By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Jackson — Down and somewhat out, the Jackson football team reshuffled and regrouped.
Two weeks and two wins later, the Vikings are still plenty alive in their quest for a second playoff season in as many seasons.
The next challenge is tomorrow night at Holt.
“Just like other teams in our spot, we started the payoffs two weeks ago,” coach Scott Farley said. “Now we have to keep winning to keep playing.”
Jackson was 2-3 before a 25-21 victory against Okemos and last week’s 49-0 throttling of Lansing Eastern.
“I think the offense has really come together, for one,” Farley said about the past two weeks. “The defense has been strong as well. The attitudes of the guys has been good, and that’s paid off.”
Now, the Vikings hit the road to face a Holt team (3-4) that is clinging to the hope of an at-large berth.
“They are very big, on both sides of the ball,” Farley said of the Rams, who beat Okemos 24-21 last week after losing two in a row. “They have a huge running back. They are consistently successful as a program, and they come into games expecting to win. We have to come in with a lot of energy.”
The Vikings did just that last year, and in a wild shoot out, ran away with a 63-41 victory.
“We’ll take a little bit from that game to build on, but there’s so much different personal,” Farley said.
The key, the Jackson coach added, is getting his team to the perimeter with the ball.
Holt’s size can limit any inside attack, and with Jackson’s speed, the temptation will be there to use the ends.
“They set their defense to stop the run, especially up front,” Farley said. “At the same time, we have to pass the ball better than we have. Whether it’s with the run or the pass, we’re going to try and attack the perimeter.”
While each of these games garners more importance as the regular season winds down, Farley said there’s no real sense of panic or tension with his group.
“I think they just realize how important it is to get better and be prepared at every practice,” Farley added. “Our goal is to be better every game.”
The Vikings close the regular season next week against a 2-5 Lansing Everett team.
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports. You can reach him at mjm12@albion.edu. He’s also the author of ‘Love, Defined; A Dedication to the Love, Sacrifice, and Magic of Motherhood.’
Love, Defined is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Tate Publishing or by contacting Mike directly.
Visit http://lovedefinedbook.weebly.com for more information.