Ironton clears rival Wheelersburg to advance to the Regional Finals
By: Seth Lee
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IRONTON, Ohio (WOUB)—The Ironton Fighting Tigers (11-1) hosted the Wheelersburg Pirates (9-4) for the OHSAA Regional semifinals. The Fighting Tigers continued their postseason dominance with a 42-0 shutout of their rival.
The Pirates received the opening kick and tried a deep shot to start the game. A Tyson Harvey interception ignited the home crowd; however, the refs later ruled pass interference, and the Pirates kept possession. Wheelersburg leaned heavily on the run game during the opening drive. A mishandled snap turned a manageable third-and-five into a fourth-and-twelve, and Wheelersburg had no choice but to punt.
Ironton wasted no time on offense, as Easton Caudill burst out for a 37-yard carry to start the Fighting Tigers’ drive. Wyatt Wolfe continued the momentum, finding his older brother Nolan Wolfe for a 20-yard completion into the red zone. Caudill would combine with Harvey to establish the Ironton run game, as Harvey punched in a three-yard carry for Ironton’s first touchdown. The Fighting Tigers captured the first lead of the game, 7-0.
The Pirates offense would sputter out after penalties and sacks found the Pirates punting on a fourth-and-twenty-two.
Kaden Edwards made his presence known, rushing for 49 yards on his first touch of the game. Wolfe found receiver Bryson Kerns on a 13-yard completion before crossing the goal line himself to extend the Fighting Tigers’ lead to 14.
The Pirate offense continued to struggle, throwing an interception to Brycen Mullins to put Ironton right outside the red zone late in the first quarter. Caudill etched his name into the scorebook on a 19-yard carry with 1:23 left in the first quarter.
Wheelersburg would run the clock down, and the first quarter ended 21-0 in favor of the Fighting Tigers.
Lane Williams came to life in the second quarter, securing an interception for the Pirates and a second life for the Pirates after a lackluster punt. However, the celebration would be short-lived as a fumble recovered by Braiden Linn and the Fighting Tigers gave themselves the ball back on the ten. A rare Caudill fumble into the end zone gave Wheelersburg their second turnover in just a couple of plays.
Pirate’s offensive struggle was on display as their drive ended a few plays later with a failed fourth-and-six after only managing four yards on the drive.
Edwards and Harvey combined to push Ironton into the red zone and onto the five-yard line. Wolfe connected with Kerns in the end zone for yet another first-half touchdown and a 28-0 lead for the Fighting Tigers.
Ethan Sutton led the Ironton defense with a seven-yard sack to force a Wheelersburg third-and-nineteen, and the Pirates were forced to punt yet again.
Mullins took advantage of the field position and took off for a 17-yard carry to push Ironton into Pirate territory. The Fighting Tiger drive ended abruptly with Bryson Montavon giving the ball back to the Pirates on their own ten.
Jacob Hughes spearheaded the Ironton defense to a third-and-seventeen after a sack of his own. A couple of plays later, Ashton Layne secured another Ironton turnover with an interception and was able to return it to the ten. Edwards was the next Fighting Tiger to the end zone with just under 1:30 left on the clock. Ironton went into the half up 35-0 over their rival.
Caudill set the tone for the second half, returning the kickoff to the house, before referees would confer and decide to call it back due to holding on the Fighting Tigers. Harvey and Wolfe would combine for 58 yards on the ground before Wolfe found paydirt on a four-yard keeper for the final Ironton touchdown with 6:25 left in the third quarter. Cheers erupted in the home stands after a rolling clock was applied and announced at Tanks Memorial Stadium.
The third quarter ends after a big gain from Jack Doerr to Graer Woodward. The fourth quarter had Edwards and Layne’s interceptions called back for pass interference. Brian Kidd stood up for the Ironton defense with a 14-yard sack to kill the Wheelersburg drive.
The Fighting Tigers possessed the ball after a failed fourth-and-ten deep ball fell short of its target. Ironton ran out the remaining clock, and cheers erupted once again from the home stand.
Wheelersburg ends its 2026 campaign 9-4 with an undefeated record in conference play. The SOC-II champions entered Region 19 as a five seed and knocked out fourth-seeded OVC champions South Point. Ironton will face Fort Frye in the Regional Final at a neutral site on November 20