Tyler Hart, Contributor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
IRONTON — For four years, when it comes to playing on its home turf, Ironton has been nearly unbeatable.
CREDIT: Tyler Hart/SOSA
This senior class has left behind a trail of dominance, unlike any other class in school history, and it gave the Tiger faithful one final memory on Friday at Tanks Memorial Stadium.
The Tigers (12-0) used a first half offensive explosion and put things on cruise control the rest of the night as they advanced to Week 13 with a dominant 48-7 victory over OVC rival Portsmouth — the second win over the Trojans in the last three weeks.
The Tigers’ seniors end their careers with a mark of 28-1 on their home field.
“It’s a blessing to be 28-1 at home and that loss was a to a Division I powerhouse,” Ironton quarterback Tayden Carpenter said. “Obviously, our work during the summer has paid off and I’m just glad to be here.”
Ironton was led by Jaquez Keyes on the ground and the Wisconsin commit wasted no time getting off to a hot start with a 38-yard run to help set up the first score of the evening. Tayden Carpenter dropped back and found an open Landen Wilson for a 22-yard touchdown, putting the Tigers ahead 7-0.
Portsmouth (7-5) looked to respond but was forced into a three-and-out by Ironton’s defense, which later led to another quick strike for the Tigers.
It was another two-play offensive series as Carpenter started the short-lived drive by finding the hands of Shaun Terry for 18 yards. That led to Keyes taking a handoff and waltzing 17 yards into the end zone to put the Tigers up 14-0.
“We knew we needed to strike fast and we know we have a strike-fast offense,” Keyes said. “We wanted to come out and prove that tonight.”
Ironton’s defense came up big on the ensuing Portsmouth series as the Trojans were forced to punt away on a 4th and 20 from their own 32. The booted ball was blocked at the line and Ironton’s Deangelo Weekly snagged the ball still in the air, catching it in stride before getting tripped up at the 1-yard line.
He later capitalized on his efforts with a rushing score from a yard out, giving Ironton a 21-0 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
The scoring stalled for a bit in the second, but that changed at the 6:25 mark when Keyes logged his second score with a 47-yard dash to put the Tigers up 28-0.
On the team’s next offensive series, Carpenter connected with Braden Schreck running towards the middle on a screen pass and running 27 yards to pay dirt, putting Ironton ahead 35-0 at halftime.
Despite a running clock, Ironton wasn’t slowing down as Bailey Thacker threaded the needle over two Trojan defenders to find C.J. Martin jumping in the back corner of the end zone, extending the lead to 41-0 in the second half.
Portsmouth tacked on its lone score of the night when Tyler Duncan connected with Jayden Duncan on an eight-yard touchdown pass just before Ironton’s Jesse Copas ended the night with a pylon dive, scoring a 16-yard rushing touchdown to seal the victory.
Keyes finished the night with eight carries for 115 yards alongside two touchdowns while Carpenter went 7-of-11 passing for 146 yards and two scores.
Portsmouth’s Tyler Duncan was 15-of-20 passing for 122 yards and a touchdown while Brenden Truett added 16 carries for 60 yards. Jayden Duncan caught six passes for 56 yards and a touchdown.
“This win means everything,” Keyes said. “I got here my sophomore year and since I got here, they brought me in and I’ve felt like family. I’m just happy to be a part of this and I’m happy to be a part of this win tonight. This is a great team.”
While the Trojans’ season comes to an end, Ironton advances to a Division V, Region 19 Semifinal against West at 7 p.m., Friday at Portsmouth High School.
The Senators advanced with a 21-0 win over Coumbus Academy.
“We’re going to have to be focusing on us only,” Carpenter said. “We’ve got to clean up some stuff. We have to make sure we come back next week with no mistakes.”
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