November 14, 2019November 19, 2019

So we meet again: Pirates play Generals in Region 19 semi

By Paul Boggs

WHEELERSBURG — We know undefeated Ridgewood is indeed good.

But, in a universe and time when all you need is one more point than your opponent, is Wheelersburg better?
That question is going to be answered for sure on Saturday night, as the 8-3 Pirates — already 4-0 all-time against Ridgewood —play the 11-0 Generals in a Division V Region 19 semifinal, set for 7 p.m. inside upgraded Fulton Field in Lancaster.

Wheelersburg will be playing in its seventh consecutive regional semifinal — all of which have been victories.
But perhaps the Pirates reaching this season’s semifinal has been their most challenging, as Wheelersburg was 0-2 and 2-3 before sweeping through the Southern Ohio Conference Division II slate — en route to its current six-game winning streak.

The Pirates have actually won eight of their last nine games, with their three losses coming to teams with a combined stellar record of 31-2 — all three of which are playing in regional semifinals of their own.

Two of Wheelersburg’s wins were over Minford — a 21-20 overtime triumph to start their winning streak, and again in last week’s regional quarterfinals by a count of 28-23.
Wheelersburg coach Rob Woodward said his Pirates — against Minford just as they have all season — “just continue to show resiliency of facing adversity and learning from it and adjusting to it”.

“Our kids are extremely coachable. Our senior class has worked through so much and been involved in so many big games they understand how to make adjustments and improve,” he said, in an interview on Tuesday. “A lot of people wrote us off after week two of this year. Our kids recognized that, and it left a bad taste in our mouths in terms of how they work to compete. But they have gone out and proven that they are the top team in the SOC II, and now we’re working to prove that we’re a team to contend here in Division V. It’s a huge accomplishment to make the playoffs and win a playoff game. Each round we get here, we’re going to go out and have fun playing the game and keep attacking like we do each and every week. Our kids learn and get better.”

Speaking of better, all the Pirates need to be is one point better than the Generals, but Wheelersburg will need to play better for the game’s entirety than it did against the Falcons.

Despite its second-half success en route to the win, Wheelersburg struggled in the first half and trailed 3-0, and committed eight penalties for 90 yards.

The Pirates must eliminate those mistakes, especially against the Generals’ explosive offense, spearheaded by spread-offense quarterback Gabe Tingle.

In the regular season, Tingle — a 5-foot 11-inch 180-pound sophomore — slung the ball around for 2,052 yards and 22 touchdowns with only two interceptions.
He completed 70-percent of his passes on 99 out of 141 attempts, and also rushed for 726 yards on 83 carries with 15 trips to paydirt.

Tingle was a frontrunner for East District Division V Offensive Player of the Year, as the Generals — which steamrolled through the Inter-Valley Conference — played in nine games with a running clock with six of those 10 tilts featuring the starters not playing a down in the second half.

In the regional quarterfinals against Portsmouth, which the Generals rolled 56-21, Tingle completed a dozen passes on 19 attempts for 233 yards and a hat trick of TDs — and rushed eight times for 71 yards.
Tingle’s rushing statistics trailed only those of Kaden Smith, who had two touchdowns and 81 yards on only nine carries.

Smith caught three passes for 84 yards, while Koleton Smith hauled in all three of Tingle’s TDs— part of his eight receptions for 117 yards.

Portsmouth coach Bruce Kalb, in an interview previewing the Trojans’ playoff game against Ridgewood, said Tingle is the engine that makes the Generals’ machine run.
Woodward concurred.

“Tingle is extremely athletic,” he said. “He’s the controller of all things in terms of their running game and passing game. He is really able to elude defenders with his feet. They spread the ball around a lot because it opens up holes for him to be able to run. And he is great at running the football and makes great decisions. Probably about 50-percent of the time, I would say he is given the go-ahead that if he likes what he sees to throw it, and if he doesn’t, he isn’t afraid just to tuck it and take off and run with it.”

Woodward compared Tingle to Greenup County (Ky.) quarterback and Marshall University signee Eli Sammons as far as a passing threat, while Minford signal-caller Elijah Vogelsong-Lewis best represents the running style that Tingle will present.

The coach added that Ashland (Ky.), which the Pirates rallied to defeat 34-33 in overtime for their initial victory of the season, offers similar speed at the skilled positions.

Tingle’s top receiver is in fact Koleten Smith — a 5-10 170-pound senior who had, in the regular season, 37 receptions for 778 yards and seven touchdowns with a 21.2 yards per catch average.

His lead lineman is six-foot one-inch 237-pound senior tackle John Evin, a three-year starter and second-team all-Ohioan last season.

“This will be our fifth time playing Ridgewood, so we have had experiences with them. I do think that this is one of their best put-together teams in terms of overall talent. They have stout lines, and a few big guys going both ways for them. They have a lot of one-back sets with a lot of things that they do, they show a lot of formations, and they take chances offensively,” said Woodward. “We’ve been put in situations where our players and coaching staff have been challenged to face these types of players and teams. We have to recognize where to best put our players and work towards the execution that it takes.”

Part of that execution, Woodward explained, is good tackling on Tingle.

“Tackling is huge this week because Tingle is extremely elusive and so good at avoiding tacklers with his feet,” said the coach.

The Pirates’ legs will be busy with running the football with Makya Matthews, quarterback Evan Horsley and even wide receiver Hunter Ruby, but Wheelersburg will be facing a stalwart General line.

The ends are Kaden Smith (5-11, 205, sr.) and J.J. Durr (5-11, 215, jr.), combining for 62 tackles, 22 of which were for loss with 11 sacks.

The Generals’ linebacking corps consists of the team’s top two tacklers — Deontae Brandon (6-0, 183, jr.) and Isaiah Lamneck (5-10, 170, sr.).

Brandon was first with 68 tackles including 11 for loss and five-and-a-half sacks, while Lamneck notched 61 tackles with eight for loss and four sacks.

“Their defensive line is stout with the Praters being bodies in the middle that makes it tough to run against,” said Woodward. “Then they have three linebackers that run to the ball well behind them. They are extremely aggressive on defense. They are a good quality football team which you would expect as you get into the second round.”

The Generals are coached by John Slusser, whom Woodward said “he always has good conversations with at coaching clinics and things.”

Both mentors are graduates of Ohio Wesleyan University, although Woodward is 3-0 against the Generals as a head coach — part of 4-0 overall as he was a Pirate assistant in 2007 (21-13).

That was also the last season in which the Pirates played at Lancaster for a playoff bout.

The Pirates also own wins over Ridgewood in 2010 (21-12), 2015 (42-21) and 2016 (37-6), but the perception this time is that Wheelersburg will enter as an underdog — against a General club many in and around West

Lafayette believe may be the program’s best-ever.
For sure, Ridgewood will be the latest quality squad that the Pirates have played this season, joining the likes of 10-1 Ironton, 10-1 Columbus Hartley and undefeated Jackson.

In the SOC II, the Orange and Black beat 7-3 Minford, 8-2 Waverly and 5-5 Valley and Oak Hill.

“We have faced good teams too that have presented a lot of the same challenges. We have to go and attack them (Generals) with the same type of preparation that we put forth throughout this entire year,” said Woodward.

“Good teams are going to have success in moments throughout the game. We have to continue to respond like we did last week and like we have all year. We have to be ready to go out and have a full four-quarter battle.”
The Pirates have had plenty of those while Ridgewood not many, so Wheelersburg will probably play cool under fire — if it comes to that.

“Playoff football is a whole different animal. A lot of factors come into play and teams have to be extremely prepared to go out and be successful,” said Woodward.
For those into counting, Woodward — in his 12th season as head coach — was doing some math, and counted now 28 Pirate playoff games in the last decade.

They will try to make it 29 with a regional championship game appearance, but first things first, they have to be a mere one point better than Ridgewood — regardless of how good these Generals are.

“Our kids understand what it takes to win at this level in a week-12,” said Woodward. “We hope to do it again Saturday night.”

November 14, 2019

Déjà vu as unbeaten Jackson and Jonathan Alder meet in regional semi

Jonathan Alder 38 vs 13

Jackson

Results

Team	T	Outcome
Jonathan Alder	38	Win
Jackson	13	Loss

Déjà vu as unbeaten Jackson and Jonathan Alder meet in regional semi

DIII, Region 9 matchup is one of only three unbeaten matchups statewide

By Spencer Waugh

It’s like déjà vu all over again.

If it feels familiar to see undefeated Jackson (11-0) vs undefeated Jonathan Alder (11-0) in week 12, that’s because it is. Last time around, in 2011, it was the Pioneers who marched to the regional final with a 28-7 victory over the Ironmen.

This season, only the location has changed, moving from Logan Chieftain Stadium to Teays Valley’s Viking Stadium in Ashville.

For the seventh time in school history – and third under head coach Andy Hall – the Jackson Ironmen finished with a perfect 10-0 record. While these Ironmen will look forward to wearing the coveted white jackets awarded to undefeated Jackson teams, they also hope to make even more history.

Overall, Jackson is making their 14th playoff appearance where they hold an 8-13 postseason record. They first qualified for the playoffs in 1996.

The team from the Apple City won the Frontier Athletic Conference title and defeated two playoff qualifiers during the regular season in Wellston and Wheelersburg.

Twice Jackson has reached a regional final – first in 1996 where a single playoff victory over Hillsboro moved the Ironmen one game away from the state semifinal, and most recently in 2015 where wins over Bexley and Columbus Bishop Watterson saw the red and white advance to a regional final where their season ended against Zanesville.

But no Jackson team has won 12 games in a season. And that’s something that Hall and his team hope to change on Friday night.

But Jackson isn’t the only school looking to make history. Jonathan Alder is returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2017 but make their 15th appearance over the last 20 seasons and 17th overall. The Pioneers are 12-16 all-time in the post-season, including trips to the regional final in 2004 and 2011 and a DIV state runner-up finish in 2006.

The Pioneers won the Central Buckeye Conference – Kenton Trail division and defeated three playoff qualifiers in the regular season.

The 2019 versions of these two squads have been outstanding.

Jackson grid boss Andy Hall is in his 11th season and holds an astounding 92-29 record including seven playoff appearances. Hall is 5-6 in postseason games at Jackson.

The 2019 Ironmen rolled through their regular season schedule, with only a single game decided by less than two touchdowns. Their opponents went 47-53 in the regular season.

In last week’s playoff opener, the Ironmen rolled up 461 rushing yards – averaging over 10 per attempt – on their way to a 70-28 rout of Columbus Centennial.

Running back Jayden Spires (6-0, 205, senior) is the team’s top rusher with 176 carries for 1400 yards (7.95 per carry) and 20 touchdowns. The senior combines speed and power to overwhelm opposing defenses.

Classmate Brice Graham (6-2, 205) is another talented back who also broke the century mark and scored three touchdowns against Centennial last week.

At quarterback, Jared Icenhower (6-0, 185, senior) is a veteran, finishing his third season as the team’s starting quarterback. This fall “Ice” has completed 59 of 106 passes for 938 yards with 13 touchdowns.

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Receiver Tristan Prater (6-0, 170, sophomore) and tight end Treylan Davis (6-5, 215, junior) are top pass catching targets.

Freshman Jacob Winters (6-1, 215) doesn’t look like a freshman – and doesn’t play like one either. Winters can play all over the field for the red and white – he’ll line up in the slot, the backfield, and even take snaps at quarterback.

Up front, Ty Ruckel (5-10, 225, senior), Trevor Norris (6-3, 270, senior), and Aaron Mahoney (5-11, 240, senior) help anchor an offensive line who can impose their will on opposing defenses.

The Ironmen are scoring 43 points per game.

Defensively, Jackson’s 3-4 base defense relies on speed and aggression in the front seven to get into the backfield and disrupt opposing offenses.

Davis and Grant Mastin (6-1, 210, sophomore) are stout inside linebackers while Jayden Spires and Evan Spires (6-0, 190, sophomore) are athletic match-up nightmares at outside linebacker.

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Up front, Joey Richison (5-7, 165, senior) is disruptive from his noseguard position while Ruckel and Anthony Parks (6-3, 200, senior) were all-league selections.

Winters, Graham, Prater, Icenhower, and Brice Parks (5-10, 190, senior) are talented in the secondary.

The Ironmen are allowing only 12 points per game.

Jonathan Alder is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2017, and their 35-13 win over Sheridan last week marked the first playoff victory for sixth year head coach Brett Glass. Glass is 49-15 overall and 1-3 in postseason play.

On their march to a perfect regular season, Alder was rarely challenged against a schedule that went 52-48 overall in the regular season. Their best wins were over playoff qualifiers Bloom-Carroll (42-13), Springfield Shawnee (56-34), and London (24-23). B-C and Shawnee are still playing football this weekend.

Offensively, the Pioneers rely on the speed and power of running back Garret Proxmire (6-0, 185, senior) who has rushed for 1,481 yards and 18 touchdowns on 231 carries. Proxmire ran for 106 yards and a score on 20 carries last week against Sheridan.

Quarterback JT Keith (5-9, 165, junior) gives the Madison Countians balance on offense, completing nearly 66-percent (143 of 217) passes for 1,933 yards and 28 touchdowns. He has been intercepted only three times.

Last week, Keith completed 28 of 40 passes for 266 yards with a pair of touchdowns and one interception in the win over Sheridan.

Keith’s top targets are Jacob Fenik (5-10, 180, senior), Jackson Izzard (6-2, 170, junior), and Dawson Detweiler (5-10, 165, senior). Fenik has caught 51 passes for 657 yards and eight touchdowns while Izzard is close behind with 44 snags for 677 yards and 12 touchdowns. Detwiler has 22 grabs for 362 yards and three scores.

Last week, Fenik caught a season high 14 passes for 92 yards and a pair of scores while Izzard added eight catches for 110 yards.

Fenik might be a familiar name to the Jackson County contingency. His father, Mark, was an All-SEOAL selection for the Ironmen as a senior in 1981 and his grandfather Ron was the JHS head coach in the mid-1970s.

Up front, Connor Morgan (6-3, 275, seniors) and Blake Caldwell (6-2, 245, senior) anchor the offensive line at left tackle and center respectively.

Defensively, the black and red line-up in a 4-2-5 base defense that might shift to more of a true 4-4 look to combat Jackson’s power running game.

Brayden Blain (6-0, 220, senior) and Chase Maynard (5-10, 185, sophomore) are the top tacklers from their linebacker posts. Blain recorded 90 tackles (62 solo) with Maynard adding 79 (50 solo) during the regular season.

Cade Keaton (5-10, 180, senior) made 65 stops (51 solo) and picked off four passes from his hybrid safety/outside linebacker position.

Up front, Denver Petersheim (5-9, 175, junior) and Kyle Kidd (6-2, 230, junior) lead the team in sacks.

Izzard, Fenik, and Drew Begin (6-0, 180, senior) play in the secondary and combined for six interceptions during the regular season.

The Pioneers are allowing only 17.5 points per game.

Friday night’s game will likely come down to which team can better control the line of scrimmage. Alder has shown better balance on the offensive side of the football but might struggle to contain the athletic Jackson linebackers in pass rushing situations if the Pioneers are not able to get Proxmire going in the run game.

Conversely, Jackson doesn’t have an offense built to sling the ball around more than a dozen times per game. If Spires and Graham are held in check, the Pioneers will like their matchups in the secondary.

In the kicking game, Alder’s Dylan Moore has been perfect this season converting all 55 extra point tries and all three field goal attempts including a last second game winner against London in week 10.

For Jackson, Isaac Kuhn has also been a reliable booter for the Ironmen.

Will history repeat itself with the Pioneers defeating Jackson to move to 12-0? Or will Jackson write their selves into the JHS history books by moving into the regional final at 12-0?

Kick off is at 7:00 PM in Ashville.

#	Player	Team	Position	Bench	Squat	40	Height	Weight
	Dorian Brown	Jackson		-	-	-	-	-
	Brennen Greene	Jackson		-	-	-	-	-
	Jason Brown	Jackson		-	-	-	-	-
2	Isaac Kuhn	Jackson	2021	-	-	-	5-7	150
4	Adam Sheward	Jackson	2020	-	-	-	5-08	130
5	Jayden Spires	Jackson	2020	-	-	-	6-00	205
7	Jacob Winters	Jackson	2023	-	-	-	6-01	215
8	Gavin Malone	Jackson	2022	-	-	-	5-05	125
9	Garrett Daily	Jackson	2020	-	-	-	6-00	180
11	Macon Perrill	Jackson	2021	-	-	-	6-00	170
12	Jared Icenhower	Jackson	2020	-	-	-	6-00	185
14	Tristan Prater	Jackson	2022	-	-	-	6-00	170
15	Evan Spires	Jackson	2022	-	-	-	6-00	190
16	Jake Malone	Jackson	2022	-	-	-	5-08	135
17	Nathan Mcmanaway	Jackson	2021	-	-	-	6-04	170
19	Brodie Butcher	Jackson	2023	-	-	-	-	-
20	Brendon Webb	Jackson	2022	-	-	-	5-09	150
20	Bryce Coyan	Jackson	2020	-	-	-	-	-
22	Treylan Davis	Jackson	2021	-	-	-	6-05	215
23	Carson Strange	Jackson	2020	-	-	-	6-00	195
25	Brice Parks	Jackson	2020	-	-	-	5-10	190
26	Joey Richison	Jackson	2020	-	-	-	5-07	165
27	TY Jones	Jackson	2022	-	-	-	5-11	170
28	Brad Dyer	Jackson	2022	-	-	-	6-02	170
29	Brice Graham	Jackson	2020	-	-	-	6-02	205
32	Hunter Webb	Jackson	2022	-	-	-	6-00	160
34	Brandon Webb	Jackson	2021	-	-	-	5-09	150
36	Cortland Bellar	Jackson	2021	-	-	-	5-11	210
42	Mitchell Johnson	Jackson	2020	-	-	-	5-11	190
44	Caeleb Mcgraw	Jackson		-	-	-	5-09	185
54	Hayden Bice	Jackson	2022	-	-	-	5-10	255
55	Blake Cross	Jackson	2021	-	-	-	5-10	225
56	Ty Ruckel	Jackson	2020	-	-	-	5-10	225
57	Grant Mastin	Jackson	2022	-	-	-	6-00	210
59	Parker Staten	Jackson	2021	-	-	-	5-11	345
61	Aaron Causey	Jackson	2020	-	-	-	6-00	220
63	Anthony Parks	Jackson		-	-	-	6-03	200
64	Aden Strawser	Jackson	2021	-	-	-	5-11	220
65	Trevor Norris	Jackson	2020	-	-	-	6-03	270
66	David Strong	Jackson	2021	-	-	-	5-11	205
68	Cayden Humphreys	Jackson	2021	-	-	-	5-11	200
70	Keenon Priest	Jackson	2022	-	-	-	6-00	170
70	Nate O’bryan	Jackson	2023	-	-	-	-	-
70	Gabe Kisor	Jackson		-	-	-	5-10	170
71	Dillon Skeens	Jackson	2021	-	-	-	6-00	350
72	Reece Graham	Jackson	2020	-	-	-	6-03	200
73	Shawn Woodyard	Jackson		-	-	-	5-11	245
74	Cody Shrefler	Jackson	2022	-	-	-	5-09	265
75	Aaron Mahoney	Jackson	2020	-	-	-	5-11	240
76	Jamarcus Keels	Jackson		-	-	-	5-10	215
77	Levi Woolum	Jackson	2022	-	-	-	5-08	200
80	Braedyn Stevison	Jackson	2022	-	-	-	5-10	160
82	Thomas Boggs	Jackson	2022	-	-	-	6-01	170
85	Simeon Exline	Jackson	2022	-	-	-	5-09	150

View all players

Date	Home	Away	League	Season	Court	Article	Headline
2019-08-31 20:00:00August 31, 2019	Jackson	Wellston	SEO	2019	Jackson	Recap	-
2019-09-06 11:14:00September 6, 2019	Athens	Jackson	SEO	2019		Recap	-
2019-09-13 19:00:00September 13, 2019	Jackson	Logan	SEO	2019	Jackson	Recap	-
2019-09-20 19:00:00September 20, 2019	Western Brown	Jackson	SEO	2019	Western Brown	Recap	-
2019-09-27 19:00:00September 27, 2019	Jackson	Wheelersburg	SEO	2019	Jackson	Recap	-
2019-10-04 19:00:00October 4, 2019	Jackson	McClain	FAC, SEO	2019	Jackson	Recap	-
2019-10-11 19:00:00October 11, 2019	Washington	Jackson	FAC, SEO	2019	Washington C.H.	Recap	-
2019-10-18 19:00:00October 18, 2019	Miami Trace	Jackson	FAC, SEO	2019	Miami Trace	Recap	-
2019-10-25 19:00:00October 25, 2019	Hillsboro	Jackson	FAC, SEO	2019	Hillsboro	Recap	-
2019-11-01 19:00:00November 1, 2019	Jackson	Chillicothe	FAC, SEO	2019	Jackson	Recap	-
2019-11-08 19:00:41November 8, 2019	Jackson	Centennial	Playoffs, SEO	2019		Recap	-
2019-11-15 19:00:38November 15, 2019	Jonathan Alder	Jackson	Playoffs, SEO	2019		Recap	-

Jonathan Alder

CMP	ATT	INT	PYDS	TD	ATT	RUYDS	TD	REC	REYDS	TD
0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Sacks	Tackles	INT	FGM	FGA
0	0	0	0	0

Jackson

CMP	ATT	INT	PYDS	TD	ATT	RUYDS	TD	REC	REYDS	TD
0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Sacks	Tackles	INT	FGM	FGA
0	0	0	0	0

Details

Date	Time	League	Season
November 15, 2019	7:00 pm	Playoffs	2019

November 14, 2019

Tigers tussle with Bulldogs in Region 15 semi

Bloom-Carroll

49 vs 21

Waverly

Results

Team	T	Outcome
Bloom-Carroll	49	Win
Waverly	21	Loss

Tigers tussle with Bulldogs in Region 15 semi

By Paul Boggs

WAVERLY — Simply put, the Waverly Tigers are at a point where they haven’t been in 12 years.
Now, they aim to be playing a football game beyond 12 weeks.

That’s because the Tigers, competing in their first regional semifinal since back-to-back quarterfinal victories in 2006 and 2007, tussle with the Bloom-Carroll Bulldogs in a Division IV Region 15 tilt on Saturday night.
And, not only is Waverly within striking distance of program history — and playing in its first-ever week-13 — but it is arguably within shouting distance of its home field for this regional semifinal game.

The third-seeded Tigers will play the seventh-seeded Bulldogs just 15 minutes up U.S. Route 23 at Herrnstein Field in Chillicothe, which essentially gives Waverly a de facto home bout.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Like the other 15 teams remaining in Division IV, the Tigers and head coach Chris Crabtree are just happy to be playing in November.

No matter where, and no matter whom.
Instead, the Tigers have a date with history — and perhaps destiny.

Waverly has played in a regional final before, defeating the now-defunct Cincinnati Academy Physical Education (CAPE), but that was back when only four clubs qualified for the state playoffs.

“There’s only been a handful of teams that have won 10 games in a season and won a first-round playoff game. But no team at Waverly has ever won a second playoff game in a season. One thing this group has been good about is accomplishing goals and starting new things and overcoming obstacles. We were really excited for our kids to finally get that monkey off our back and get a playoff win, since it had been a while,” said Crabtree, in an interview on Tuesday. “It would be nice for us to set the bar and move on to the next week and that week be week-13. And we couldn’t ask for a better scenario, to be able to make a short drive (to Chillicothe) and play right up the road. But it doesn’t matter at this point where you win or how you win, as long as you win by one point.

There’s no such thing as an ugly win right now. A win is a win in the playoffs, and the fun is in the winning.”

But Bloom-Carroll — from Fairfield County making the trek southward —is already 1-for-1 in the postseason in winning away from home.

Both teams are 9-2, but the Bulldogs advanced by upstaging second-seeded Indian Valley in a 48-39 slugfest in that regional quarterfinal.

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However, while that was a shootout, Waverly was rolling visiting Gallia Academy with a 40-0 blowout shutout.
While Waverly is better-known for its fast-paced quick-strike spread-the-field offensive attack with 2,000-yard running back and playmaker Payton Shoemaker, it was the Tigers’ defense that did the job against the Blue Devils — forcing five turnovers.

Waverly intercepted Gallia Academy quarterback Noah Vanco four times, as Shoemaker’s midfield interception resulted in a pick-six.

“We expected Gallia Academy to come out and play their best, but never did I imagine that score (40-0) was going to be the turnout,” said Crabtree. “I thought we had a good chance, but to get a shutout in a playoff game like that by a lopsided score is just a testament to our coaching staff and kids as far as their preparation and execution of the gameplan. Any time you can get turnovers especially at that margin of turnovers, it’s going to be good for you.”

The Tigers also recovered a Blue Devil fumble, and Shoemaker only added to his school-record rushing totals with an 18-carry, 146-yard, three-touchdown performance.

One of those three runs was a 72-yard TD sprint.
Shoemaker now has 276 carries for 2,185 yards and 31 touchdowns.

As always, the Tigers’ plan is to establish Shoemaker, opening up the passing attack for junior quarterback Haydn’ Shanks.

“We’ve never been concerned with time of possession. We score quick sometimes, but if we can get a drive that can eat some time up, that’s okay too,” said Crabtree.

“Establishing Payton in the running game early is going to change things one way or the other. A fast start for us is always good.”

But the Bulldogs will counter with a similar spread offense, spearheaded by quarterback and all-around athlete Otto Kuhns.

Kuhns, in the regular season, completed 117 passes on 180 attempts for 1,351 yards — while rushing for 389 yards on 88 carries.

Kuhns has tallied 10 touchdowns passing, six rushing and even one receiving, as Evan Willett — Kuhns’ top target — has 38 receptions for 470 yards.

Kuhns is also the Bulldogs’ punter, having kicked 16 times for an average of 38-and-a-half yards per punt — with four kicks inside the 20-yard-line.

Crabtree compared the Bulldogs’ offense to Minford with their spread-the-field formation sets — and dual-threat ability of Elijah Vogelsong-Lewis.

“Their quarterback is their guy,” said the coach. “He runs the ball and throws the ball for them. They rotate so many people in and out running the ball, so nobody is going to have huge rushing numbers for them. They are very versatile, but the quarterback has had a lot of success there and he makes them go. He is mobile, they move him around, they want to roll him out to get him out there and throw the ball. He is pretty accurate too as a passer. Their routes are a lot of quick and short ones where Kuhns can get the ball out quickly. They can nickel-and-dime you with the pass, the quarterback can pick up first downs when he needs to, and they can take the top off and get downfield if they need do. When they throw deep, they like to roll him out.”

Hobie Scarberry carries the ball when Kuhns does not, amassing 104 carries for 564 yards and seven scores.
Against Indian Valley, the Bulldogs actually were doubled up in time of possession by almost 15 full minutes

(30:38 for IV and 15:49 for B-C), and outgained by a total of 479-336, but Kuhns can strike quickly, as he did in leading several short-timed scoring drives.
Kuhns completed 20-of-26 passes for 205 yards, and threw for two touchdowns.

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He also rushed for three TDs and 83 yards on 13 carries, offsetting the Herculean 39-carry, 261-yard, four-touchdown effort by Indian Valley’s Zach Love.
It helped, too, that Eli Coppess returned a kickoff 80 yards to the house.

“I think it’s a good matchup for us, just because of some familiarity,” said Crabtree. “They like to throw the ball, and they run a lot of 2×2 sets or 3×1 sets, a lot of power and counter, all of which we are very family with and it matches our athletic ability. Bloom-Carroll isn’t very big up front, but they are athletic on both sides of the ball. They only have one guy over 200 pounds on the offensive line, so that is a lot different than from what we’ve seen in the regular season. They do a good job of getting off the ball, getting on you and shielding you off. We have to go out and force those turnovers again this week, and get guys to the ball and prevent big plays from occurring. We have to make sure our coverages are sound again, and we have to get pressure on Kuhns and make him throw in uncomfortable situations.”

The Bulldogs’ lone losses are against undefeated Jonathan Alder of Division III, which plays undefeated Jackson this week in a Region 11 semifinal, and Amanda-Clearcreek — which Waverly walloped 48-13 and which plays Ironton this week in a Region 19 semi.

But Crabtree and the Tigers are not at all taking Bloom-Carroll lightly, as the Bulldogs’ victory over Indian Valley was considered by most observers as an upset.
Bloom-Carroll is making its seventh all-time state playoff appearance, as the Bulldogs defeated Unioto in last season’s Region 15 quarters.

The Bulldogs are now 2-6 all-time in the tournament, while Waverly is 4-7.
“At this level now, the second round of the playoffs, everybody is playing good football and with a lot of confidence,” said Crabtree. “That was a big win for them (Bulldogs) last week, but our kids came out and played well and are obviously very confident in what we’re doing.”

Now, that confidence carries over into the opening kickoff against Bloom-Carroll — and hopefully for the Tigers to a 13th week.

Score by Quarters     1  2  3  4   Score
-----------------    -- -- -- --   -----
Waverly Tigers......  0  7  0 14  - 21
Bloom Carroll....... 28 14  0  7  - 49



Scoring Summary:
1st 10:48 BC - Cody Harmon 64 yd run (Cameron Shirkey kick)
                                               4 plays, 80 yards, TOP 1:12, WAVERLY 0 - BC 7
    08:05 BC - Otto Kuhns 1 yd run (Cameron Shirkey kick)
                                               3 plays, 5 yards, TOP 1:12, WAVERLY 0 - BC 14
    05:45 BC - Eli Coppess 42 yd pass from Otto Kuhns (Cameron Shirkey kick)
                                              3 plays, 52 yards, TOP 0:53, WAVERLY 0 - BC 21
    03:56 BC - Evan Willet 29 yd pass from Otto Kuhns (Cameron Shirkey kick)
                                              4 plays, 40 yards, TOP 0:51, WAVERLY 0 - BC 28
2nd 10:57 WAVERLY - Will Futhey 42 yd pass from Hayd'n Shanks (Greyson Diener kick)
                                              4 plays, 58 yards, TOP 0:46, WAVERLY 7 - BC 28
    10:08 BC - Josh Evans 6 yd run (Cameron Shirkey kick)
                                              5 plays, 51 yards, TOP 0:48, WAVERLY 7 - BC 35
    03:36 BC - Otto Kuhns 1 yd run (Cameron Shirkey kick)
                                             14 plays, 65 yards, TOP 4:13, WAVERLY 7 - BC 42
4th 11:46 BC - Eli Coppess 57 yd fumble recovery (Cameron Shirkey kick)
                                                                           WAVERLY 7 - BC 49
    08:25 WAVERLY - Will Futhey 21 yd pass from Hayd'n Shanks (Greyson Diener kick)
                                             8 plays, 60 yards, TOP 2:55, WAVERLY 14 - BC 49
    00:55 WAVERLY - P Shoemaker 5 yd run (Greyson Diener kick)
                                             8 plays, 80 yards, TOP 3:47, WAVERLY 21 - BC 49

          Team Statistics (4th qtr [00:51])
                            The Automated ScoreBook
        Waverly Tigers vs Bloom Carroll (Nov 16, 2019 at Chillicothe HS)

                                WAVERLY       BC

FIRST DOWNS...................       24       15
  Rushing.....................        7       10
  Passing.....................       13        5
  Penalty.....................        4        0
NET YARDS RUSHING.............      119      226
  Rushing Attempts............       29       36
  Average Per Rush............      4.1      6.3
  Rushing Touchdowns..........        1        4
  Yards Gained Rushing........      144      236
  Yards Lost Rushing..........       25       10
NET YARDS PASSING.............      244      119
  Completions-Attempts-Int....  24-41-0   9-15-0
  Average Per Attempt.........      6.0      7.9
  Average Per Completion......     10.2     13.2
  Passing Touchdowns..........        2        2
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS...........      363      345
  Total offense plays.........       70       51
  Average Gain Per Play.......      5.2      6.8
Fumbles: Number-Lost..........      2-2      0-0
Penalties: Number-Yards.......     4-21     3-34
PUNTS-YARDS...................     3-92     1-36
  Average Yards Per Punt......     30.7     36.0
  Net Yards Per Punt..........     30.7     36.0
  Inside 20...................        0        0
  50+ Yards...................        0        0
  Touchbacks..................        0        0
  Fair catch..................        0        1
KICKOFFS-YARDS................    4-145    8-464
  Average Yards Per Kickoff...     36.2     58.0
  Net Yards Per Kickoff.......     28.5     35.4
  Touchbacks..................        1        3
Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD.    0-0-0    0-0-0
  Average Per Return..........      0.0      0.0
Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD  5-121-0   1-11-0
  Average Per Return..........     24.2     11.0
Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD..    0-0-0    0-0-0
Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD.    0-0-0   2-62-1
Miscellaneous Yards...........        0        0
Possession Time...............    26:23    20:42
  1st Quarter.................     7:44     4:16
  2nd Quarter.................     5:35     6:25
  3rd Quarter.................     5:42     6:18
  4th Quarter.................     7:22     3:43
Third-Down Conversions........  7 of 15  7 of 11
Fourth-Down Conversions.......   1 of 4   1 of 1
Red-Zone Scores-Chances.......      1-2      3-3
Sacks By: Number-Yards........      0-0      0-0
PAT Kicks.....................      3-3      7-7
Field Goals...................      0-0      0-2

Bloom-Carroll

CMP	ATT	INT	PYDS	TD	ATT	RUYDS	TD	REC	REYDS	TD
0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Sacks	Tackles	INT	FGM	FGA
0	0	0	0	0

Waverly

#	Offense	CMP	ATT	PYDS	TD	ATT	RUYDS	TD	REC	REYDS	TD
1	Payton Shoemaker	0	0	0	0	28	143	1	0	0	0
2	Zeke Brown	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	44	0
3	Grayson Diener	0	0	0	0	1	-24	0	0	0	0
5	Hunter Ward	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	-3	0
6	Will Futhey	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	11	167	2
9	Penn Morrison	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	8	0
10	Mark Stulley	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	21	0
13	Haydn Shanks	24	41	244	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
23	Phoenix Wolf	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	7	0
	Total	24	41	244	2	29	119	1	24	244	2

#	Defense	Sacks	Tackles	INT	FGM	FGA
	Total	0	0	0	0	0

Details

Date	Time	League	Season
November 16, 2019	7:00 pm	Playoffs	2019

November 14, 2019November 14, 2019

Catfight: Unbeaten Tomcats and Tigers battle for a spot in Region 21 title game

Springfield 20 vs 19

Trimble

Results

Team	T	Outcome
Springfield	20	Win
Trimble	19	Loss

Catfight: Unbeaten Tomcats and Tigers battle for a spot in Region 21 title game

Experienced Tomcats face upstart Tigers

By Spencer Waugh

The end of the 2018 football season left both the Trimble Tomcats and the Springfield Tigers unsatisfied.

For Trimble the season ended with their second state runner-up finish in the last six years, while the Tigers finished the regular season at 9-1 but just missed out on a DVI playoff berth.

The two teams meet at 7:00 pm Friday night in St. Clairsville in one of only three 11-0 versus 11-0 matchups in the entire state. The region is one of the state’s most challenging – not just due to the quality of opponents – but also do to the extreme geographic extremes. New Middletown and Glouster are 175 miles apart despite sharing a region.

[event_scoreboard id=”1724″ number=”12″ align=”none”]

The Tigers have never advanced past week 12 and the Tomcats are hoping this will finally be the year they lift the gold trophy in Canton.

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The Trimble Tomcats are 11-0 but played only ten games due to a forfeit by Federal Hocking after they had to end their season prematurely due to concern for player safety from a lack of numbers.

The Tomcats defeated three playoff opponents during the regular season, and are making their 10^th straight playoff appearance and 16^th overall. The kids from Glouster have racked up an impressive 18-15 postseason record including a pair of state runner-up finishes in 2013 and 2018. Additionally, the Tomcats reached the state semifinal round in 2014.

To say the Tomcat defense has been dominant would be selling them short. If defense wins championships, then hand Trimble the belt.

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The Tomcats have allowed only 20 points all season and only six of those came during the regular season. The scarlet and gray didn’t allow a point against their Tri-Valley Conference – Hocking division opponents and only playoff qualifier Worthington Christian crossed their goal line.

The Tomcats are disciplined, quick, and relentless on the defensive side of the ball.

The Trimble defense is led by linebacker Sawyer Koons (6-0, 225, senior) who has recorded 91 tackles, including 12 for loss, and four quarterback sacks.

Also leading the way for the “Mohawk Mafia” are Ian Joyce (6-3, 230, senior), Shawn Turley (5-10, 225, senior), and Tabor Lackey (5-10, 175, sophomore).

But the Tomcats aren’t getting by with their defense alone.

The Athens Countians have averaged over 47 points per game, despite running far fewer plays than most teams due to running clocks during most of the season.

Conner Wright (5-11, 190, senior) is the team’s top rusher, gaining 1,507 yards and scoring 29 touchdowns on 131 carries. The senior is averaging over 11.5 yards per carry, but was held to just 72 yards on 15 carries last week.

Senior quarterback Cameron Kittle (6-1, 175) is the catalyst for the tri-town ‘Cats. Kittle has connected on 30 of 41 passes for 727 yards including 11 touchdowns and only a single interception. He has rushed for 649 yards and nine touchdowns on 47 carries. Kittle led the Tomcats with 74 yards and three touchdown on 10 carries while passing for 104 yards and another score last week.

Koons plays fullback in Coach Faires’ trademark wishbone attack.

Top pass catchers are sophomores Blake Guffey (6-0, 190), Austin Wisor (5-9, 145), Lackey, and Bryce Downs (6-1, 175). Guffey has seven catches for 149 yards and a pair of scores while Wisor adds six catches for 159 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Up front Garrett Richards (6-0, 230, junior), Joyce, and Turley anchor the offensive line.

Head coach Phil Faires is in his 26^th season as the Tomcat grid mentor and is 213-78 overall with 14 playoff appearances and an 18-13 postseason record.

On the opposite sideline, a senior led Springfield Tiger squad from New Middletown also enters with a perfect 11-0 and as champions of the Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference.

The Tigers were 7-3 in 2017 and 9-1 in 2018, but missed the playoffs both seasons. Coach Sean Guerriero hopes to make up for lost time this fall. Guerriero, in his 13^th season as Tiger grid boss and has a 73-51 overall record including a 2-3 mark in the post season.

Springfield is making their ninth playoff appearance and hold a 4-8 postseason record. They first qualified in 1987.

The Mahoning Countians defeated four playoff qualifiers in the regular season, including Western Reserve who the Tigers defeated in a rematch last week in round one. Springfield beat Western Reserve 35-14 in week nine and repeated the victory by a 34-7 score last week.

Their closest game was a season opening 23-20 overtime victory over DV-qualifier Canfield South Range.

The orange and black utilize speed – both their athletes and a quick paced spread offense – to unbalance opposing defenses.

Sophomore quarterback Beau Brungard has completed 88 of 129 passes for 1551 yards including 20 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Brungard has also rushed for 623 yards and 13 scores on 66 carries.

Brungard, whose brother Brannon quarterbacked the Tigers last season, is the son of former Youngstown State national champion quarterback Mark Brungard.

Joining Brungard in the backfield are senior David Duvall (80 carries, 489 yards, 8TDs) and junior Austin Tindell (84 carries, 654 yards, 7TDs).

Brungard’s top targets are Garrett Walker (5-9, 160, senior) and Evan Ohlin (6-1, 165, senior). Walker tops the team with 31 catches for 673 yards and 12 touchdowns while Ohlin adds 385 yards and four scores on 28 grabs. Ohlin missed two games due to injury.

Up front, Brady Brungard (5-11, 285, senior) is the center and another older brother of Beau. Joining him on the forward wall are Chris Thompson (6-0, 230, senior), Corey Hatton (240, senior), and Sean Thompson (280, senior). The latter three are all three-year starters.

The Tigers are also tenacious on defense, allowing just under 11 points per game and recording three shut outs. After allowing 48 points in their opening two games, Springfield allowed only 71 points in their last nine games.

Chris Thompson, Hatton, and Brady Brungard all see time on the defensive line.

Clayton Nezbeth (5-11, 170) leads the team with 96 tackles including five for loss while Duvall has recorded 87 with 4.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks from their linebacker posts. Sophomore Bo Snyder will also see time at linebacker.

Beau Brungard, Walker, and Ohlin are ball hawks in the defensive secondary.

The Tigers have an ace up their sleeve in junior kicker/punter Clayton Medvec (6-1, 180). Medvec converted a pair of field goals and helped keep Western Reserve pinned deep in their own territory with pin point punting.

The season will end in disappointment for one team on Friday night. The Tomcats have made a habit of practicing and playing late into November. On the opposite side, the Tigers feel they need to pack three years’ worth of playoff memories into a single season.

Expect a full house in St. Clairsville on Friday night.

Trimble 2019 Schedule & Results


August 31, 2019 35 - 0 SEO 2019 Trimble N/A Trimble vs Nelsonville-York
September 6, 2019 0 - 46 SEO 2019 Belpre N/A Belpre vs Trimble
September 13, 2019 48 - 0 SEO 2019 Trimble N/A Trimble vs Eastern Meigs
September 20, 2019 45 - 0 SEO 2019 Trimble N/A Trimble vs South Gallia
September 27, 2019 34 - 6 SEO 2019 Trimble N/A Trimble vs Worthington Christian
October 4, 2019 0 - 37 SEO 2019 Waterford N/A Waterford vs Trimble
October 11, 2019 0 - 48 SEO 2019 Miller N/A Trimble vs Miller
October 18, 2019 1 - 0 SEO 2019 N/A Trimble vs Federal Hocking
October 25, 2019 76 - 0 SEO 2019 Trimble N/A Trimble vs Southern
November 1, 2019 0 - 79 SEO 2019 Wahama WV N/A Wahama WV vs Trimble
November 8, 2019 26 - 14 Playoffs 2019 N/A Trimble vs Salineville Southern
November 15, 2019 20 - 19 Playoffs 2019 N/A Springfield vs Trimble

Pos	Team	W	L	PF	PA	Net Pts
1	Ironton	13	2	549	121	428
2	Trimble	11	1	494	40	454
3	Jackson	11	1	488	170	318
4	Southeastern	11	1	528	244	284
5	Gallia Academy	9	2	353	213	140

2019 Trimble Roster

#	Player	Position	Bench	Squat	40	Height	Weight
3	Will Freeborn	2022	-	-	-	5-10	195
4	Chase Carr	2023	-	-	-	5-10	195
5	Todd Fouts	2021	-	-	-	5-08	150
7	Tabor Lackey	2022	-	-	-	5-10	175
8	Austin Wisor	2022	-	-	-	5-09	145
10	Conner Wright	2020	-	-	-	5-11	190
12	Cameron Kittle	2020	-	-	-	6-01	175
14	Chase Wooten	2023	-	-	-	5-04	130
15	Ronald Maffin	2023	-	-	-	5-09	160
20	Bryce Downs	2022	-	-	-	6-01	175
24	Ben Orona	2023	-	-	-	5-09	150
25	Landon Wisor	2023	-	-	-	5-09	150
28	Blake Guffey	2022	-	-	-	6-00	190
30	Tray Christy	2022	-	-	-	5-10	150
32	Braxton Shutts	2022	-	-	-	5-04	130
33	James Russell	2021	-	-	-	5-10	155
34	Tyler Weber	2022	-	-	-	5-10	175
35	Evan Scott	2021	-	-	-	5-09	150
36	Tucker Dixon	2022	-	-	-	5-10	120
42	Sawyer Koons	2020	-	-	-	6-00	225
44	Jack Nagucki	2020	-	-	-	6-01	200
51	Shawn Turley	2020	-	-	-	5-10	225
52	Brayden Brown	2023	-	-	-	5-06	160
54	Jeremiah Everett	2021	-	-	-	5-10	275
55	Conner Wooten	2022	-	-	-	5-10	320
56	Zach Guffey	2020	-	-	-	6-00	205
58	Blake Brown	2023	-	-	-	5-07	155
67	Ethan Fullerton	2022	-	-	-	5-10	160
68	Ian Joyce	2020	-	-	-	6-03	230
70	Garrison Bush	2020	-	-	-	6-04	260
71	Don Holbert	2020	-	-	-	5-06	280
72	Garett Richards	2020	-	-	-	6-00	230
74	Ian Spencer	2021	-	-	-	6-04	215
77	Douglas Hale	2022	-	-	-	6-04	260
78	Chris Jones	2021	-	-	-	5-11	280
80	Brice Bickley	2021	-	-	-	5-09	150
81	Clayton Sayre	2022	-	-	-	5-10	160
85	Devon Hammond	2023	-	-	-	5-10	160
86	Christian Cade	2022	-	-	-	5-10	160

Springfield

CMP	ATT	INT	PYDS	TD	ATT	RUYDS	TD	REC	REYDS	TD
0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Sacks	Tackles	INT	FGM	FGA
0	0	0	0	0

Trimble

CMP	ATT	INT	PYDS	TD	ATT	RUYDS	TD	REC	REYDS	TD
0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Sacks	Tackles	INT	FGM	FGA
0	0	0	0	0

Details

Date	Time	League	Season
November 15, 2019	7:00 pm	Playoffs	2019

November 11, 2019November 11, 2019

Pirates’ playoff win means season sweep of Falcons

Wheelersburg

28 vs 23

Minford

Results

Team	1	2	3	4	T	Outcome
Wheelersburg	0	0	14	14	28	Win
Minford	3	0	7	13	23	Loss

Pirates’ playoff win means season sweep of Falcons

By Paul Boggs

WHEELERSBURG — It all began, innocently enough, with an onside kick.
Turns out it was the kick-start that got the host Wheelersburg Pirates warmed up on a cold night — and off and literally running.
With Wheelersburg recovering an onside kick to open the second half, and the tide turning to the Pirates’ favor in the form of 242 second-half rushing yards, Saturday night’s much-anticipated rematch against the Minford Falcons went Wheelersburg’s way — with the Pirates going up and eventually holding on for a 28-23 Division V Region 19 quarterfinal victory inside Ed Miller Stadium in Wheelersburg.

With the win, the Pirates extended their OHSAA regional quarterfinal winning streak to seven, as this is the eighth consecutive season in which Wheelersburg has not only competed in the playoffs — but also has hosted a regional quarterfinal.
The third-seeded Pirates and sixth-seed Falcons both entered at 7-3, but — largely thanks to Wheelersburg’s 21-20 overtime triumph over the host Falcons (7-4) on Oct. 4 — the Pirates (8-3) got the home game.

And, for the second time in a season against Minford — and for the fifth time in Wheelersburg head coach Rob Woodward’s dozen campaigns — the Pirates defeated the same squad in the regular season…AND in the playoffs.
In fact, the first time that happened was Woodward’s first season as head coach — against Minford in 2008 (14-7 in regular season and 14-6 in regional quarterfinals).
But for the Pirates, the plan is simple in November.
Just keep playing.

“We just want to be playing in week 12 and here we are. No matter whom it is against,” said Woodward. “We have guys that make big-time plays in big-time playoff games. In all three phases. We’ll take it. It’s playoff football. You just want to still be playing. We had some miscues in the first half, but we made some adjustments and reached into our toolbox to find some things that we could do differently. Our coaches communicated those with our kids and we were able to make some successful changes in the second half. Minford come in here very prepared, threw everything at us, gave us a tremendous battle. Our kids did enough of what they needed to do to ensure we came away with the win. We did some things that we recognized that were effective enough for us. We’ll go back and fix the things that we need to fix, but we’re still playing next week.”

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And, next Saturday night to be exact, the Pirates play undefeated Ridgewood in a Region 19 semifinal — at 7 p.m. at Lancaster’s Fulton Field.
Early on, though, it appeared as if Minford — making its first playoff appearance since 2012 — might be the one advancing, as the Falcons forced a pair of Pirate punts and a turnover on downs while driving 10 plays over five minutes and eight seconds in the first quarter to lead 3-0 at halftime.

Matthew Risner made a 27-yard field goal with 3:38 remaining in the opening period, and that kick held up — as Braxton Sammons missed a 32-yard attempt for Wheelersburg with six-and-a-half seconds left in the first half.

But special teams indeed was a theme, and Wheelersburg was just getting kick-started.

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Sammons made all four of his extra-point attempts, and the Pirates presumably put the game out of reach at 28-10 with only 3:53 remaining — after Wheelersburg recovered a Sammons squib kick at the Minford 19-yard-line following the Falcons fumbling the return.

“Braxton (Sammons) made all four extra points, did a great job kicking off, and we recovered two onside kicks. We’ll take recovering that squib kick at the 20 in the fourth quarter. We’re always trying to take advantage of things when we can,” said Woodward. “Playoff football is often won on special teams.”
Is was on Saturday night.

Following the Pirates’ collectively and Sammons individually executing the onside kick to start the second half, Wheelersburg went off for 242 rushing yards on 27 carries— scoring all 28 points in a matter of 20 minutes.

The Pirates attempted only a single second-half pass, but definitely didn’t need to throw, especially when Makya Matthews and quarterback Evan Horsley had their wheels working in the cold just fine.

After 11 carries for 40 yards in the opening half, Matthews erupted for 164 yards and a hat trick of touchdowns on 14 rushes in the second.
His two short scoring runs of six and seven yards came exactly 52 seconds apart in the fourth quarter, making it 28-10 for Wheelersburg’s largest lead.
Matthews amounted a massive 204 yards on 25 carries, as Horsley had 14 total carries for 93 yards — with eight tries for 64 yards in the second half.
Horsley’s one-yard dive to cap a 10-play, 80-yard, four-minute and 17-second scoring drive put the Pirates in front for good at 14-10.

Hunter Ruby rushed five times for 24 yards, as three kneel-downs in the victory formation at the end of the game gave Wheelersburg 318 rushing yards on 47 carries.
Horsley completed half of his eight passes for 38 yards, but it was Wheelersburg’s second-half ground assault which wore the Falcons out.
“I’ve always commended our guys on their ability to continue to play for four quarters and their conditioning that they work themselves through. This week was no different. It showed tonight,” said Woodward. “Our guys just kept cranking it up and playing at a high level, which is what we want. We always tell our guys to win it in the fourth quarter. Even if you’re struggling throughout, just continue to push and persevere and win it in the fourth.”

But the Pirates had to get kick-started first, which was on the onside kick to open the third.

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Sammons calmly kicked the ball, hovered over it almost as it rolled the necessary 10 yards before being touched, and then the Pirates fell on it at the Falcon 47-yard-line.
Minford coach Jesse Ruby said his Falcons actually “expected” the onsider, but “unfortunately, we just didn’t recover it”.
“They did a nice job of not touching it in the first 10 yards. It slow-rolled and it let them get there and get a good recovery, he said.

The Pirates took immediate advantage, as Matthews — on the same back-to-back running play-call — dashed up the middle for nine yards, before bursting for 38 yards to the end zone only 39 seconds in.

Sammons made the extra point for the 7-3 Wheelersburg lead, as the Pirates then answered a quick Minford score with their second touchdown that featured five carries apiece by Matthews and Horsley.

Minford, meanwhile, moved the ball as well — amassing 309 yards on 57 plays from scrimmage, with a balance of 35 rushes for 141 yards and Elijah Voglesong-Lewis completing 13-of-22 passes for 168 yards.

Ty Wiget, the Falcons’ senior standout running back who had 71 yards on 11 carries, had 41 of them on one run just a minute-and-a-half into the third quarter — from the Wheelersburg 44 all the way to the three.

Wiget then scored on the next play, as Minford’s 51-yard and 53-second scoring drive — with Risner’s extra-point kick — gave the Falcons a 10-7 advantage.
But other than that TD, and Voglesong-Lewis’ two short scoring runs within a minute of each other in the final two-and-a-half minutes to get the Falcons to within 28-23, Minford failed to put touchdowns on the board once inside the 25-yard line.

Coach Ruby said that Minford made mistakes that indeed impacted its performance.
“Self-inflicted mistakes, whether that’s a penalty or a missed assignment or a missed block or a missed tackle or taking a sack or dropping a catch, those situations certainly hurt,” he said. “They are just critical in a playoff atmosphere. It’s just unfortunate that we had a few. But every play matters. Offense, defense and special teams. It showed tonight in all three phases. Every play tonight, every play against Wheelersburg this year had a pivotal role at some point in time.”

In the first quarter, a Voglesong-Lewis short-screen pass completion to Bryson Ashley for 33 yards moved the Falcons to the Pirate 10, but a fumble on the exchange two plays later stalled the drive — and forced the Falcons to kick the Risner field goal.

A full 12 minutes later, Minford moved as deep as the Pirate 17, but a holding penalty pushed the Falcons back to the 28, as a Voglesong-Lewis pass on 4th-and-11 from the 23 into the end zone was dropped.

Both of those first-half drives were 10 plays, as — trailing 14-10 — the Falcons drove eight plays and as deep as the Wheelersburg 22.
But on 3rd-down-and-8, the Pirates sacked Voglesong-Lewis for a 13-yard loss, resulting in a punt which Minford misjudged in an attempt to down it near the goal-line.
Wheelersburg then went three-and-out, and a Risner return to the Pirate 46 set shop up for the Falcons at the outset of the fourth quarter.
Minford moved nine plays in three minutes and five seconds to the 14, but three straight incompletions — and a two-yard gain on 4th-down by Voglesong-Lewis — left it empty-handed again.
The Pirate defense did bend at times, but it definitely didn’t break.

“They got down towards the red zone, and we bowed our backs. We stopped them a couple times on fourth down, we forced a punt, we forced a field goal. Some huge defensive plays down in the red zone that we needed to make,” said Woodward. “Those all add up in a big playoff game like this.”
Voglesong-Lewis led the Falcons with 18 carries for 61 yards, as Risner recorded eight receptions for 106 yards — while rushing four times for 10.
Meanwhile, more of Matthews and Horsley had the Pirates up 21-10 with 4:45 remaining, as Wheelersburg drove 88 yards in only eight plays in four-and-a-half minutes with Matthews scoring from six yards out.

After the Pirates recovered the ensuing Sammons squib-kick kickoff, Ruby ran a jet sweep for 12 yards to the seven, as Matthews covered those final seven yards to make it 28-10 just 52 seconds later.

“We just mishandled that ball. We had a couple of guys with an opportunity to get it, and every time we jumped on the ball, it squirted out and their guys were able to make a play and get on it,” said Coach Ruby.

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Minford made the final 3:39 interesting, though, as Risner’s return of 50 yards of the ensuing kickoff and pass completion to him for 21 set up Voglesong-Lewis’ six-yard run at the two-and-a-half minute mark.

Risner made the extra point for the 11-point deficit (28-17), as the Falcons then executed and recovered an onside kick of their own — and were right back at midfield.
Another Voglesong-Lewis completion to Risner, this one for 34 yards, quickly moved Minford to the Wheelersburg three-yard-line — as Voglesong-Lewis ran in again three plays later with a minute-and-a-half remaining.

But the Falcons failed on the two-point conversion pass attempt, and after another Falcon onside kick which Wheelersburg recovered, Minford’s comeback bid was officially over — as well as its comeback season.

“I thought our kids played hard and well throughout the whole game, but Wheelersburg made some key plays in the second half. When you are down 28-10 and there’s three minutes to go, you can see a team just easily lay down and give up. I was very proud of our kids for coming back and showing resiliency, making a big play, getting in the end zone, recovering an onside kick and getting back in the end zone again in that short amount of time,” said Coach Ruby. “We had two touchdowns there in a minute. Their effort all night was great.”
Minford started last season 6-0, then lost the final four games to fall out of playoff contention.

The Falcons were on a similar slide this year, having lost two of three after opening 5-0 — and sitting one spot out of the playoffs prior to their regular-season finale against Valley.
But Minford shut out Valley, and Waverly won at Oak Hill, thus propelling the Falcons into the Region 19 quarterfinals.
Minford will graduate and say goodbye to 15 seniors, as Ruby said the group was “very good”.

“These seniors were huge to this team this year. I’ve been head coach for four years, so I’ve had them all since they were freshmen,”he said. “Just to see their attitude and leadership and work ethic over the last four years get better and better, they will be missed. They’ve worked hard to try and improve our program. They’ve carried themselves so well throughout this whole season.”
For the Pirates, they play on against second-seeded Ridgewood, whom Woodward and Wheelersburg are quite familiar with.

“We’ve played them in the past. Coach (John) Slusser and I know one another well,” said the coach. “He has a quality good football team and program. It’s going to be a battle.”

* * *
Wheelersburg 28, Minford 23
Minford 3 0 7 13 — 23
Wheelersburg 0 0 14 14 — 28
M — Matthew Risner, 27-yard field goal, 3:38, 1st (3-0 M)
W — Makya Matthews, 38-yard run (Braxton Sammons kick), 11:21, 3rd (7-3 W)
M — Ty Wiget, 3-yard run (Matthew Risner kick), 10:26, 3rd (10-7 M)
W — Evan Horsley, 1-yard run (Braxton Sammons kick), 6:09, 3rd (14-10 W)
W — Makya Matthews, 6-yard run (Braxton Sammons kick), 4:45, 4th (21-10 W)
W — Makya Matthews, 7-yard run (Braxton Sammons kick), 3:53, 4th (28-10 W)
M — Elijah Voglesong-Lewis, 6-yard run (Matthew Risner kick), 2:33, 4th (28-17 W)
M — Elijah Voglesong-Lewis, 3-yard run (pass failed), 1:29, 4th (28-23 W)

Team Statistics
M W
First downs 15 17
Plays from scrimmage 57 55
Rushes-yards 35-141 47-318
Passing yards 168 38
Total yards 309 356
Cmp-Att-Int. 13-22-0 4-8-0
Fumbles-lost 3-1 0-0
Penalties-yards 6-56 8-90
Punts-average 2-36 3-31.7
——
Individual Leaders
RUSHING —Minford: Elijah Voglesong-Lewis 18-61 2TD, Ty Wiget 11-71, Matthew Risner 4-10, Timmy Walk 1-1, Team 1-(-2); Wheelersburg: Makya Matthews 25-204 3TD, Evan Horsley 14-93 TD, Hunter Ruby 5-24, Team 3-(-3)
PASSING — Minford: Elijah Vogelsong-Lewis 13-22-0-168; Wheelersburg: Evan Horsley 4-8-0-38
RECEIVING — Minford: Matthew Risner 8-106, Bryson Ashley 2-46, Drew Skaggs 2-11, Ty Wiget 1-5 ; Wheelersburg: Eli Swords 2-26, Makya Matthews 1-8, Hunter Ruby 1-4

Wheelersburg

#	Offense	CMP	ATT	PYDS	ATT	RUYDS	TD	REC	REYDS
	Evan Horsley	4	8	38	14	93	1	0	0
	Hunter Ruby	0	0	0	5	24	0	1	4
23	Eli Swords	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	26
29	Makya Matthews	0	0	0	25	204	3	1	8
	Total	4	8	38	44	321	4	4	38

#	Defense	Sacks	Tackles	INT	FGM	FGA
	Total	0	0	0	0	0

Minford

#	Offense	CMP	ATT	PYDS	ATT	RUYDS	TD	REC	REYDS
	Tim Walk	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0
2	Elijah Vogelsong-Lewis	13	22	168	18	61	2	0	0
7	Matthew Risner	0	0	0	4	10	0	8	106
11	Drew Skaggs	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	11
25	Ty Wiget	0	0	0	11	71	0	1	5
30	Bryson Ashley	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	46
	Total	13	22	168	34	143	2	13	168

#	Defense	Sacks	Tackles	INT	FGM	FGA
	Total	0	0	0	0	0

Details

Date	Time	League	Season
November 9, 2019	7:00 pm	Playoffs	2019

November 8, 2019November 8, 2019

Fighting Tigers welcome Wellston in Region 19 quarters

By Paul Boggs

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If Ironton is — or even was — on a so-called “revenge tour” for 2019, it accomplished its initial goal.
That was winning the Ohio Valley Conference championship, as the talented and highly-touted Fighting Tigers turned aside seven squads en route to rolling through the league.

But now, of course, Ironton indeed — admittedly — has higher accomplishments in mind, such as capturing the Division V Region 19 championship…and even eyeing a state title.

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The first step in the second season of its “tour de revenge” takes place on Saturday inside the friendly confines of Ironton’s Tanks Memorial Stadium — when Wellston makes the trek down winding Route 93 for a regional quarterfinal.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., on what will surely be a cold — but electric — night in Ironton.

The 9-1 Fighting Tigers are the top-seeded club in Region 19 — having steamrolled their final two games to not only win the OVC outright, but also assure themselves of favorable siting for the remaining two regional tilts.

The state playoffs are obviously overly-familiar for the Fighting Tiger program, as its now 35 all-time appearances are tied for second-most in Ohio High School Athletic Association history with Cincinnati Moeller.

Only Newark Catholic, with 36 including this year, leads Moeller and Ironton.

The Fighting Tigers are 45-32 all-time in the tournament, as they have reached the state championship game eight times — while winning titles in 1979 and 1989.

Ironton indeed is viewed as a massive favorite for Saturday night’s outcome, as the 7-3 and eighth-seeded Golden Rockets are making just their third all-time playoff appearance — with the others being in 2004 and 2006.

Ironton head coach Trevon Pendleton, completing his second season, said his Fighting Tigers take every opponent seriously — and explained that last year’s finish fuels fire for motivation this time around.

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The Tigers lost their final three games to end at 6-5, including the Region 19 quarterfinal at top-seeded and eventual state runner-up Johnstown-Monroe.

Head Coach Trevon Pendleton

Current Team: Ironton
Past Teams: Portsmouth West

“We’re going to prepare for them (Wellston) just like we would any other opponent, and we’ll be ready to play come Saturday night. We play in a lot of big games here at Ironton, and no game is going to be too big for our kids. Just understanding what it feels like to lose a playoff game more than anything, that’s motivated them all year long and it’s going to continue through these playoffs,” said Pendleton. “And any time our guys can play in front of the hometown crowd, they really enjoy it.”

Wellston went 7-3 in its previous playoff campaigns, as it then lost handily in regional quarterfinals to teams near Wheeling (40-6 at Bellaire in 2004 and 41-0 at Martins Ferry).

Some observers believe that this year’s result at Ironton could be along those lines…or even worse.
While Wellston first-year head coach Mike Smith knows his Golden Rockets are overwhelming underdogs, they have approached this entire season as such.

“When we (Wellston coaching staff) came here, we walked into a situation blind, and we didn’t really know what to expect. We found out that we have a few nice athletes, we started putting some things together, and one thing has led to another. These kids have really bought into everything we’ve asked them to do,” said Smith. “We’re absolutely tickled to death to be in the playoffs, and it’s been a while since the first two. We’re not even supposed to be here. So we have absolutely nothing to lose, and we’re going to go down there and play as hard as we can and see what happens.”

The Blue and Gold’s turnaround includes going from 3-7 last year to 7-3 this year, and going into its week-10 rivalry game at Vinton County with a chance to play for a share of the Tri-Valley Conference Ohio Division championship.
Part of that was a six-game winning streak in the middle of the season, as all three losses (Jackson in Division III, Athens in Division III and Vinton County in Division IV) were against larger schools.

The Golden Rockets sport just six seniors, spearheaded by four-year starter Rylan Molihan (5-9, 170, sr.), who has rushed for 1,160 yards and 11 touchdowns on 160 carries.

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Molihan handles most of the kickoff and punt returns, and also has 10 receptions for 96 yards and a trip to paydirt out of the backfield.

Hunter Smith — a six-foot, five-inch, 170-pound junior — has 31 receptions for 469 yards and nine touchdowns.
But Ironton’s impressive, even elite, first-team defense has not allowed more than one touchdown in regulation time in any one game all season.

Ashland, in the Fighting Tigers’ lone setback, scored in overtime to prevail 16-10.

Offensively, in the regular season, Reid Carrico carried 172 times for 13 yards shy of 1,000, and caught 13 passes for 312 yards.
Gage Salyers, the senior quarterback, has completed 57 passes on 110 attempts for 1,173 yards and nine touchdowns — two of which last week went for 69 and 67.

“When you look at Ironton on film, you try to find a weakness, or maybe somewhere that you can attack offensively, but they are very solid. Both defensively and offensively,” said Smith. “They don’t make mistakes. They don’t turn the ball over. They play a very well-rounded solid football game. We are going to have to play our best game to have a chance.”

Smith said it would aid the Golden Rockets’ cause if they can force an early turnover or two and score off a short field — or even benefit from any significant penalties in which Ironton has been whistled for at times.

“We’re going to have to get a turnover, maybe a kickoff return, maybe a punt return, something that builds some momentum,” he said. “They just have a really good team. Their backs are good, their quarterback is good, their offensive line is good, their defense is good. They don’t do anything fancy, everything is just well-executed and well-coached. They are bigger than we are, and if we don’t tackle well or aren’t in position to make plays and stop the run, then they are going to run over us. It’s going to be a tough job. Ironton is just a really nice team.”

That is, or even was, on a so-called “revenge tour” for 2019.

That second season starts Saturday night.

November 8, 2019November 8, 2019

Blue Devils, Tigers meet in Region 15 quarters

By Paul Boggs

[event_scoreboard id=”1702″ number=”11″ align=”none”]

[event_scoreboard id=”1714″ number=”10″ align=”none”]

WAVERLY – It’s a matchup of conference runner-ups, but it’s also a playoff affair of two of Southeastern Ohio’s consistently top programs.

That’s because the 9-1 Gallia Academy Blue Devils travel to face the 8-2 Waverly Tigers, as both squads are in need of a playoff pick-me-up – after a few years of not having much serious success to speak of.

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Kickoff for the Division IV Region 15 quarterfinal is set for Saturday night at 7 p.m., inside Waverly’s nicely-renovated Raidiger Field.

Gallia Academy is making its 12th all-time Ohio High School Athletic Association state playoff appearance, while Waverly is making its eighth.

Both clubs qualified last year as the Tigers are actually competing in their school-record fourth consecutive postseason, but first for Region 15 after three straight seasons of one-and-out in the Cincinnati-centric Region 16.

For the eight-man Waverly senior class, and even its underclassmen, it’s time to take the next step as a program – and win a playoff game.

The third-seeded Tigers are 3-7 all-time in the playoffs – but haven’t won since back-to-back regional quarterfinal victories in 2006 and 2007, when Trevor Walls was the talented and highly-touted Waverly quarterback.

“These guys (seniors) have been to one every year, which is cool, but we haven’t tasted that victory yet,” said Waverly coach Chris Crabtree. “Going three times now four times in a row (to the playoffs) is the first time that’s been done here, so we have another opportunity to win one. We’re definitely in a better region (Region 15) for us, given our school-size perspective and our makeup, it just fits us a little bit better. In 2016, we had a home playoff game and it was super exciting with a great atmosphere, and it should be that way again on Saturday night. We just have to get over the hump, and this would be a great time to do that.”

The Blue Devils’ playoff mark is 6-11, but last season was the first since 2012 that Gallia Academy was even in the postseason – after a few years of falling on uncharacteristic hard times.

Gallia Academy is coming off a second straight 9-1 campaign under third-year head coach Alex Penrod – losing only against Ohio Valley Conference champion Ironton.

“It is a great feeling for our seniors, our team, our program and our community. To know where this program and these seniors were just a short time ago, but through their determination to want to be successful, they have bought into what the coaches lay out to them daily, week in and week out, and in the offseason,” said Penrod. “It is great for them to reap the benefits of hard work and commitment.”

Gallia Academy was in the running for a Region 15 home tilt, but the blowout loss against Ironton dropped the sixth-seeded Blue Devils out of the top four for good.

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Penrod said the past two weeks have been about recovering physically, but more importantly emotionally.

“It was one of those ‘shell-shock’ moments. Our team truly believed they were going to beat Ironton. Unfortunately, things that could go wrong did go wrong, and we were not able to overcome the mental aspect of the adversity of situations,” said the coach. “But through every defeat, you can find strength if you are willing to believe positive thoughts and willing to get back to work. We have had a few minor bumps and bruises the last couple of weeks, but we hope to be back at full strength as we enter the playoffs.”

If Gallia Academy is at full strength for Saturday night, then that will include junior James Armstrong returning to the lineup after missing most of the seventh game of the season – and all three of the Blue’s final regular-season bouts, including Ironton.

The six-foot, 190-pound Armstrong had rushed for 1,034 yards on 134 carries prior to his injury, and is the most significant piece of the Blue Devils’ offensive attack.

It was believed by multiple sources that he would miss those last three regular-season games, but Crabtree is approaching as if Armstrong will return this week.
“Looking at them is almost like looking in the mirror in how we run our offense. They have similar formation sets, they are very athletic, they are very big up front. I know he has missed the last three games, but I am going to assume that the Armstrong kid is going to play on Saturday. But (running back Michael) Beasy has carried the load and has done a good job of running the football for them,” said Crabtree. “They are definitely well-coached, they want to run the football, they can throw the football when they need to, and their formations make it difficult for you to adjust to.”

With Armstrong’s, Beasy’s and Donevyn Woodson’s speed, Crabtree said a key is “being able to get off blocks and being able to tackle”.

“We’re going to have to stop the run. We want to make them throw the ball to beat us,” he said.

Meanwhile, Waverly has its own injury concerns – with junior quarterback Haydn’ Shanks continually competing on a torn ACL he suffered in the preseason.

Shanks still has thrown for 1,652 yards and 16 touchdowns on 115-of-185 passing, with Will Futhey leading the Tigers’ receiving corps – with 43 receptions for 872 yards and 11 TD.

But the Waverly offense, of course, centers around the senior standout running back Payton Shoemaker – who went over the 2,000-yard single-season rushing mark in the Tigers’ 27-14 triumph at Oak Hill.

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The fast-paced Tigers try – and often succeed – at operating a hurry-it-up no-huddle offense, in which Shoemaker is the primary focus.

Shoemaker has 258 of the Tigers’ 328 carries this season, going off for an amazing average of 204 yards per game and eight yards per each individual carry.

He has amassed 28 touchdowns and 2,039 yards.

“We definitely have some athletes and we can stretch the field vertically or horizontally,” said Crabtree. “We can take the top off of it down deep, and obviously with Payton (Shoemaker), if you give him a little bit of crease, he can make things happen.”

Penrod explained that the Tigers’ tempo actually allows the Blue Devil defense to adjust easier.

“For a lot of teams, the up-tempo can give you fits because it is not something you see every game. For us, it gives us more of an advantage because our offense wants to play fast and up-tempo, so we are more geared to adjusting to their style of play,” he said. “We are not as fast as they are, and that is still hard to simulate. With the amount of weapons they have inside the box, they have the same ability outside of the box to beat you too. It all comes down to individually doing ‘your job’. For Waverly, the less time they have the football, that is what usually favors them. They are more worried about the number of snaps they can get more than time of possession. We know they want to push the tempo, and we have to be ready to adjust to the speed of the game and the formations they are going to give us.”

Hence, this could quickly turn into an offensive shootout, which will definitely keep the fans interested – on an expected cold night in Waverly.

Given Gallipolis is an estimated hour travel distance to Waverly along U.S. Route 35 to State Route 32, the Blue Devils do bring a following – and an even overflow crowd is likely on Saturday night.

It is the only Region 15 bout featuring a pair of Southeast District squads, and should attract all of Pike and Gallia counties.

“We have both been in big games with large crowds. Our Ironton game had a lot of buildup, but I think playing on a Saturday is more of a sticking point because of the ‘longer’ week, but also getting you out of the routine of the normal week during the year of playing on Fridays. It will be a great environment for both teams and schools, but also for Southeast Ohio,” said Penrod. “We hope both areas can pack the stadium, and give what both of our teams deserve, which is a positive support system from all involved.”

Of course, a playoff pick-me-up and advancement to the regional semifinals is the ultimate goal.

“With two teams being close enough for familiarity, it should be a packed house and great atmosphere,” said Crabtree. “We are excited for our kids, our community and our school system, and we hopefully we can get this one.”

Join the discussion here

Rank	Player	Position	Height	Weight	PYDS	TD	RUYDS	TD	REYDS	TD
1	James Armstrong	2021	6-00	190	0	0	1116	11	74	0
2	Michael Beasy	2021	6-00	165	0	0	771	12	101	1
3	Briar Williams	2022	5-10	150	0	0	305	2	304	2
4	Donevyn Woodson	2022	5-11	145	0	0	126	0	122	3
5	Brody Fellure	2023	5-09	145	28	1	98	1	0	0

View all players

Rank	Player	Position	Height	RUYDS	TD	REYDS
1	Payton Shoemaker	2020	5-09	2344	32	74
2	Hunter Ward	2020	5-09	222	2	-3
3	Dawson Shoemaker	2022	-	55	0	5
4	Jackson Poe	2021	5-11	24	7	0
5	Trey Brushart	2023	-	7	0	0

View all players


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November 7, 2019November 7, 2019

The rematch: Minford, ‘Burg meet again after epic OT duel

[event_scoreboard id=”1698″ number=”10″ align=”none”]

[event_scoreboard id=”1703″ number=”10″ align=”none”]

By Paul Boggs

Usually, the sequel is not as good — and just doesn’t live up to the hype — of the original.

For the visiting Minford Falcons and host Wheelersburg Pirates, let’s just hope they can buck that trend.

That’s because, for the second time this season, the two Scioto County and Southern Ohio Conference Division II rivals meet on the gridiron — only this time the encore takes place inside Ed Miller Stadium in Wheelersburg in a Division V, Region 19 quarterfinal tilt.

Both squads are 7-3, as kickoff is set for Saturday night at 7 p.m. — inside what should be an amped-up, and overflow, Ed Miller Stadium.

Wheelersburg, winning the outright SOC II championship for the sixth straight season, is hosting a regional quarterfinal for the eighth consecutive campaign.

The Orange and Black battled back from an uncharacteristic 2-3 start, which included three setbacks to teams with a combined staggering record of 28-2.
Also unusual for the tradition-rich and proud Pirate program was only having four regular-season home bouts, so a playoff affair for a fifth was a positive consequence.

“We’re just extremely proud of our senior group and what they’ve been able to accomplish this year in a gauntlet of a schedule. We knew it was going to be a tough 10-game stretch for us. As it has shaken out, we had the eighth-toughest schedule in Division V in the entire state. We lost to three teams with a combined record of 28-2. But our seniors have never doubted anything or wavered.

Head Coach Rob Woodard

Current Team: Wheelersburg

They just continue to work and strive to get themselves better. They’ve pushed the younger kids and the younger guys have stepped up in areas where we needed them,” said Wheelersburg coach Rob Woodward, in an interview on Tuesday. “In terms of the program, we knew what we were working towards this year. Our guys continue to battle with that. They won an SOC II title again, and earned a home playoff game again. With only four home games this year and how our schedule worked out, a home playoff game is definitely something I wanted to see for our seniors and our community.”

The Pirates captured the third seed in Region 19, while the Falcons — which are making their first playoff appearance since 2012 — swooped in for the sixth seed.
Minford fell from fourth to ninth in the Region 19 computer rankings following back-to-back defeats against Oak Hill and at Waverly, and needed not onlyto defeat Valley in the regular-season finale — but also an Oak Hill loss to Waverly.

The Falcons got both, as fourth-year head coach Jesse Ruby returns to the playoffs, as he served on the staff of multiple Minford playoff appearances from 2007 thru 2010 — and again in 2012.

“Our kids came out and accomplished a lot of the things we want to accomplish. We played really good football for a stretch in the first half of the year. There are always moments you look back in the season and wish you would have done better, but overall, I think the team is happy with how their season went,” said Ruby, in an interview on Tuesday. “Being back in the playoffs again is something we don’t take for granted. To get to this point, it doesn’t happen as frequently as you would like for it to. It really means something to make the playoffs in football. It’s important to play and defeat quality opponents, and play your best football each week.”
Speaking of 2012, it was the year before that when the Pirates last missed the postseason, as their now 31st appearance sits sixth for most all-time in Ohio High School Athletic Association history.

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Wheelersburg is 38-28 all-time in the tournament, while Minford — making its ninth all-time appearance — is 3-8.
One of those eight losses was to Wheelersburg, as the two teams faced off in the regional quarterfinals of 2008 — with Wheelersburg winning 14-6.

Last season, the Pirates played Portsmouth West in both the regular-season and SOC II finale — and then again in the Region 19 quarterfinals.

For Woodward, winding down his 12th season as the Pirates’ head coach and 17th in the program, was asked about playing the same squad twice in one year.
It’s happened with Ironton twice in fact, in both 2014 and 2015, in which Wheelersburg won the playoff matchup 38-7 after defeating the Fighting Tigers in the annual season opener.

Now, it’s Minford’s two-times turn again.
“I always tell our guys control the things we can control, and that is putting ourselves in the best situation that we can. Whomever our opponent is, we’re going to have to go out and prepare for like anyone else,” said Woodward. “Our guys were just excited to get that home playoff game. Minford is going to be a tough opponent, and playoff football is playoff football. You have to be ready to go each and every week.”

It’s safe to say, though, that the Falcons are licking their chops for a second shot at the ‘Burg.
In their week-six meeting at Minford, as the then-undefeated Falcons welcomed Wheelersburg that was perhaps viewed as most vulnerable, the Pirates pulled off an epic 21-20 overtime triumph — stopping the Falcons’ two-point conversion attempt after Minford’s Matthew Risner reached out and made an acrobatic over-the-shoulder touchdown catch for the 21-20 deficit.
With that victory, Wheelersburg won its 22nd consecutive SOC II game — en route to another championship and a 26-game league winning streak which will carry over into next season.

It was an electric, standing-room-only, and super-hyped atmosphere at Minford High School, and it was a game in which every play pretty much mattered in the outcome.
It started on the game’s fourth play, in which Minford standout running back Ty Wiget — with wide-open running room — was five yards away from a 52-yard touchdown dart.

But Wheelersburg’s primary playmaker, Makya Matthews, made probably the Pirates’ play of the season — sprinting and chasing down Wiget at the 5-yard line and tomahawk-chopping the football loose and into the end zone.

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The Pirates recovered for a touchback, essentially saving their season in the process.
Both teams hit for long touchdown passes to Matthews (76 yards in the the quarter) and Risner (59 yards in the third quarter), but a 67-yard scoring strike to Risner from Elijah Vogelsong-Lewis was negated on a holding penalty.

Ruby said the mistakes Minford made against the Pirates pertained not to scheme, but to execution.

Head Coach Jesse Ruby

Current Team: Minford

“I felt we played very well, but there were little things in terms of a linebacker misreading a key, or the quarterback missing a read on a pass, it’s those little things. Not anything with particular play calls or if we would have ran a different defensive look,” said the coach. “I think so much of it was an execution thing. Overall, I thought our gameplan and the way our kids executed that was pretty good. Just the little things of those issues.”

Of course, not getting the two-point conversion attempt — which would have given Minford its first win over Wheelersburg since 2009 — still stings with the Falcons to this very day.

Thus, Minford’s motivation for a rematch goes without saying.

“The initial sting of losing that night bothered our kids. But reflecting back at it, I felt like our kids felt pretty good about the way they played that game. They definitely would love to have an opportunity to do it again. To see if they can make it a different result,” said Ruby. “I think they are very excited about the situation we have.”
But while the Falcons have whom they want, the Pirates are indeed a different team than from six weeks ago.
It was in that game, in fact, in which Wheelersburg went with senior Evan Horsley at quarterback for good — as he replaced an ineffective Aaron Masters in the second quarter.

Horsley hooked up with Matthews for a 76-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 Pirate lead, as Horsley had three completions on seven attempts that night — while rushing for 92 yards on 14 carries.

Since then, the Pirates have scored at least 41 points in their final four games — including 55 at Oak Hill, as Horsley has rushed for 429 yards and five TDs on 76 carries.

As a passer, he has completed 31-of-53 for 58-percent, amassing 601 yards and nine scores.
Woodward said Horsley has evolved the Pirate offense from a simpler package of plays against the Falcons until now, as these Pirates are more run-oriented.
In Wheelersburg’s 42-28 triumph over Waverly, Matthews carried 29 times for 267 yards and a hat trick of scores — while wide receiver Hunter Ruby ran several jet sweeps.
“At that time (Minford game), we were evaluating things, and knew what Evan (Horsley) could bring to the table,” said Woodward. “We felt we needed to make that switch at that time. We were able to utilize a small set of plays that we had repped with him there, but since that time, we’ve really been able to expand on what we’re able to do. Evan brings such a leadership and commanding presence at the quarterback position. He is a threat to run, he recognizes how plays are meant to be executed and where to go with the football. And if it doesn’t, he does a great job of checking down and improvising and continuing to make sure positive yards are gained on a given play. That offensive consistency has taken pressure off our defense, allowing them to be more attacking and aggressive, which is definitely what we strive to be and play better at.”

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Coach Ruby concurred that Horsley brings a greater running element to the Pirate offense.

“Evan Horsley is such a good runner. Now he has the ball in his hands every play. It just makes them more dynamic in the way they can attack you, given his skill sets,” he said. “His ability to run the ball, especially in the middle, off a fake to Matthews running outside or things of that nature really poses a threat to a defense. Our kids have to be able to read their assignment and not get caught looking in the backfield.”

The Pirates have big-play ability as do the fast Falcons, who can quickly strike with the likes of Vogelsong-Lewis, Wiget, Risner and Drew Skaggs.

Wiget rushed 25 times for 143 yards against Wheelersburg, while Vogelsong-Lewis completed 8-of-12 passes for 143 yards.

For the season, Vogelsong-Lewis has thrown for 1,429 yards and 16 scores on 82-of-151, while rushing for 708 and seven TDs on 114 carries.

Wiget has amassed 1,358 yards and 18 touchdowns on 197 attempts, while catching 16 passes for 156 yards out of the backfield.

Risner with 557 yards and seven touchdowns and Skaggs with 467 yards and six scores have 25 receptions apiece.

“They are spreading the ball around to more guys, so we have to make sure we account for them, but we know that Ty Wiget and (Elijah) Vogelsong-Lewis are threats to score on any given play,” said Woodward. “They have a lot of speed that we are well-aware of.”
But Ruby believes better ball control against Wheelersburg “would help” his offense out.

“We have been a big-strike offense. We’ve always had the ability to score from anywhere on the field with our speed and in a variety of ways,” he said. “But we have to improve on being able to sustain drives and convert on third down, and have the mentality that we need to get four yards on every play and not 50. So we can continue to move the chains and eat up some of the clock. Wheelersburg is similar to us in that they have a lot of fast players, they can score very quickly, and they have big-play potential. If you can limit their possessions, it can work to your advantage.”

Although, while possessions may or may not be limited, it’s highly likely there will be more of unlimited hype.
After all, the two schools are an estimated 15 minutes apart — and play each other once-a-year in already a high-stakes regular-season match.

Throw in Saturday night being a playoff game…and we can only hope that the sequel is better than the original.
“It’s a playoff game, plus it’s a game in which the first meeting was decided by one point in overtime. People in and around the area want to see how this game is going to go again,” said Ruby. “It’s hard for me to express to our players how big I think this game is going to be. If you thought the first game was big, this one will be twice as much.”

And, all that HAS to happen is the winning team be at least one point better than the losing club.
“Even if it’s one point again, the key focus we have is to have fun playing the game, feed off of each other’s energy, and go out and win in advance. In the playoffs, you have to do everything you can to execute and do the things you need to do, regardless of the opponent. Everybody plays in the playoffs with a heightened energy, with a heightened level of play,” said Woodward. “We have to understand that we’ve got five rungs on the ladder that we want to work to climb. Our guys are doing a great job of preparing for that this week.”

Join the discussion here

November 7, 2019November 7, 2019

Trojans travel to face undefeated Generals

Trojans travel to face undefeated Generals
By Paul Bogggs

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PORTSMOUTH — Simply put, the Trojans are back on their horse, back in the state playoffs, and back on the road again.

You can even call it Portsmouth’s senior trip.
But, the aim indeed is to be one week better, just like Portsmouth was one game better this past regular season.

The 8-2 Trojans, making their 11th all-time OHSAA state playoff appearance, travel three hours to Ridgewood High School on Saturday — for a Division V, Region 19 quarterfinal with the host, and undefeated, Generals.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday night at Ridgewood High School, which is located in West Lafayette.

For the Generals, this is their 14th all-time playoff berth, as Portsmouth is 8-10 all-time while Ridgewood is 6-13.
But while the second-seeded Generals are regular playoff participants, the seventh-seeded Trojans experienced a full decade’s worth of postseason drought — as 2007 was the most recent campaign prior to last year.

Bruce Kalb — completing his second season as Portsmouth head coach — consistently has praised the senior class for not only accepting the mantle passed on by last year’s group, but by leading by example and thus preparing themselves for this year’s trip.

Head Coach Bruce Kalb

Current Team: Portsmouth
Past Teams: Waverly

“We’re excited. Here we set 8-2, second year in a row we get to take the trip to play in week 11, and happy with where we’re at. We look forward to a battle on Saturday night. It would be easy to complain about traveling a long distance to play a playoff game on a Saturday night on a natural (grass) surface. My message to the team was at this point, we’ve been there and we’ve done that,” said Kalb, in an interview on Tuesday. “Last year, first trip in 11 years, it would be easy to say we were happy to just be there. This year, I asked this senior class to be one game better than last year in the regular season. Then the experience and everything we’ve done from that (playoff) game at (Middletown) Madison last year with this senior class has prepared us for this Saturday at Ridgewood.

We have the experience of what it’s like to travel a long distance to play a game. This year, three of our road games and two of which were an hour or more were on grass (Gallia Academy and Fairland). We know some of the intangibles, some of those things you can’t control, at least we have a familiarity with them.”

One thing the Trojans are familiar with is scoring via the big play, spearheaded by the school’s all-time rushing leader in senior Talyn Parker.

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In the regular season, Parker rushed for a dozen yards (1,488) shy of exactly 1,500 on 150 carries, amassing 25 touchdowns and a 9.92 yards per carry average.

Against Ironton a week ago, Parker posted 108 yards on 18 carries — and scored on a 42-yard dash to give Portsmouth it’s only points of the night in a 48-7 defeat.
But Ironton indeed has a stalwart defensive line, as do the Generals, as Kalb quickly pointed out Ridgewood’s strength.

Zach Prater (6-1, 290, jr.) and Bryce Prater (6-3, 280, jr.) are twin brothers — as Zach has 35 tackles, including eight for loss and five sacks, while Bryce has 23 tackles, including 11 for loss and four-and-a-half sacks.
The ends are Kaden Smith (5-11, 205, sr.) and J.J. Durr (5-11, 215, jr.), combining for 62 tackles, 22 of which were for loss with 11 sacks.

Portsmouth’s offensive line will need to get the Prater twins blocked so Parker can find running lanes, while sophomore quarterback Drew Roe makes his first postseason start — having completed 92 passes on 161 attempts with 1,371 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Of his six interceptions on the season, he threw three last week, as Ironton — like Gallia Academy in the Trojans’ only other loss this season — made Portsmouth pay.

“They have a couple of defensive tackles that pop out on film and very aggressive defensive ends,” said Kalb.
Offensively, while Parker is the reigning Division V Southeast District Offensive Player of the Year, Ridgewood quarterback Gabe Tingle — a 5-foot 11-inch 180-pound sophomore — slung the ball around for 2,052 yards and 22 TDs with only two interceptions.
He completed 70-percent of his passes on 99 out of 141 attempts, and also rushed for 726 yards on 83 carries with 15 trips to paydirt.

“The quarterback runs the show. He makes their offense go. He can run the ball well, he can throw the ball well. It’s somebody who we have to account for on every snap,” said Kalb. “If you put too much pressure on him, he is going to burn you with his legs. If you try to box him in, he is going to hit somebody on a screen pass or throw it downfield for a big gain. We have to make sure we know where he is at all times. We have to at least slow him down, if we can’t stop him.”

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Kalb said the Generals are schematically similar to the Trojans — a spread-based offense that the coach said “reminds me of a lot of Waverly, a little bit of Wheelersburg in years past”.

“They are very quarterback-centered. This is a kid who can throw it on a rope from hash-mark to numbers, but he can also throw it deep and drop it in the bucket to a receiver running down the sideline. He definitely can make the offense go with his legs too,” he said. “And he’s definitely a competitor. They’ve got him for a couple of more years after this. He is a sophomore, but they are a young team that already has a lot of experience.”
The top receiver is Kolten Smith — a 5-10 170-pound senior who has 37 receptions for 778 yards and seven touchdowns with a 21.2 yards per catch average.
Perhaps Portsmouth’s best defense will be its offense — should it show some of what it did in the second half against Ironton and demonstrate tighter offensive formations with Parker picking up yards.

But Kalb said simply “we’re going to do what got us here”.

“We’re going to get in and out of what we feel is going to give us the most success,” he said. “To give us the running lanes Talyn Parker needs, to give us the reads and time that Drew Roe needs to throw, to get our receivers open…you go with what got you here and you don’t reinvent the wheel with a few days of practice in week 11. We need to force their defense to honor us and make them defend us sideline-to-sideline.”
The Trojans can also ill-afford costly penalties plus turnovers.

“Ridgewood is going to be good, and whenever we have opportunities to score and take advantage, we HAVE to capitalize. In our two losses, we didn’t do that. In our wins, especially our bigger wins, they have been crucial to our success,” said Kalb. “We know what we have to do to make sure we win this game on Saturday night.”
And, should the Trojans do just that, they indeed will be one week better than the 11 of a year ago.

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Rank	Player	Position	Height	Weight	PYDS	TD	ATT	RUYDS	TD	REC	REYDS	TD	Rush YPC	REC YPC
1	Talyn Parker	2020	5-11	195	0	0	151	1483	26	11	162	2	9.8	14.7
2	Tyler McCoy	2020	5-08	210	0	0	24	114	0	4	30	1	4.8	7.5
3	Drew Roe	2022	235	5-06	1320	16	43	84	0	0	0	0	2.0	0.0
4	Donavon Carr	2022	5-08	160	0	0	7	65	1	0	0	0	9.3	0.0
5	Kan Davis	2020	5-07	160	0	0	5	51	1	0	0	0	10.2	0.0
6	Ty Pendleton	2020	5-11	195	0	0	10	48	1	0	0	0	4.8	0.0
7	Beau Hammond	2023	5-07	125	0	0	3	2	0	0	0	0	0.7	0.0
8	Bryce Wallace	2020	6-02	155	0	0	0	0	0	26	465	8	0.0	17.9

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November 5, 2019November 5, 2019

Fighting Tigers roll past Portsmouth, win OVC

Ironton

48 vs 7

Portsmouth

Results

Team	T	Outcome
Ironton	48	Win
Portsmouth	7	Loss

Fighting Tigers roll past Portsmouth, win OVC

By Paul Boggs

IRONTON — You make mistakes, and you don’t take advantage of opportunities, and the good ones will make you pay.

And, that’s exactly what happened in the cold — in the 125th meeting of the second-oldest high school football rivalry in the entire state.

The talented, highly-touted and favored Ironton Fighting Tigers took total advantage of the underdog Portsmouth Trojans’ too many missteps on Friday night — and ultimately captured the outright Ohio Valley Conference championship with a thorough 48-7 victory inside historic Tanks Memorial Stadium in Ironton.

The Fighting Tigers tallied three touchdowns of at least 67 yards, including a pair of Gage Salyers pass completions to Trent Hacker (69 yards) and Jordan Grizzle (67 yards).

Ironton amassed the opening 27 points, and began its payment by Portsmouth for its mistakes a mere minute and 16 seconds in, as Kyle Howell hit the Trojans with a 95-yard interception return for a touchdown.

That stout Fighting Tiger defense limited the Trojans to only 197 total yards — 42 of which came on the Trojans’ touchdown run by Talyn Parker.

In fact, given Gallia Academy (6-1 OVC) was the OVC runner-up with Portsmouth placing third, and with Ironton playing them in back-to-back weeks to end the regular season, the Fighting Tigers actually outscored them by a whopping 100-7.

On Friday night, the final 16 minutes and 25 seconds were played with the running-clock rule in effect.

Salyers intercepted Portsmouth quarterback Drew Roe twice, and Seth Fosson finished off the final two Ironton first-half scoring drives with hard-charging runs of 14 and 24 yards.

Ironton also added six successful extra-point kicks, five of which were by senior Avery Book.

Add it all up, and Ironton enjoyed a Senior Night for the ages —clinching its third outright OVC championship in the five seasons in which it has been a conference member.

The now 9-1 Fighting Tigers (7-0 OVC), already assured of a home game for next week’s Ohio High School Athletic Association regional quarterfinal round, also unofficially locked up the number-one seed in Division V Region 19.

Ironton, according to the unofficial yet respected computer ratings website www.joeeitel.com, will host Wellston in a regional quarterfinal next Saturday night at 7 p.m.

But first things first, Ironton and head coach Trevon Pendleton wanted to celebrate winning the OVC title on Senior Night inside ‘The Tank”.

They also snapped a two-game losing streak to their archrival Trojans, winning back the traveling Tom Grashel Trophy — which is awarded to the winner.

“First and foremost, this was a great team effort in all three phases of the game. I’m very proud of our guys, especially these seniors. They have stepped up, and I told them before the season that they were going to be the ones to right this ship,” said Pendleton. “It started last year with that group of seniors and these guys have just picked up where they left off. It’s been great and I’m just so proud of these guys. I can’t say enough. To come out here and win the OVC outright in a rivalry game and get the (Grashel) Trophy back in our house, it’s just a great night.”

Speaking of taking things back “to the house”, that is where it all began for the Fighting Tigers.

On the game’s first play, Fosson fumbled following a 15-yard run to the Ironton 38-yard-line, as Austin McKenzie recovered for the Trojans, which actually started their series inside the red zone at the 18 following a Fighting Tiger personal-foul penalty.

But Portsmouth put itself back with a pair of false starts, setting up 3rd-down-and-7 at the 15 —when Roe looked for Michael Duncan on a slant route in the end zone.

But Howell had his eyes locked on Roe, jumped the route about as good as a defender can do, and raced untouched up the sideline for a fast 95-yard tide-turning touchdown —not even a minute-and-a-half into the contest.

“It was an RPO (run-pass option) and Kyle (Howell) just read the route and jumped it and made one heck of a play,” said Pendleton. “He’s a playmaker and a ball-hawk back there. When he had the ball in his hands, he just made a play with it.”

For the Trojans, it was a costly mistake they could ill-afford to make, given as good as Ironton is.

“We simply cannot make mistakes like that against a team like this. The same thing happened against Gallia Academy, and Gallia Academy scored the same amount of points (48) as Ironton did. When given opportunities like that (following Fosson fumble), we have to take advantage of those. It’s one thing to not take advantage, it’s another thing to shoot yourself in the foot,” said Portsmouth coach Bruce Kalb. “The pick-6 for 95 yards, it was a great play by their kid, but that’s an opportunity against a high-caliber opponent that you can not squander and a mistake you just can’t make in big games like this.”

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The Trojans then had another red zone opportunity at the Ironton 19, having moved the ball between the 20s with 11 plays and consuming five minutes off the first-quarter clock.

But this time, Portsmouth turned the ball over on downs and — three plays later — the Fighting Tigers struck again from long range.

Salyers, executing a play-action pass, found Hacker downfield for a reception — as he had a step-and-a-half on his defender.

Hacker hauled the aerial in after getting a finger-tip grip on it, and scored from 69 yards out to make it 13-0 with four-and-a-half minutes left in the opening quarter.

Indeed, the Fighting Tigers’ big-play ability was once again on full display —despite rushing for 288 yards on 43 carries, part of 429 total yards on 50 total plays.

“That’s a testament to having such a diverse team. We have guys that can do multiple things and are willing to do those things,” said Pendleton. “Gage Salyers can throw a great ball and our receivers can make huge catches. It’s nice to see it all come together.”

Salyers then intercepted Roe a minute later, as Ironton then forced another turnover on downs — followed by the Trojans’ first of three punts.

Fosson, who had 63 yards on only five carries, finished off a seven-play, 62-yard, one-minute and 40-second scoring drive with his 14-yard run with seven-and-a-half minutes remaining in the second stanza.

His 24-yard touchdown dart came with 49 seconds remaining before halftime —and ended an eight-play, 67-yard, three-minute and seven-second scoring march to make it 27-0 with Book’s third extra point.

Reid Carrico, Ironton’s standout running back and linebacker, carried for 20 yards from midfield to the Portsmouth 31 —his longest such attempt of the game.

Carrico paced the Fighting Tigers with 99 yards and a 1-yard TD on 13 carries, as Salyers (41 yards) and Cameron Deere (30 yards) dialed up for seven touches apiece.

Trevor Carter carried six times for 43 yards, and capped the scoring with a 12-yard run with only a minute and 22 seconds remaining.

Parker paced Portsmouth and all rushers with 18 carries and 108 yards, and got the Trojans on the board with his 42-yard jaunt just three minutes and 10 seconds into the third quarter.

But that 20-point deficit lasted a mere 17 seconds, as Salyers found Grizzle open in the flat, who broke tackles along the way including a key one at the Portsmouth 43 —and scampered his way to the end zone.

Book’s extra point made it 34-7, as Salyers stepped in front of another Roe pass on the very next play from scrimmage.

“We bounced back and stopped the bleeding before it got started. To go three-and-out after they scored, we would have not felt very good about ourselves right there,” said Pendleton.

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Kalb concurred it was an impressive and immediate Ironton answer.

“That was a great job by them to seize momentum back after we punched one in,” he said. “For them to answer right back with one punch, that turns a momentum shift right back around. We had momentum, but we weren’t able to capitalize on it.”

Roe completed a dozen passes, but for only 67 yards, as Portsmouth punted on its final two possessions.

“Our defense was just stellar. It’s hard to keep a guy like Parker bottled up all night. We did a good job of it for the majority, and we just handled the adversity well when it came tonight. That’s the testament to a good team,” said Pendleton.

And, Ironton indeed is a quality club.

“That’s a good football team. There’s a reason why they are 9-1. They have a lot of playmakers in Carrico, Salyers and Fosson, and Junior Jones is just a phenomenal defensive player,” said Kalb. “With a team of that caliber, you have to take advantage of your opportunities when you have them, but that was something we weren’t able to do tonight.”

The loss left the Trojans at 8-2 and 5-2 in the OVC, but Portsmouth has qualified —as of early Saturday morning —for the Region 19 playoffs as the seventh-seed.

The Trojans return to the postseason for the second straight season, as they improved by a full game upon their 7-3 tally of last year.

“To play week-11 for the second straight year is something these kids can be very proud of. At the end of last season, I asked these seniors —as stewards of this program —to be one game better this year. At the end of the regular season, they are 8-2 and not 7-3, so they made it one game better,” said Kalb. “Now the challenge is to make it one week better in the playoffs. Let’s try to get our first playoff victory next week.”

Speaking of next week, the Tigers try to get their first playoff win — under Pendleton.

Ironton improved from 6-5 and the eighth-seed in Region 19 to now arguably the favorite to win the entire region.

But for this weekend, though, the Orange and Black was all about enjoying accomplishments thus far.

“We’re going to enjoy this one. We’re happy to win a league title and happy for these 14 seniors,” said Pendleton.

* * *

Portsmouth 0 0 7 0 — 7

Ironton 13 14 14 7— 48

I — Kyle Howell, 95-yard interception return (Avery Book kick) 10:44, 1st (7-0 I)

I — Trent Hacker, 69-yard pass from Gage Salyers (kick failed) 4:31, 1st (13-0 I)

I — Seth Fosson, 14-yard run (Avery Book kick) 7:30, 2nd (20-0 I)

I— Seth Fosson, 24-yard run (Avery Book kick) :49, 2nd (27-0 I)

P — Talyn Parker, 42-yard run (Joel Bowling kick) 8:50, 3rd (27-7 I)

I — Jordan Grizzle, 67-yard pass from Gage Salyers (Avery Book kick) 8:33, 3rd (34-7 I)

I — Reid Carrico, 1-yard run (Avery Book kick) 4:25, 3rd (41-7 I)

I— Trevor Carter, 12-yard run (Izsak Unger kick) 1:22, 4th (48-7 I)

Team Statistics

P I

First Downs 10 19

Scrimmage Plays 50 50

Rushes-Yards 28-130 43-288

Passing Yards 67 141

Total Yards 197 429

Cmp-Att-Int 12-22-3 3-7-0

Fumbles-Lost 1-0 1-1

Penalties-Yards 5-45 8-97

Punts-Average 3-20 1-42

——

Individual Leaders

RUSHING —Portsmouth: Talyn Parker 18-108 TD, Drew Roe 8-20, Donavon Carr 2-2; Ironton: Reid Carrico 13-99 TD, Seth Fosson 5-63 2TD, Trevor Carter 6-43 TD, Gage Salyers 7-41, Cameron Deere 7-30, Kyle Howell 1-8, Dalton Crabtree 1-5, Beau Brownstead 1-2, Kameron Browning 2-(-3)

PASSING — Portsmouth: Drew Roe 12-22-3-67; Ironton: Gage Salyers 3-7-0-141 2TD

RECEIVING — Portsmouth: Eric Purdy 4-42, Bryce Wallace 3-13, Talyn Parker 3-1, Michael Duncan 1-7, Tyler McCoy 1-4; Ironton: Jordan Grizzle 2-72 TD, Trent Hacker 1-69 TD

Ironton

#	Offense	CMP	ATT	PYDS	TD	ATT	RUYDS	TD	REC	REYDS	TD
7	Gage Salyers	3	7	141	2	7	41	0	0	0	0
8	Beau Brownstead	0	0	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	0
10	Trent Hacker	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	69	1
20	Kyle Howell	0	0	0	0	1	8	0	0	0	0
28	Reid Carrico	0	0	0	0	13	99	1	0	0	0
28	Trevor Carter	0	0	0	0	6	43	1	0	0	0
29	Jordan Grizzle	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	72	1
30	Cameron Deere	0	0	0	0	7	30	0	0	0	0
31	Kameron Browning	0	0	0	0	2	-3	0	0	0	0
33	Dalton Crabtree	0	0	0	0	1	5	0	0	0	0
44	Seth Fosson	0	0	0	0	5	63	2	0	0	0
	Total	3	7	141	2	43	288	4	3	141	2

#	Defense	Sacks	Tackles	INT	FGM	FGA
	Total	0	0	0	0	0

Portsmouth

#	Offense	CMP	ATT	INT	PYDS	ATT	RUYDS	TD	REC	REYDS
1	Talyn Parker	0	0	0	0	18	108	1	3	1
2	Bryce Wallace	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	13
4	Donavon Carr	0	0	0	0	2	2	0	0	0
5	Drew Roe	12	22	3	67	8	20	0	0	0
9	Eric Purdy	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	42
14	Michael Duncan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	7
35	Tyler McCoy	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	4
	Total	12	22	3	67	28	130	1	12	67

#	Defense	Sacks	Tackles	INT	FGM	FGA
	Total	0	0	0	0	0

Details

Date	Time	League	Season
November 1, 2019	7:00 pm	OVC	2019

Court

Ironton

Pos	Team	W	L	PF	PA
1	Eastern Meigs	12	2	534	184
2	Sheridan	12	2	466	175
3	Beaver Eastern	11	1	445	224
4	Ironton	11	2	476	181
5	Jackson	10	2	487	221
6	West Muskingum	10	2	421	218
7	Bloom-Carroll	10	3	434	168
8	Fort Frye	10	3	368	228
9	Vinton County	9	2	380	101
10	Unioto	9	2	403	191
11	Hamilton Township	9	2	438	244
12	Fairland	9	2	453	296
13	Logan Elm	9	2	377	221
14	Tri-Valley	9	3	460	204
15	Gallia Academy	9	3	394	185
16	Fairfield Christian Academy	9	3	424	344
17	Wheelersburg	9	4	401	143
18	Portsmouth West	8	3	376	207
19	John Glenn	8	3	283	164
20	Notre Dame	8	4	478	270
21	Nelsonville-York	8	4	333	154
22	Paint Valley	8	4	422	286
23	Zane Trace	8	4	378	302
24	Waterford	8	5	307	202
25	Waverly	7	4	377	221
26	South Gallia	7	4	294	218
27	Miami Trace	7	5	350	317
28	Westfall	6	4	367	307
29	Piketon	6	4	350	295
30	Fairfield Union	6	4	247	197
31	Grove City Christian	6	5	332	196
32	Trimble	6	5	278	184
33	Miller	6	5	362	271
34	Athens	6	5	313	282
35	Morgan	6	5	351	327
36	McClain	6	5	226	305
37	Portsmouth	6	6	287	320
38	Warren	5	6	281	232
39	Marietta	5	6	291	283
40	New Lexington	5	6	249	248
41	Philo	5	6	214	213
42	Hillsboro	5	6	290	339
43	Washington	5	6	267	327
44	South Point	5	6	235	309
45	Minford	4	5	180	241
46	Sciotoville	4	6	341	325
47	Maysville	4	6	195	211
48	Teays Valley	4	6	228	252
49	Meadowbrook	4	6	259	380
50	Wellston	4	6	202	329
51	Coal Grove	4	7	290	358
52	Rosecrans	4	7	316	407
53	Rock Hill	4	7	206	319
54	Coshocton	3	7	314	303
55	Logan	3	7	156	199
56	Southern	3	7	283	330
57	Amanda-Clearcreek	3	7	180	261
58	Crooksville	3	7	179	260
59	Chesapeake	3	7	215	317
60	Symmes Valley	3	7	159	313
61	Northwest	3	7	191	359
62	Valley	3	8	176	378
63	Fisher Catholic	2	7	158	341
64	Meigs	2	8	202	361
65	Adena	2	8	270	456
66	Alexander	2	8	99	318
67	Berne Union	2	9	124	327
68	Liberty Union	1	9	131	294
69	Chillicothe	1	9	90	289
70	Huntington	1	9	134	343
71	Circleville	1	9	110	341
72	Southeastern	1	9	185	433
73	Zanesville	1	9	77	346
74	Green	1	9	85	414
75	Belpre	1	9	50	454
76	Oak Hill	0	8	99	310
77	Manchester	0	8	82	349
78	Millersport	0	9	94	432
79	River Valley	0	10	65	451
80	River View	0	10	24	542