Jackson Adds Fuel to Fire for Western

Western scored touchdowns on seven of its first eight possessions Thursday night and hammered Valencia, 49-7, in an Orange League game at Western.

Chris Jackson, a junior who rejoined the team last Friday against Magnolia after a four-game absence due to disciplinary reasons and was the leading rusher in Western’s 61-11 victory. He helped the Pioneers reach the end zone in their first nine possessions.

Jackson didn’t let up against the much stiffer defense of Valencia (4-3, 1-1), rushing for 97 yards and a touchdown in seven carries and scoring on a 27-yard touchdown reception.

Jackson’s rushing total was part of a 331-yard effort that also included running backs Rodney Eason (98 yards in 11 carries) and David Gober (72 yards in nine carries) and quarterback Mike Hicks (64 yards in seven carries). The same foursome combined for 327 rushing yards against Magnolia.

“We can spread it out more,” Gober said. “Now that Jackson’s back, our offense is more productive. When they’re keying on me, that [opens it up for Jackson and Eason]. When they key on Jackson, it [opens it up for] me, so it’s all good.”

Gober has seen his carries cut in half since the return of Jackson, but his production has stayed the same.

Jackson, who missed most of last season with a hip injury, scored on a seven-yard run midway through the first quarter to give Western a 7-0 lead.

The Pioneers (6-1, 2-0) exploded for 28 points in the second quarter. Hicks scored on an 18-yard run on the first play of the quarter, then intercepted a pass from Robert Hernandez and returned it to the Valencia 15. On the next play, Hicks threw a touchdown pass to Kyle Stanley for a 21-0 lead.

The Pioneers made it 27-0 on a 12-yard touchdown run by Gober, then got the ball back with 26 seconds left in the half and didn’t let that possession go to waste either. After moving the ball 46 yards in three plays, Hicks found Jackson for a 27-yard touchdown pass on the last play of the half.