There was little mystery in what the final outcome would be Friday when Adams Central hosted Blackhawk Christian, but the host Jets still had to come out and show the Braves what their brand of smash-mouth football is, sucking the belief out of the visitors in the first quarter.
They didn’t even have to run an offensive play to do just that.
Ryan Tester’s 64-yard punt return to the east end zone got the party started and it never stopped when the Jets’ first team was in the game. Adams Central jumped out to a 41-0 lead and then used the rest of the game as a scrimmage exercise to prepare for a rough and tumble ACAC slate in the weeks ahead.
The Jets finished with 345 yards of total offense and moved the ball at will, reaching third down just four times and converting on three of those opportunities.
QB Jack Hamilton tested the Braves’ secondary and found success in the air – something the Jets hadn’t really even needed to try in the first two weeks. After Tester’s return TD and an easy 33-yard scoring run by Keegan Bluhm, Hamilton hit Trevor Currie 15 yards downfield in stride and the senior easily outrun the Blackhawk DB in a sideline sprint for an 83-yard touchdown pass.
Hamilton finished the night 2 of 3 for 102 yards and the touchdown.
The next two drives ended in Aaron Hirschy touchdown runs from inside the red zone as Adams Central led 34-0 less than a minute into the second quarter.
Perhaps the best play of the game belonged to Max Kaehr, who blocked a Blackhawk punt off his belly and then ran 20 yards to recover the ball in the end zone for a defensive score, putting the game into running clock territory once the second half started.
The Jets certainly did not play flawlessly in the eyes of head coach Michael Mosser. He will certainly be displeased with a couple of early fumbles – something a running team like Adams Central can’t afford to do in big games. The return team also committed a penalty with a block in the back that really pinned the offense deep in Blackhawk territory to start a drive. Special teams were also a concern after the game after three missed PATs. Those lessons will be taught this week in practice before Friday’s game at Jay County.
One bright spot for the Braves was the excellent kicking distance of Elliot Zimmerman, who was showing off in the pregame from a considerable distance for a high school kicker. He put Blackhawk on the board with a 30-yard kick with three minutes to play.
Adams Central added a late touchdown in the second quarter by Matt Heiser and another in the third by Jamison Roach to make it 54-3 before Blackhawk found a consolation prize with a six-yard scoring run by Jaylen Strong.
Despite the lopsided 54-10 score, both teams actually took the same number of snaps, but the Braves were just 1 for 10 on third down and turned the ball over three times.
Nine different Jets gained positive yardage on the ground with Coach Mosser handing out plenty of carries to different players. Keegan Bluhm had just one touch and then was replaced after his 33-yard score. Aaron Hirschy had three touches and scored twice, although his other carry was a fumble.
Matt Heiser had ten carries for 72 yards and Thomas Laughlin got the ball four times and gained 43 yards.
The Jets remain on a collision course with Indy Lutheran, with both schools plowing through opposing defenses and entrenched in the top two ranking spots in 1A. Adams Central will look to put a similar scoreline up at Jay County in Week Four before returning home against a Heritage team that could potentially be 4-0 if they beat South Adams this week at Minnich Field.
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