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JACKSON — Ironton may not have the overall size that it did last year. But what the Fighting Tigers may lack in size, they more than makes up for in explosiveness.
The Tigers (2-0) racked up over 500 yards of total offense and six different players found the end zone, sending a resounding message with a dominant 51-14 victory at Jackson on Friday.
“We definitely didn’t start very well. Maybe that’s something we have to change with our pregame, but it was slow out of the gates,” Ironton coach Trevon Pendleton said. “There’s definitely some things that we have to work on in our special teams, but the guys played great all night, showed great effort and kept chipping away until something good happened.”
While the offensive outburst, in total, was impressive in itself, the domination that Ironton showcased from the second quarter on was the story of the night.
After trailing 14-12, the Tigers flexed their muscles and rattled off 39 straight points to put the game away.
However, out of the gates, Jackson (1-1) made a quick statement.
On the first play of the game, Bodhi Wolford hit Nolan Johnson in the flat, and the senior did the rest as he ran down the sideline and cut back in for a 73-yard touchdown, putting the Ironmen ahead 7-0.
Ironton pieced a drive together, and on the first play of the second quarter, Zayne Williams barreled his way 10 yards into the end zone, cutting the deficit to 7-6.
Jackson fumbled on its next drive and the Tigers took advantage of the opportunity. D’Edrick Graves found the end zone from eight yards out, putting Ironton in the lead at 12-7.
PHOTOS: Images from Ironton’s win over Jackson
“Everything comes down to our effort, and we have to be relentless for 48 minutes,” Pendleton said. “Our kids have really bought into that message. They play for the next play. They understand that our goal is to wear teams down and I thought we did a really good job with that on both sides of the ball.”
Needing to regain momentum, the Ironmen converted a pair of third downs on their next drive. That eventually allowed Wolford to finish off the drive with a one-yard touchdown plunge, putting Jackson back in the lead at 14-12.
But that’s when Ironton decided it was time to give the ball to Shaun Terry and, not coincidentally, that’s when everything began to swing in the Tigers’ favor.
Facing 3rd and 10 from Jackson’s 31-yard line, Terry took a direct snap, ran backwards while eluding Jackson defenders, spun up field, cut back and finished off a 31-yard touchdown run to make it an 18-14 game.
Ironton then forced a punt and with the ball on Jackson’s 36, the Tigers only needed three plays before Braden Schreck hit Braydon Baker for a 14-yard score, giving them a 24-14 advantage at halftime.
“Braden has been a three-year starter for us. He’s a leader and really taken control of the offense,” Pendleton said. “He’s been doing a great job this year. We gave him the keys to the car and it’s been smooth so far with him behind the wheel.”
Jackson knew it had to get a stop to open the second half. But Ironton was not taking its foot off the gas.
The Tigers drove down the field in rhythm, and Graves capped off the drive with his second rushing touchdown of the night from four yards out, making it 31-14 and, essentially, delivering the knockout blow.
From there, the Tigers scored three more times.
Schreck connected with Kayden Edwards on a 70-yard touchdown, Jesse Copas scored on a one-yard plunge and Edwards hit Tyler Roach on a 55-yard touchdown to seal a Tiger victory.
Schreck finished 15-of-25 passing for 247 yards and two touchdowns to lead Ironton. Graves found the end zone twice while Edwards had a passing and receiving touchdown.
Terry, Williams and Copas each added a rushing touchdown as well.
For Jackson, Wolford finished 6-of-13 passing for 136 yards and two total touchdowns, while Johnson finished with two catches for 89 yards and a score.
Ironton returns to action on Saturday at Marshall University, taking on Cabell Midland (W. Va.) while Jackson plays on Friday at Wheelersburg.
“We have to get off to a faster start moving forward, and hopefully that starts on Saturday,” Pendleton said. “If we do that and clean up our special teams this week in practice, then we’ll be fine moving forward.”
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