Jackson’s arm, legs prove lethal as Whitehall thumps Hamilton Township in playoff opener
Friday, October 30, 2026
By Steve Blackledge
sblackledge@cbussports.com
Whitehall quarterback Malachi Jackson (1) passed for 265 yards and ran for 37 yards and three touchdowns in the Rams’ 33-7 playoff win over Hamilton Township Friday. Photo: John Hulkenberg
WHITEHALL – The way Whitehall senior quarterback Malachi Jackson uses his feet to create plays, you’d swear he was Baltimore Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Some of the seemingly off-script throws Jackson made during a 33-7 victory over Hamilton Township in a Division II, Region 7 first-round playoff game could have been drawn up in the dirt, or even in the nimble quarterback’s noggin while he was dancing around 10-15 yards behind the line of scrimmage.
“I rely a lot on my line to hold those blocks a lot longer than usual, but they rely on me to somehow make a play,” Jackson said. “Sometimes it’s better not to think too much about it and just go with your instincts.”
Jackson completed 11 of 17 passes for 265 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 47 yards and three more scores as eighth-seeded Rams (9-2) left the ninth-seeded Rangers (7-4) seemingly standing in quicksand much of the night on Mike Ferguson Field.
Often, Jackson would stand in the pocket for several seconds scanning his options, sometimes pirouetting in circles and reversing field, then begin to run before flipping the ball downfield for big plays.
“I don’t think too many of the plays were drawn up that way,” second-year Whitehall coach Cam Barker said. “Malachi made some great checkoffs for us and turned them into big gainers tonight. He’s an athlete. That can happen when an opponent has got to respect your ability to run the ball.”
Whitehall’s offense continues to hum under Jackson, who now has passed for 1,534 yards and 17 touchdowns and run for 768 yards and 18 scores.
Whitehall’s Lathan Western (2) celebrates his fumble return for a touchdown with his teammates during the Rams’ home win over Hamilton Township on Friday. Photo: John Hulkenberg
With the playoff win – Whitehall’s first since 2018 – the Rams earn the unenviable task of facing top-ranked, two-time defending Division III state champion Watterson in a regional quarterfinal Friday at Ohio Dominican University. The Eagles, riding a 39-game win streak, moved up a division this season.
But Whitehall richly deserved the right to celebrate this one for a while before fretting about Watterson. The Rams went 1-9 in 2023 and 2024 before improving to 4-6 in Barker’s first season.
“After what we did our freshman and sophomore seasons, this is just crazy,” senior defensive back Lathan Western said. “Losing that Week 1 game was an eye opener and brought us together as a team. We believe in ourselves so much more now.”
Hamilton Township edged Whitehall 14-13 on the same field Aug. 21 for its third straight win over the Rams.
But judging by Whitehall’s 33-6 beatdown of Columbus Academy a week earlier for the Central Buckeye League title – the Rams’ first since 2018 – it was obvious the Rangers were running into a buzzsaw riding a win streak of its own.
“We knew what we were getting into.” Hamilton coach Tennyson Varney said. “We saw it in the films. I think it was a matter of them figuring out who they were and what they needed to do to succeed. Their quarterback is really hard to contain because he’s such a great athlete. He runs well, scrambles, throws it deep.”
This matchup featured an amazing contrast in styles.
While Whitehall uses its raw athleticism to create and plays, Hamilton operates a rarely seen single-wing that is heavy on the run. In fact, the Rangers had only completed six passes all season coming into the contest.
Whitehall wide receiver Jaiden Brown (13) had three catches for 100 yard as the Rams beat Hamilton Township Friday for their first playoff win since 2018. Photo: John Hulkenberg
Winning the coin flip, Whitehall opted to take the ball and immediately made a brash statement. Jackson completed three passes on the opening six-play drive, capped by a 17-yard TD toss to Zhymeer Giles.
Hamilton answered with a 16-play, 80-yard scoring drive that took nearly seven minutes. Mixing an array of counters, double handoffs and misdirection plays out of a four-back look with no true quarterback and an offensive line constantly shifting alignments, the Rangers pounded their way to the end zone with Sage Brown scoring on a 2-yard run.
Another quick-strike five-play scoring drive gave Whitehall a 14-7 lead late in the first quarter.
But instead of holding serve, Hamilton surprisingly opted to punt on fourth-and-1 at its own 35 and Whitehall grabbed the momentum for keeps.
Brown fumbled on the opening play of the second half and Western scooped it up and raced 30 yards for a touchdown.
By that time, the Rams’ defense, which came in allowing just 9.2 points per game, had solved Hamilton’s unique style which yielded 310 yards per game in sharing the Mid-State League Buckeye Division title.
“Obviously, I was really happy with the way the defense played,” said Barker, a 2015 Whitehall graduate. “We’ve played four games against wing-T offenses and I think after that first series, the guys figured out what it was going to take to stop it.”
Added Western, “It was a matter of placement and keeping them contained. We just needed to make some adjustments in how we wanted to pursue their backs and flush them toward the edge.”
Jaiden Brown made three receptions for 100 yards and running back Jayden Sealey three grabs for 70 yards to support Jackson.
Whitehall tight end Richard Starks (4) is greeted by a host of Hamilton Township defenders during the Rams’ home win on Friday. Photo: John Hulkenberg