Jackson breaks rushing record in 62-8 win
ROGERSVILLE — There was plenty on the line for West Greene when it played host to Greene County and Tri-County South Conference rival Jefferson-Morgan last Friday night.
A win clinched an outright conference crown for the Pioneers and star senior running back Ben Jackson had the school and county rushing record in his sights.
After the Rockets limited the Pioneers to just seven points in the first quarter, the home team exploded for 34 second-quarter points on its way to a 62-8 victory.
The win capped a dominant run through the conference, in which West Greene (7-0, 8-1) outscored their league foes, 375-71. All but one of those seven games, a 49-24 win at Monessen, ended in the mercy rule.
“It feels great. We set out a goal of winning this conference and the guys took it week-to-week,” said West Greene head coach Brian Hanson. “They really focused on being the best we could be on a weekly basis.”
It looked like Jackson would have the rushing record (6,304 yards), which was held by former Pioneer Rodney Wilson, wrapped up well before the final whistle was blown after taking the handoff on the first play from scrimmage and sprinting 60 yards for the game’s first touchdown. An extra point from freshman kicker Kevin Thompson made the score 7-0 just 16 seconds into contest.
After the Rocket defense kept the difference at seven points over the remainder of the first 12 minutes, West Greene finally doubled its advantage 1:23 into the second quarter. Sophomore quarterback Nathan Orndoff, who went 3-for-5 with three touchdown passes, hooked up with senior running back Kolin Walker for a 27-yard touchdown pass. Another Thompson PAT put the home team ahead 14-0 with 10:37 remaining in the first half.
Jackson added scoring runs of one and 71 yards on the next two Pioneer possessions, making the score 28-0. West Greene made it three-straight drives with a touchdown when Orndoff connected with senior wide receiver Gavin Scott for six more points with just under three minutes left until halftime.
The Pioneers got the ball back with 48 seconds remaining in the second quarter at the Rocket 18-yard line following a four-and-out by J-M. Four plays later, Jackson punched in a 7-yard scoring run, his fourth of the half, to make the score 41-0 at the halftime break.
With the mercy rule clock in effect, West Greene and its fans turned their full attention to Jackson’s pursuit of the lofty rushing mark. After the Pioneer defense forced another turnover on downs, the Pioneers made the score 49-0 when Jackson took a shovel pass on a jet sweep and sprinted 26 yards to the end zone.
After Jefferson-Morgan (2-4, 2-7) stopped West Greene on its next drive, the Pioneers forced another turnover on downs at the visitors’ 21-yard line. A pair of Jackson carries that spanned 21 yards put the Pioneers back in the end zone for a 55-0 lead.
Jefferson-Morgan finally broke through the Pioneer defense when junior running back Jonathan Wolfe took off on a 32-yard sprint to the end zone with 4:22 remaining in the game. As time ticked away, the near certainty of Jackson locking down the career rushing record seemed on much shakier ground.
West Greene took control of the football at its own 26-yard-line. Jackson’s first carry of the drive covered 11 yards and brought the mark well within his grasp. After chipping away at the 264 yards needed for the record, the star back left no doubt that the record was his by taking off on a 63-yard scoring run. The sprint also brought about the eventual final score of 62-8.
“I knew reaching this record was going to be a challenge and I knew it was going to be tough, but I always had confidence in my team,” Jackson said. “I have a large amount of confidence in my offensive line. I knew we could do it and we did.”
Jackson ended the night with 313 yards on the ground, giving him 6,353 yards.
With the outright conference championship secured and Jackson sitting atop the Greene County and West Greene rushing lists, the Pioneers’ close the regular season with a non-conference game at Union on Friday night. Jefferson-Morgan concludes its season with a Tri-County South Conference road trip to Bentworth.