Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth
JACKSON — Going into halftime on Friday, Jackson’s energy was completely invisible. The Ironmen had just gave up a special teams touchdown and trailed by five.
Put simply, they needed a spark and someone had to step up to make it happen.
Enter Bodhi Wolford and Nolan Johnson.
The duo’s energy and production was the catalyst of a dominant second half performance, aiding Jackson to outscoring Miami Trace by a 27-6 margin in the final 24 minutes.
That change of pace led the Ironmen (6-2, 3-0 FAC) to a 43-27 victory, allowing them to take sole possession of first place in the FAC standings.
“We showed some true toughness. Being 3-2 in our first five games, we’ve felt a lot of people doubt us since we hadn’t been 3-2 in a few years and we felt that aura of negativity around us,” Jackson coach Andy Hall said. “There was a feeling that our toughness was going to be challenged and Miami Trace gave us everything that we could handle. But our kids showed what they’re made of and how resilient they can be.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Johnson wasn’t heavily featured throughout the first half, getting just six carries.
However, once the second half came around, it was his show as he toted the ball 21 times, delivering one crushing run after another before ending his night with 27 carries for 182 yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Wolford played with a fire and an emotional passion not often seen from him. But he wanted to make a statement. He shined offensively, having a near perfect night as he finished 8-of-10 passing for 283 yards and four touchdowns.
Yet, it was on the defensive side of the football where he made the most noise throughout the final 24 minutes, tallying multiple pass breakups and lowering his shoulder a time or two … just to prove a point.
“What a great night they both had. We completely changed our offense and essentially ran the same two plays, mixed in with a couple pass plays,” Hall said. “Bodhi played with such an energy on both sides of the ball and he hasn’t played defense much, but you wouldn’t know it by how he played. Him and [Miami Trace’s] Trey [Robinette] are two of the top quarterbacks in the area, but I think he wanted to prove that he was the top guy and took on that challenge.”
Miami Trace (6-2, 2-1 FAC) was very opportunistic with its scoring in the first half, getting two touchdowns via a 24-yard scoop and score from Cooper Enochs, as well as an 82-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from Austin Brown.
Jackson, on the other hand, relied on big plays to score — which included a 70-yard touchdown from Wolford to Ryan Seimetz, and an 88-yard score from Wolford to Gaven Jones.
However, the difference-maker in the first half was Trey Robinette connecting with Gaige Stuckey on a 34-yard touchdown to give Miami Trace a 21-16 lead at halftime.
This is where Jackson’s formula changed and, instead of trying to outsmart the Panthers, the Ironmen decided to overpower them.
Johnson received all eight carries on the Ironmen’ opening drive, the final one being an eight-yard score to give them a 22-21 lead. They continued to feed him on the next drive, which ended with the same result, a 10-yard touchdown to go up 29-21.
“We got that first touchdown, and got a stop before scoring again. That stop was the moment I felt that we had the game and momentum was turning in our favor,” Hall said. “If we could score on the next drive, then we had the game in hand with the way our defense was playing. We had only given up one offensive touchdown, but they had 14 points off of our mistakes, so our defense was doing their jobs.”
Feeling the tides turn in its favor, Jackson was all gas and no brakes.
With the ball on MT’s 45-yard line, the Ironmen ran a perfect play-action fake as Wolford found Jones open again for a 45-yard touchdown, marking 20 straight points for a 36-21 lead.
Up to that point, Miami Trace had only ran nine offensive plays throughout the entire second half. The Panthers were desperate for any sign that they still had life. Robinette connected with Enochs on a 20-yard touchdown, but a blocked PAT still kept it a two-possession game with a 36-27 score.
The problem was the Panthers’ defense simply couldn’t stop the Ironmen. Johnson ran the ball to MT’s 4-yard line and, despite a couple of penalties pushing the offense back, Wolford still managed to throw his fourth score of the night on a 19-yard strike to Charlie Woodard that put the game on ice.
“We confused ourselves too much in the first half, so we ran iso, power and a couple passing plays the entire second half,” Hall said. “I didn’t care if our guys told them what the play was. We were running the ball the whole way and I told the offensive line that this game hinged on how they were going to perform. We challenged them at halftime to show who the toughest team is and I think we showed it.”
Following Wolford and Johnson’s final numbers, Jones finished with two catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns. Seimetz added three catches for 94 yards and a score, and Woodard had two catches for 50 yards and a touchdown.
Robinette went 11-of-21 passing for 156 yards and two touchdowns for Miami Trace, Enochs had four catches for 43 yards and a touchdown, alongside a fumble recovery for a touchdown, and Stuckey added a 34-yard score.
Jackson returns to action at home on Friday against Hillsboro for FAC action, while Miami Trace travels to Chillicothe.
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