Going into the East St. Louis Flyers’ den as part of the seventh-annual Gateway Scholars Football Classic, the Jackson Indians got their first win of the 2024 season in a fast-paced 49-26 victory over Cahokia.

Hailing from nearby Cahokia Heights, Illinois, the Comanches made life hard for the Indians with a high-flying attack paired with the phenomenal dual-threat talent of Zion Taylor, but Ryan Nesbitt’s Indians had answers.

Led by a major day from the secondary, producing three turnovers on a forced fumble by Brock Reagan and late interceptions from Gavin Alspaugh and Tyson Ford, the early defense helped put Jackson way out in front.

Building a 30-point lead at the half, a 70-plus-yard scoop-and-score from sophomore defensive end Keegan Brueggeman was all Jackson needed in the second half to close out a major win, plus some extra.

“We’re trying to get to 1-0 every week,” Nesbitt said.

“Sometimes it's pretty, sometimes it's ugly, but we got there today, so it’s a good bounce back to get a little bit of that confidence going.”

Opening the game with a 63-yard drive that resulted in an easy touchdown for Kai Crowe through the air, the Indians had little trouble moving the ball against the Comanches early.

Crowe notched Jackson’s first three touchdowns, all through the air, while the sophomore sensation in Jaylon Hampton kicked his 2024 into gear with the next three touchdowns.

Hampton, the speed back, paired with the size and explosiveness and senior back Zach Crump made for a deadly duo in the backfield on Saturday, marking the effectiveness of that two-man room.

“Both Hampton and Crump do a nice job,” Nesbitt said. “We’ve still got plenty to clean up, but both those guys are really good players.”

Building a 42-12 lead going into the break, the offense showed some serious up-and-up compared to its debut last week against Cardinal Ritter.

Turning some heads and building some momentum going into a Week 3 showdown with Edwardsville in the home opener, it’s a step in the right direction for Nesbitt’s sophomore offense.

Brueggeman’s fumble-recovery touchdown that went three-quarters of the field gave the Indians a 37-point lead and some undeniable momentum just minutes into the third quarter, but from there, it stagnated a little bit.

Junior quarterback Drew Parsons finished his day with three passing touchdowns and commanded some good screen passing and option play, but he still showed some signs of learning.

After scoring 42 in the first half, the Indian offense put up a goose egg in the second half, taking a little bit of air out of the sideline and, in turn, giving Cahokia a little bit of its own momentum late.

Nevertheless, the win was still large and it won’t take any merit off of the schedule, but there are lessons to apply for this youthful squad ahead of perhaps the biggest matchup left on its regular season schedule in Edwardsville.

“We got off to a good start,” Nesbitt said. “Obviously, we'd like to finish a little bit better in the second half, but there’s plenty of things to work on.”