Sports
Jackson Rolls To 3-0 With Shutout Victory Over West Jefferson [Video]
By: Michael Somrak
Posted on:
After a 42-7 thrashing last season at the hands of West Jefferson, the Jackson Ironmen sought out revenge on their home turf Saturday night as they shutout West Jefferson 28-0. It was the fourth-straight time the Ironmen have won their home-opener, with the last loss coming in 2012 to Wellston.
Jackson (3-0) played a very physical game as they pounded their run game right at the Roughriders (1-2) all night long, as the Ironmen outrushed West Jefferson by 112 yards in the first half alone.
Jackson coach Andy Hall said all week that their goal was to stop the run and force West Jefferson to pass. And the Ironmen defense did just that, as their resilient front seven held the Roughriders to just 27 yards on the ground.
“Last year we weren’t tougher, so this year regardless of athletic ability we thought that we could really put it to them, and we did,” said coach Hall. “We dominated on both sides of the ball and I thought we hit as hard as we did all year.”
Quarterback Hunter Sexton led the way for the Ironmen offense on Saturday, finishing with 106 yards on the ground on 18 carries, including a QB-keeper off the right guard from eight-yards out for a touchdown to give Jackson a 14-0 lead with 7:23 left in the second quarter.
Also contributing to the Ironmen run game tonight was senior running back Derek Rafferty, who rushed for 52 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries.
All throughout the night, West Jefferson showed stints of brilliant play, but just could not capitalize against the Ironmen defense.
On the Roughriders last drive of the first half, coach Shawn Buescher dialed up a fake punt to try and steal some momentum, and it worked to perfection as they picked up the first down and then some, moving into Jackson territory.
However, the drive would end shortly after as quarterback Mitch Denes threw an interception in the end zone on a fly route intended for wide receiver Ilya Peshko.
Denes ended the night going 15-26 for 181 yards and three interceptions. Peshko caught five of those passes for 67 yards.
Jackson was more disciplined and dominant all-game long and they proved that through their intensity. Jackson totaled seven sacks on the night and constantly put pressure on Denes, leaving him flustered.
The Jackson Ironmen held West Jefferson out of the red zone the entire game. They forced three Roughrider turnovers and stifled any momentum West Jefferson tried to gain throughout the game.
Jackson now looks forward to another home matchup next week, as they host Bishop Ready on Friday.
'Gridiron Glory' airs every Friday night at 11:30 p.m. on WOUB. You can follow the show on Twitter @gridironglory, like the Gridiron Glory page on Facebook, and follow along on Instagram @woubsports. You can also join the conversation throughout the season by using the hashtag #GridGlory!