Jackson Ironmen’s momentum slowed but not stopped by resilient Eastmoor defense
By: Will Price, Zack Mothersbaugh
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JACKSON, Ohio (WOUB) — After scoring at least 37 points and winning by at least five scores in each of their last six games, Jackson finally found a tough matchup in their second-round playoff game against the Eastmoor Warriors.
A 9-2 red hot Jackson Ironmen team ran into a 7-3 Eastmoor Warrior team that came to play in the cold.
Tough defense from both teams in the game made offense tough to come by, but the Ironmen were able to pull away a little late and walk away with a 17-6 victory.
Nobody was able to put points on the board in the first quarter of this one, but with 9:55 left in the second quarter kicker Ethan Crabtree nailed a 28-yard field goal to open up the scoring and put Jackson up early.
Eastmoor wasn’t fazed however, as quarterback Devin Lloyd launched a pass that scraped the moon and dropped right down into Tramon Hairston’s arms on the very next drive.
Jackson would strike back later in the quarter, as Jacob Winters forces a fumble and A.J. Denny jumps on it to give the Ironmen great field position. This would lead to a desperation fourth and 14 where quarterback Jacob Winters rolls out of the pocket and finds wideout Jacob Wood wide open in the end zone to take the lead back 10-6
The Ironmen would go on to punch another touchdown in the fourth quarter where Tristan Prater showed his strength, both in the air on the catch, and on the ground as he fought to the pylon to put Jackson up two scores. This would be the last score of the game from either team, and Jackson would hold on in round two.
Just as it has been for the Ironmen the last two weeks, the story of the game was defense. This time though, it was the defense for both teams. This game was Jackson’s second lowest scoring output of the season, the first being a 10-point outing against Ironton. For the Warriors, this is the lowest scoring output of the season. Both teams were able to stop the run consistently forcing the opposing team into third and fourth and long plays. Some of those plays connected resulting in the three touchdowns the teams put up, but for the most part, drives resulted in punts or turnovers.
Jackson will be looking to carry what’s been a dominant defense into the regional semifinals against the Western Brown Broncos.