bulldog offense was ready to capitalize on their turnover only to throw an interception of their own to lead to an Anthony Fuline Prime Time like return for the pick 6 play of the night giving Jackson the 10-7 lead through the 1^st quarter.

The defenses were still winning out into the 2^nd quarter when Green’s Mr. Do Everything player, Antonio Martin intercepted the Polar Bear pass in the same back corner endzone that he caught his TD pass earlier. It’s like he owned that corner of the real estate tonight. Green later on their drive attempted a fake punt on a 4^th and short on their own end of the field only to be stopped by the Jackson special team’s unit for the turnover on downs. The last Jackson drive of the 1^st half resulted in another FG to make it 13-7 at recess.

The 2^nd half opening kickoff started with a big hit by Green’s kickoff team on a Jackson player but as a result of the return the unfortunate side of the game of football left one Green player down with a severe leg injury. Play was stopped for 10-15 minutes as the player was being attended to by the medical staff as the cart was being brought out. As the cart was leaving the field both sides were thankful to see the thumbs up and a wave before he left the field. Regardless, keep this young man in your prayers for his recovery because life will always be bigger than football.

The only other play to note from the 3^rd quarter was another interception in the endzone on the night by Jackson’s #15 because hey, why not because all the cool kids are doing it! That kept the scoreless 3^rd quarter at Jackson 13 and Green 7.

Jackson tacked on another score with the short truck stick style rushing TD by #18 to give the Polar Bears a 20-7 lead with 10:12 still yet to play in the game. The Bulldog O was able to drive down to take Antonio Martin to his newfound home, the endzone right in front of the Jackson student section for a short rushing TD. The 2-point conversion pass was snatched out of the air near the Jackson 2-yard line to keep the score at 20 -13 Polar Bears. Green had their final drive to tie it up and got near the red zone, but the Jackson defense once again flexed to get the Bulldog offense to turn the ball over on downs to end the game.

The atmosphere was tremendous as both student sections were live and into the game the whole night. The bands were at their best providing an excellent halftime show on both sides. It was certainly a great night for High School football in Stark County by these 2 outstanding schools and their communities.