SOUTH WAYNE - Senior running back Shane Jackson made sure his last homecoming was a good one. The bruising Warriors' back had 125 of his team's 225 rushing yards, including two touchdowns and a field goal, in Black Hawk's 30-14 win Saturday over Belmont.
Jackson's day started early. On Black Hawk's second possession of the game, Jackson's 46-yard run put the Warriors into scoring range. Two plays later, Jackson pushed his way into the end zone and Black Hawk led 7-0.
Belmont made its own noise early. On the first play of its next possession, running back Josh Eastlick let the ball pop into the air. Eastlick, who finished with 195 rushing yards, regained control and found a three-foot hole in the middle of the line. Twenty seconds and 80 yards later, Belmont had a first-and-goal from inside the 10.
However, Black Hawk's defense stepped up and forced a turnover on downs.
Facing a third-and-6 from their own 9-yard line, sophomore quarterback Michael Wolff hit Jackson on a screen pass that took the ball up to midfield to end the first quarter. On the next play, Tyler Whalen broke loose for a touchdown, but a block in the back negated the score. The Warriors then ran off 11 straight plays and Jackson got his second score of the day - a 4-yard run with 7:17 left in the half. Jackson's extra-point attempt from 35 yards out - the result of a 15-yard penalty for having 12 men on the field - failed a the lead was 13-0.
Belmont's second play of its next drive was another big play. Braves quarterback Michael Andrews hit tight end Jordan Farrey coming across the middle. In traffic and getting bumped, Farrey caught the ball with his fingertips, came to the ground, broke a few tackles and darted to the end zone for a 75-yard score. A missed extra point left Black Hawk with a 13-6 lead.
The Warriors fumbled early on their next possession, and Eastlick scored two plays later and converted the two-point conversion run. In just 1 minute, 12 seconds, Belmont took a 14-13 lead.
But Black Hawk got it back before halftime. Wolff hit senior wideout Mike Place for a 21-yard pass. Then junior running back Cody Foster took it the rest of the way in two plays, the second a 22-yard score. Jackson's kick made it 20-14 Black Hawk.
The Warriors missed opportunities to put the game away early in the third quarter. After suffering two of their three lost fumbles in the game - the second coming after a blocked punt by Carl Ruegsegger gave Black Hawk the ball on the Belmont 29 - Foster made a highlight-reel spin move during a 36-yard touchdown run that pushed the lead to 27-14 with 3:25 left in the third quarter.
Jackson, appropriately, capped the scoring in the game with a 31-yard field goal with 8:10 left in the fourth quarter.
The Warriors were happy to win their homecoming, especially with players hurting on the sideline.
"Last week we had some injuries to some key guys and we had some kids step in and get the job done today," head coach Cory Milz said. In Saturday's win, Black Hawk saw two more players get hurt.
With that, players all over the field this entire season have been stepping up in new spots.
Jackson converted from tight end, juniors and back-up linemen stepped up when the team needed them, and Wolff showed his ability to adjust to new surroundings. Last week, Wolff replaced injured starter Payton Schliem against Benton/Scales Mound, and showed his inexperience. On Saturday, Wolff not only played much better, but he showed off his agility and improved decision making.
"The big thing was just having confidence in his throws. Last week he really rushed everything and he was really high and missed some easy throws. I think part of that is just nervousness. And he was a little more calm today," Milz said.
Wolff not only gained yards in bunches on option keepers, but he was 7-of-10 passing for 150 yards.
"He's slowly making improvements. We have a long way to go with him. He led us to victory today by being smart, knowing when to audible and what to audible to. He's getting better every week," Milz said.
Milz also was very happy with the play of his makeshift offensive line.
"The line is definitely the strength of our team. We've had some key injuries in there - and we lost a guard and a tackle in the first half. We had other kids come in and do a pretty nice job. Our line is just doing a very nice job opening up some holes," he said.
Jackson agreed.
"They are greatly improved, and they've really done a great job all season," he said. "We came over some injuries and beat a tough team."
Black Hawk (3-1, 2-1 in Six Rivers) travels to Highland (1-3, 1-3) next Friday.
Jackson's day started early. On Black Hawk's second possession of the game, Jackson's 46-yard run put the Warriors into scoring range. Two plays later, Jackson pushed his way into the end zone and Black Hawk led 7-0.
Belmont made its own noise early. On the first play of its next possession, running back Josh Eastlick let the ball pop into the air. Eastlick, who finished with 195 rushing yards, regained control and found a three-foot hole in the middle of the line. Twenty seconds and 80 yards later, Belmont had a first-and-goal from inside the 10.
However, Black Hawk's defense stepped up and forced a turnover on downs.
Facing a third-and-6 from their own 9-yard line, sophomore quarterback Michael Wolff hit Jackson on a screen pass that took the ball up to midfield to end the first quarter. On the next play, Tyler Whalen broke loose for a touchdown, but a block in the back negated the score. The Warriors then ran off 11 straight plays and Jackson got his second score of the day - a 4-yard run with 7:17 left in the half. Jackson's extra-point attempt from 35 yards out - the result of a 15-yard penalty for having 12 men on the field - failed a the lead was 13-0.
Belmont's second play of its next drive was another big play. Braves quarterback Michael Andrews hit tight end Jordan Farrey coming across the middle. In traffic and getting bumped, Farrey caught the ball with his fingertips, came to the ground, broke a few tackles and darted to the end zone for a 75-yard score. A missed extra point left Black Hawk with a 13-6 lead.
The Warriors fumbled early on their next possession, and Eastlick scored two plays later and converted the two-point conversion run. In just 1 minute, 12 seconds, Belmont took a 14-13 lead.
But Black Hawk got it back before halftime. Wolff hit senior wideout Mike Place for a 21-yard pass. Then junior running back Cody Foster took it the rest of the way in two plays, the second a 22-yard score. Jackson's kick made it 20-14 Black Hawk.
The Warriors missed opportunities to put the game away early in the third quarter. After suffering two of their three lost fumbles in the game - the second coming after a blocked punt by Carl Ruegsegger gave Black Hawk the ball on the Belmont 29 - Foster made a highlight-reel spin move during a 36-yard touchdown run that pushed the lead to 27-14 with 3:25 left in the third quarter.
Jackson, appropriately, capped the scoring in the game with a 31-yard field goal with 8:10 left in the fourth quarter.
The Warriors were happy to win their homecoming, especially with players hurting on the sideline.
"Last week we had some injuries to some key guys and we had some kids step in and get the job done today," head coach Cory Milz said. In Saturday's win, Black Hawk saw two more players get hurt.
With that, players all over the field this entire season have been stepping up in new spots.
Jackson converted from tight end, juniors and back-up linemen stepped up when the team needed them, and Wolff showed his ability to adjust to new surroundings. Last week, Wolff replaced injured starter Payton Schliem against Benton/Scales Mound, and showed his inexperience. On Saturday, Wolff not only played much better, but he showed off his agility and improved decision making.
"The big thing was just having confidence in his throws. Last week he really rushed everything and he was really high and missed some easy throws. I think part of that is just nervousness. And he was a little more calm today," Milz said.
Wolff not only gained yards in bunches on option keepers, but he was 7-of-10 passing for 150 yards.
"He's slowly making improvements. We have a long way to go with him. He led us to victory today by being smart, knowing when to audible and what to audible to. He's getting better every week," Milz said.
Milz also was very happy with the play of his makeshift offensive line.
"The line is definitely the strength of our team. We've had some key injuries in there - and we lost a guard and a tackle in the first half. We had other kids come in and do a pretty nice job. Our line is just doing a very nice job opening up some holes," he said.
Jackson agreed.
"They are greatly improved, and they've really done a great job all season," he said. "We came over some injuries and beat a tough team."
Black Hawk (3-1, 2-1 in Six Rivers) travels to Highland (1-3, 1-3) next Friday.
