History repeats itself as Ironton dominates River City Rivalry rematch
By: Andrew Woods
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IRONTON, Ohio (WOUB)- History repeated itself in Ironton tonight. Earlier this year, the Ironton Fighting Tigers (11-1) shut out the Portsmouth Trojans (8-4) 50-0. In this River City Rivalry rematch, the Fighting Tigers shut out Portsmouth again, winning 44-0.
Portsmouth started with the ball but went three-and-out. With good field position, Ironton immediately began taking control of the game when Brayden Schreck found Shaun Terry in the end zone for a 17-yard TD.
The next two drives for Ironton were remarkably similar. Both times, the Trojans pinned the Fighting Tigers within the 1-yard line. However, both times, Ironton drove 99 yards for a touchdown. On the first drive, after a long Tyler Roach catch and run, Schreck punched in a 1-yard touchdown. The second time, Schreck’s pass to Roach resulted in a 33-yard touchdown.
Schreck led the Ironton offense throughout the game, throwing for 161 yards and two touchdowns as well as rushing for 27 yards and a touchdown
As the second quarter wound down, Ironton found itself knocking on the door of the end zone. However, Portsmouth stopped the Tigers short. Ironton would not back down though. After forcing a three-and-out, the Fighting Tigers blocked the Portsmouth punt for a safety. Ironton would carry a 23-0 lead into the half.
The Ironton defense impressed throughout the game. The Fighting Tigers never allowed Portsmouth in the red zone and allowed only 125 yards of total offense.
Ironton extended their lead right as the second half began when Kayden Edwards ran the opening kickoff all the way to the end zone.
This touchdown forced a running clock, but Ironton’s offense was not finished. Tyler Carmon found the end zone twice in a row, scoring a 3-yard touchdown in the third quarter and a 1-yard touchdown in the fourth. Ironton closed out the game after this touchdown, winning 44-0.
Ironton moves to the regional semifinals. In a rematch of last year’s regional semifinals, Ironton will play Harvest Prep (9-2) at a neutral site that has not been determined at time of writing.