Jackson outlasts Miami Trace in marquee FAC matchup
By: Charlie Lusk
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JACKSON, Ohio (WOUB) – In a week 8 matchup, the Jackson Ironman hosted the Miami Trace Panthers in a heated conference game. Both teams came into the game 2-0 in FAC play and Jackson looked to win the conference for the fourth straight year while Miami Trace wanted to knock Jackson off their perch. Jackson would defeat Miami Trace 43-27.
As soon as the whistle blew, both teams made massive plays. On the Ironman’s first offensive drive, they fumbled a handoff, which was picked up by Miami Trace’s Cooper Enoch who would run it back for a Panther touchdown. Jackson, however, made up for the offensive mistake on the first play of the next drive. Ironman quarterback, Bodhi Wolford, threw a 70-yard bomb to Ryan Seimetz to even the score.
Despite being within striking distance for most of the first half, Miami Trace’s offense would take a while to get in a consistent rhythm. A promising drive would be halted with a Gaven Sites interception. But halfway into the second half, the Panther offense would put together a great drive kicking off an electric sequence of drives.
Panthers quarterback Trey Robinette takes the lead with a 34-yard passing touchdown to Gaige Stuckley. Both teams would trade turnovers before Jackson got the ball on their own 12-yard line with less than a minute left in the first half. Bodhi Wolford found Gaven Jones in the middle of the field who ran the ball the length of the field to score with just 36 seconds left in the half.
Not to be outdone, Joel Cashmore returned the ensuing kickoff 70 yards for a Panther touchdown to take a 21-16 lead heading into halftime.
After halftime, Coach Andy Hall’s adjustments slowed the game down allowing Jackson to take control of the game. He put together two run heavy drives in the third quarter, which both ended in Nolan Johnson rushing touchdowns on top of killing time. This, combined with the stellar play from the Ironmen’s secondary, allowed Jackson to run away with momentum in the second half to win the game.
Jackson won this battle 43-27 to take control of the FAC title race. Miami Trace looks to bounce back against Chillicothe while Jackson will build on this emotional win with their next week matchup against Hillsboro.