Massillon Jackson 23 - Hoover 20
ctober 25, 2024
Josh Weir, Canton Repository
JACKSON TWP. — Reasons to doubt abounded for the Jackson High School football team on Friday night.
An uneven start. A two-touchdown deficit. A rival that in recent years (and historically) has had the Polar Bears’ number.
Champions must believe, though, and that’s what the boys in purple proved themselves to be.
Behind a huge night from Kristian Satterfield and a defense that found its footing as the game progressed, Jackson rallied past Hoover for a 23-20 win that secures the Polar Bears a piece of the Federal League title.
It is Jackson’s first league championship since 2017 and just its second since 2001. The win snaps a four-game losing streak to the Vikings in the Battle for the Rail rivalry.
“It’s heavy!” players warned head coach Jay Rohr as he began to lift the rivalry trophy, with a large piece of golden railroad on it, over his head during the postgame celebration.
A losing streak against a rival is heavy, too.
But the Polar Bears (7-3, 5-1) overcame the Vikings on Friday in front of an estimated crowd of 5,000, one week after ending a 17-game losing streak to McKinley (6-3, 5-1), which shares the league championship with Jackson.
Since losing its league opener at Green in Week 5, and falling to 2-3 overall, Jackson has ripped off five straight wins.
“I’m just proud,” Rohr said. “This team has believed. They believed all summer in what they were capable of doing. They bought in. It’s an unselfish group, and I think that’s the key. When you have an unselfish group and you have great leadership and it’s their team, and they take control of it, this is what you get.”
Satterfield ran for 211 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries against one of the best defenses in the area.
The Polar Bears can get it done offensively in a variety of ways. On Friday, especially after a couple of first-half interceptions, it was clear Satterfield was going to have to be a workhorse.
“Our O-line does a great job,” he said. “I just really appreciate them giving it all they’ve got. So when (the coaches) decide to give me the ball, I’m going to give it everything I’ve got, every play.”
That line of left tackle Brennan Ertle, left guard Evan Mauser, center Teigen Essig, right guard Robbie Eberhardt and right tackle Zach Mendell — with help from tight end Keegan Stanley — paved the way for Satterfield, who ran decisively and aggressively.
“You ultimately want to feed the hot hand, and Kristian was doing a great job,” Rohr said. “… Kristian was doing a great job of being a downhill runner. Our offensive line was doing a great job.”
Jackson quarterback Lucas Ecrement completed 11 of 23 passes for 143 yards and the two picks. Noah Colando caught five passes for 80 yards.
Hoover (6-4, 3-3) scored the first three times it touched the football on Friday, leading 20-6 midway through the second quarter. Then it never again found the end zone.
A Hoover fumble on the opening possession of the second half, with Foster Stanley recovering for Jackson, ultimately led to Jackson tying the game on Satterfield’s third TD run of the night.
“With the style we play, we can’t turn the ball over,” Hoover head coach Brian Baum said.
Cooper Mizeur’s 29-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter gave Jackson its first lead of the game at 23-20, and the Polar Bears’ defense made it stand up.
The Vikings’ last chance came with 43 seconds left when they forced a turnover on downs at their 27. But Mitchell Braucher knifed in for a strip sack of John Collins and Zach Saleh recovered for Jackson to seal the win.
“This is unbelievable,” Braucher said. “I was worried when we came out slow. But we had a nice halftime speech from coach. He had no doubt in us.”
Said Rohr, “It’s Senior Night and I think that played a part in it a little bit. We came out a little hesitant and emotional. Down at halftime, my message was, ‘Control our emotions. We’re down, but we’re not out.’ We had to get back to being a disciplined football team, a physical football team, and you saw that.”
AJ Dolph finished with 81 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries for Hoover, which holds a 65-29 advantage in the all-time series against Jackson.
After taking the 20-6 lead, Hoover gained 51 yards of offense the rest of the night. The Vikings finished with 176 yards of total offense to Jackson’s 402.
Max Cowles knifed in twice to drop Hoover speedster Jack Andes for big losses on perimeter plays in the second half.
“We tried to run a couple of things with Andes and they were jumping on that stuff,” Baum said. “With the one reverse, we had to try something at that point. We got cute and they got us.”
Source: Canton Repository