CHILLICOTHE – Speed is a powerful weapon, even in frosty weather.
Ironton’s quickness on offense proved to be too much for West Liberty-Salem, as they defeated the Tigers 63-21 in a Division V state semifinal football game at Herrnstein Field Friday night.
Ironton scored 29 points in the first quarter alone, and added a few more scores in the second to put the game effectively out of reach by halftime.
West-Liberty Salem, making its first ever appearance in the state semis, kept battling and scored a couple of times in the second half, which was played with a running clock.
WL-S finishes the year with a record of 13-2.
“At the end of the day, this is a team that took our program a step further than we’ve ever been before.” said WL-S coach Dan McGill. “The state final four is not an easy place to get and they did that.”
West-Liberty got two kickoff returns for touchdowns by Jack Bahan, and the other score came early in the fourth quarter, on a short run by Jack Wilcoxon.
Ironton, now 14-1 on the year, advances to the state championship which will be next Saturday at 3 p.m. in Canton.
Regarding Ironton, “Things just started bad and snowballed quick,” said McGill. “Our inability to sustain drives and tackle their athletes in space was obviously the difference in the game. They are as talented as any team I’ve ever played.”
West Liberty-Salem returned the opening kickoff to the 41. However, Nick Shifflet’s first pass of the night was picked off by Ironton and returned to the 6 yard line. Jacob Hughes took the ball across for six points with 10:51 to play. After a penalty on WL-S, Ironton chose to go for two, and Braden Schreck’s run was good to make it 8-0.
WL-S then went three-and-out, which would become a recurring theme. The punt gave Ironton the ball at their own 43. Schreck then heaved the ball deep and Shaun Terry made a sideline grab at the 16.
Four plays later, Zayne Williams scored on a 2-yard run with just under four minutes gone by.
West Liberty was again forced to punt from deep in their end. The kick was a short one and Ironton took over at the WL-S 20. They needed two plays this time, the second being a throw to Terry for 15 yards. He caught the ball on one side of the field, then weaved his way through the WL-S defense to score on the other corner of the end zone.
After another punt, Ironton started at its 43. A holding penalty pushed them back, but Kayden Edwards responded with a 66 yard dash down the sideline. The PAT followed to make it 29-0 with two minutes still left in the opening period.
The WL-S run couldn’t find any room, and a punt opened the second quarter. Ironton kept blasting away. Starting this drive at the WL-S 44, Braydon Baker got them to the edge of the red zone, then Schreck avoided pressure and ran 22 yards for the fifth score of the night.
West Liberty-Salem finally got a break on Ironton’s next drive as Tyler Carmon coughed up the ball after a gain at the WL-S 19.,
However, two plays later, Shifflet heaved the ball while trying to avoid a sack. It was pulled in by Terry near midfield and brought back to the Tigers’ 36.
Three plays later, a handoff to Maddix Markel became a 21-yard run for a score with 4:18 to go.
Ironton’s kickoff was down the middle of the field and along the ground. Bahan caught the Fighting Tigers napping and zipped down the field to put West Liberty-Salem on the board. The point-after made it 43-7.
Ironton continued its good field position, starting the ensuing drive at midfield. After holding them in check for two plays, WL-S gave up a third-down conversion pass to Williams for 11 yards. Ironton went back to the ground game, using five carries to reach the end zone, the last being a 14-yard score by Williams with just 1:23 to go in the half.
Ironton still had some firepower left. They forced another three-and-out. The kick was then returned for a touchdown by Terry who picked up some blocks early, then found a lane down the sideline to score with 11 seconds remaining. That set the intermission score at 56-7, as the PAT was low and no good.
After the break, Ironton got the ball first. They began at midfield, and had three runs to reach the 21. A throw to Markel got them inside the 5, and Carmon got the score with 8:20 for what would prove to be their final points of the game.
Bahan used his quickness again on the kickoff, this time racing about 80 yards for a touchdown. The PAT was true to make it 63-14.
As Ironton put in more of its younger players, they were finally forced to punt.
The Tigers took over at their own 30. Shifflet threw to Bahan for a 12-yard gain. That was the first time WL-S had gotten a first down on the night. They kept driving, converting a fourth down with a throw to Taran Logwood to open the fourth quarter.
After an 11-yard scramble by Shifflet, Josh Wilcoxon broke loose for 34 yards, then took it over on the next play with 10 minutes to go.
Each team then had one more possession before time expired.
“One thing it shows all the players to come,” said McGill, “is that this level is possible. I know for a lot of years there were teams that didn’t think getting to a regional final was possible. Every time that our program reaches a new milestone, it infuses confidence in future teams.”
He praised the group of 17 seniors as well. “These were 17 young men as freshmen that didn’t step on the field as superstars. They just worked their tails off to become really really good players. Their dedication in the offseason, in the weight room, during the season. We ask a ton of these guys and they met the challenge. I’m just super proud of them.