Sports
Jackson Wins Shootout Over Blue Lions In FAC Opener
By: Brandon Monty
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It was a bad night to be a defender in Jackson.
The Ironmen and Washington Court House squared off in an FAC opener that saw both offenses run wild.
Both squads provided no shortage of points Friday, as the Ironmen prevailed in a shootout 69-40.
For Jackson (4-2, 1-0 FAC), this snaps a two game losing streak. The Blue Lions (4-2, 0-1 FAC) surrendered over 50 points for the second time on the season.
As the score would indicate, this game wasn’t a pleasant one for either defense. For the Blue Lions, Gio Thomas turned in another big performance, throwing for 377 yards and three touchdowns through the air.
Despite this, there were many points where Thomas could not connect with open receivers and also doubled his interception total on the year, throwing two picks. Jameson McCane also put together a career game, posting 282 all-purpose yards (177 rushing and 105 passing) along with three touchdowns.
For the Ironmen, it was a revamped rushing attack that brought them the victory this week.
After running into a buzz saw against Wheelersburg and fumbling twice early on, Jackson bounced back in grand fashion garnering 495 yards on 51 attempts. Brody Landrum led the way with 188 yards on just 14 attempts, and Brice Parks wasn’t too far beyond with 163 yards on the same amount of carries.
This two-headed monster combined for five rushing scores, and quarterback Jared Icenhower had three touchdowns of his own despite attempting just eight passes. The offensive line had the Blue Lions front on their heels for all 48 minutes, as they averaged a scorching 9.7 yards per carry.
Both teams combined for a total of 1,131 yards, as they went back and forth through most of the first half before Jackson took over in the second half.
There was only one punt throughout the entire game. Jackson also set a new season high for points and made a big statement as they try to boost their resume for the playoffs.
Jackson will follow this game with two more matchups at home, as they host Miami Trace (2-4) at Alumni Stadium next week. Washington Court House will look to bounce back against Hillsboro (5-1).