Sports
Jackson, Chillicothe to Revive Old Rivalry
By: Josh Vermillion
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Fresh off of a 41-20 win over Wellston in Week One, the Jackson Ironmen will host their former SEOAL rivals in the Chillicothe Cavaliers.
The Ironmen were favored heavily against the Golden Rockets, but Chillicothe will provide a big step up in competition.
“It’s a complete 180-degree turn,” Jackson coach Andy Hall said. “Wellston is going to run a lot of power offense. Chillicothe has some great athletes on the perimeter. They’ve got a lot of weapons.”
The Ironmen defense will have some adjustments to make ahead of facing Chillicothe’s spread offense and running back Nate Rosenbauer. The senior accounted for over 1,300 total yards and 16 touchdowns last season.
Much like Jackson’s Hunter Sexton, Chillicothe will also field a dual-threat quarterback in Jack Busch. The senior is new to the starting role, but his athletic abilities make him a perfect fit in Chillicothe’s system and next to Rosenbauer.
Much like the Cavaliers, Jackson plans to lean on its rushing attack in the hopes that it can allow Sexton to move out of the pocket and make plays on the ground or through the air. The success of that plan, however, depends upon the play in front of him.
“The x-factor for us is our offensive line, for sure,” Hall said. “Last week we showed some signs of doing some really good things, but we made some mistakes, too. But our offense is going to go as our offensive line goes.”
To add onto a matchup between two talented teams, remnants of an old rivalry will resurface at Alumni Stadium. It has been three years since the two teams met, but the programs are no strangers to one another.
“It makes for some intriguing football,” Hall said. “You know, they’re so close to us. And these kids grew up playing each other. There’s a lot of familiarity there, and I think that makes for some really exciting football.”
Bragging rights are up for grabs once again and the score will be settled on Friday at 7:30 p.m.