Jackson thrashes Sikeston 7-1 in District 1 clash

Jackson junior Luke Simmons fires a goal against Sikeston in Monday night's 7-1 home victory. The Indians improve to 6-3 with the blowout win.

Kaiden Karper ~ kkarper@semoball.com

In a battle between two District 1 big guns, Jackson boys soccer used a five-goal second half to salvage a dominant 7-1 win over Sikeston on Monday night in a physical, rip-roaring battle against the two-loss Bulldogs.

Along with junior Dylan Strothmann, who was one goal short of a hat trick, five different Indians got on the scoresheet in the frenetic triumph as the home squad simply overpowered the Sikeston side on the offensive front.

“I think we're just progressing as the season goes on,” head coach Zack Walton said. “Things are coming together for us. Tonight showed that we played a little bit quicker, a little bit faster. I definitely think we're on the right track to continue getting better.”

Things got off to a rocky start for Sikeston from the get-go when goalie Barrett Stokes was forced to leave the game following a brutal collision on a header with Jackson senior Blake Cain.

Strothmann put Jackson (6-3) ahead in the 16th minute when teammate Brandon Botkin threaded a beautiful cross-over pass in front of the frame before the wide-open junior dotted a tap-in goal.

Jackson doubled its lead in the 29th minute when junior Luke Simmons sprinted into open space and clipped the ball past the Sikeston goalkeeper from the arc and into the back-left corner of net.

Mason Jackson essentially put the nail in the coffin for the Indians when he stuck his leg out to poke the ball home from close range in the 58th minute, giving Jackson a 3-1 cushion.

The Indians continued to run circles around the Bulldogs on a nightmare evening for backup goalkeeper Noah Grimes.

Jackson scored four more times in the final 15 minutes, as junior Trenton Schorey, Strothmann, junior Preston Hinkebein, and senior Grant Sparks all took the game beyond a depleted Sikeston squad and connected on goals.

Walton’s side clicked on all cylinders, finishing the night with 12 shots on target to Sikeston’s three. And in a match that had its chippy moments, the head coach was pleased with his team’s ability to keep their emotions in check.

“When you get into an intense game like that, you never know what's going to happen at the beginning of the game,” he said. “I thought our boys did good by keeping their composure and came out in the second half and played soccer, did the right thing, knocked the ball around and gave us some more good chances. In the second half, we played in the back of the net.”

On the defensive side, Jackson goalkeeper Braden Thompson made a spectacular save in the first half to keep out Sikeston forward PJ Farmer’s attempt from the arc. Thompson played all 80 minutes and, though not fiercely tested, was aided by a strong effort from the Jackson backline.

Sikeston's lone goal of the match came in the 43rd minute when Tristan Wiggins scored on a penalty kick.

Although the scoreboard was utterly one-sided, Sikeston (8–3-1) presented the Indians with a solid test; it was just Jackson's night from start to finish. Walton credits the rugged schedule as a great way to build before the postseason rolls around.

“We try to put as many good teams as we can on the schedule,” he said. “We want to play a really tough one. That's what helps us get better day in and day out, and we got a tough one coming up this weekend. We got three good teams out in the Springfield, so that should be a good test for us.”

Jackson will turn the page and get prepared for the Kickapoo Showcase tournament this Thursday through Saturday in Springfield. Sikeston will look to snap its two-game losing streak with a road test against Anna Jonesboro (IL) next Monday, Oct. 7.