Indians bye week season recap

The Jacksonville Fightin’ Indians enjoyed a much-needed open date this past Friday. Head coach Wayne Coleman’s men are busily preparing for the opening of District 9-5A-Division II play and looking to get healthy after a short but grueling non-district slate.

The Tribe finished the warmup portion of the 2019 season with a record of 1-2, suffering big losses to Carthage and Henderson in Weeks 1 and 3 and staging a comeback for the ages to top the Palestine Wildcats in Week 2. With a loaded district docket yet to come, the Indians knew that scheduling tough competition early would play a vital role in ensuring readiness for the league campaign.

While the record thus far may not appear as promising for Indian fans, they can rest assured that the players and coaches were able to put in a lot of work in those games and the two week layoff that followed to find their identity as a ballclub. It goes without saying that JHS supporters can definitely point to some bright spots after three weeks – especially on the offensive side of the ball.

Despite being shut out by powerhouse Carthage, the Tribe tallied 89 total points in the Palestine and Carthage contests. The Indians are averaging 29.7 points per game and averaging 75.7 yards per game on the ground and 221.7 yards per game through the air.

The non-district games were a struggle for the Blue and Gold defense. Jacksonville surrendered 163 total points, while opponents rushed for an average of 387.7 yards per game and threw for an average of 137.3.

Jacksonville’s potent offensive attack owed a great deal to the combination of junior quarterback Patrick Clater (in his first season starting at the varsity level) and senior wide receiver Chris Carpenter, who is committed to the University of Colorado.

Clater has thrown for 636 yards and touchdowns against five interceptions. He is completing passes at a rate of 49% percent per game and has a quarterback rating (QBR) of 115.5.

In addition to catching the ball and scoring at a remarkable clip, Carpenter has gotten into the passing stats column with a well-designed trick play against Henderson. Carpenter completed a touchdown pass for 29 yards to Jaylon Freeney to electrify the Tomato Bowl crowd on Homecoming night.

Carpenter, the future Buffalo, leads all Indian receivers with 22 catches for 353 yards. In the receiving touchdown category, he finds himself tied with Freeney, as both speedsters have hauled in three scores. Also recording touchdown catches thus far are: Tyrees Gipson and Aaron Richardson, each with one.

The Tribe’s running attack has been led by Richardson, a senior, who has carried 37 times for 95 yards and an impressive five touchdowns. So far in 2019 he is the only back to score on the ground, although Clater has added a workmanlike 64 yards on 17 runs from the quarterback position. Clater appears to be sharpening his read-option skills just in time to deploy his speed and agility as a runner against district competition.

Jacksonville’s first test in 9-5A-II will come on the road against the Nacogdoches Dragons this week. The men from Nac have a history of punching above their weight while not always being the most consistent opponent to plan for. So far this season, the Dragons are 0-3, but lost very close games to Class 4A Kilgore (17-14) and Class 6A Tyler Lee (35-28). The lone blowout loss came against the Dragons’ historic local rivals, the Lufkin Panthers, by a score of 44-0 back in Week 2.

As always, Jacksonville fans will be able to listen to all the action live from Nacogdoches online at JHS-Sports.com. The pregame show will begin at 6:45 p.m. with kickoff set for 7:30.