Jackson Ironmen steamroll past Ross
By: Sam Nolan
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JACKSON, Ohio (WOUB) — The Jackson Ironmen showed up at home with a clear gameplan. Run. The. Ball. The Ross Rams started off with possession and coughed it up almost instantly.
Cade Wolford, star running back from Jackson, took the opportunity and ran for an 18-yard touchdown to get the team started off right. Jackson then forced another fumble but couldn’t capitalize this time around. A missed field goal kept them at 7-0.
The defense held up once again, and Jackson had a long punt return to set the offense up. Wolford capitalized this time around, with a 13-yard rushing touchdown to finish the quarter up 14-0.
Jackson opened the second quarter with a 38-yard field goal, expanding their lead to 17-0. Ross struggled to move the ball much at all, but after multiple miscues by the Jackson defense, the Rams got in for a short goal-line touchdown making it 17-7.
Nolan Johnson answered right away, rushing for a long 57-yard touchdown to create a gap of 24-7. Ross rushed down the field to set up for a quick field goal, but the kick came up short and they headed into half down 24-7.
Cade Wolford showed no signs of slowing down. He opened the half with a 51-yard rushing touchdown to put his squad ahead 31-7. Shortly after, A.J. Graham from Jackson scored the very first touchdown of his career. This was a special moment for the senior tight end who battled shoulder injuries leading up to this season. He described the emotions of his big score, “That feeling is like nothing else”
Nolan Johnson kept the momentum rolling, scoring the longest touchdown of the night. The 68-yarder put them ahead 44-7. He led Jackson with 145 yards and two touchdowns tonight. Ross ended their night with an 8-yard touchdown to give them something to build off of for the coming weeks.
Coach Andy Hall, Jackson High School, was impressed by his team’s performance. Hall said, “That’s the best our defense has played all year.” He gave credit to all of his guys. He’s a coach who doesn’t allow effort to go unnoticed.
Jackson’s stifling defense combined with an unstoppable run game made them no match for the Ross Rams. The Ironmen now look ahead to conference play, at 4-1 they feel confident in the direction they are headed.