WK 4 Jackson @ Portsmouth SEOAL Game

[Trojanbuckeye]

I read all the posts and the one thing that no one has pointed out is this...The Trojans are playing more like a team this year, they are starting to gel. The Trojans will win.

[ironman02]

Good luck to the Ironmen tomorrow night. BEAT PORTSMOUTH!!!

[Keyser_sozeThrice]

Here is the preview piece from Thursday's Jackson County Times-Journal. Enjoy.


Ironmen begin SEOAL slate at Portsmouth

By PAUL BOGGS

Sports Editor

According to Jackson High School head football coach Andy Hall, there are three singular seasons within a full fall of football.

As the Ironmen shift gears from their early-season non-league schedule to that of the difficult Southeastern Ohio Athletic League, they aim to pick up right where they left off.

That being with a victory to remain undefeated, and ranked in the Division III, Region 12 computer ratings.

The Ironmen ante all of that up on Friday night at Portsmouth, as Jackson travels to play Portsmouth in just the third-ever game in the new yet sparkling Trojan Coliseum.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. along the corner of Waller and Gallia streets in downtown Portsmouth.

The Ironmen enter at 3-0, with non-league rivalry wins over Wellston, Waverly and Vinton County in the first three weeks.

As a result, the Ironmen are rated fourth in the unofficial Division III, Region 12 computer ratings, as the official Ohio High School Athletic Association ratings are released next week.

But, said Hall, the playoff picture and possibilities are the third season of three, and won’t begin until week 11.

If there is a week 11.

For you can’t reach week 11 if you can’t get past week four, as Friday’s affair marks the Ironmen’s opener in their 85th season of the SEOAL.

Hall said the SEOAL slate is the “second season” of three.

“I told the kids we are 0-0 going into this week, and to forget about being 3-0 right now,” said Hall. “This is a new season when we break it down into three seasons. The league is what matters right now, and we want to get that first league win Friday night. I think Portsmouth will look at this game in the same way. As for us, if we do what we’re supposed to do, and cut down on our penalties, we have an excellent shot.”

Indeed, penalties have been a serious problem for the Ironmen.

Jackson has been flagged 36 times this season, including a whopping 15 in last week’s 42-16 runaway victory at Vinton County.

Most of the infractions, Hall said, are of the 10-yard holding variety, which are impacting the Ironmen’s additional offensive opportunities.

“We’re getting called for holding quite a bit,” said the coach. “We are really going to focus on our technique and blocking, making sure our hands stay inside and we’re moving our feet. Our offensive linemen are not moving their feet. That’s why we’re getting called for holding. As soon as the defensive linemen move, we are just reaching out and grabbing them.”

The penalties played a key role in last week’s first half against the Vikings, which saw Vinton County stake an 8-0 advantage.

That second-quarter score had all of Southeastern Ohio thinking a major upset was brewing in McArthur.

“In the first half, we had a touchdown called back on a penalty, and two touchdown passes dropped at that point. We were doing some things that we wanted to do, but mistakes were killing us,” said Hall. “Defensively, we gave up one pass play of 92 yards. At halftime, it was not anything in particular. We just had to play better. We didn’t play very well or very hard in the first half. At any point, anybody can get beat. Upsets in football happen all the time.”

But not last Friday night in Vinton County.

The Ironmen erased an eight-point deficit with 35 points unanswered, including all but six in the second half.

Hall said the Red and White went back to the basics, and back to its traditional power running game.

Jackson amassed 244 rushing yards on 45 carries, including 226 yards on 23 attempts in the second 24 minutes.

“There was no reason to panic being down 8-0,” said Hall. “We just went back to the very basics. Running the ball with a two-tight (end) formation on almost every down in the second half.”

While Hall hailed a shift to more passing out of the Ironmen this season, the patented Jackson ground game has helped produced three victories.

Junior fullback Klay Arthur leads the Ironmen attack with 221 yards and three touchdowns on 44 carries, followed by 177 yards and five touchdowns on 23 tries by sophomore tailback Drew Ervin.

Junior tailback Derrick Meredith has 134 yards on 28 totes.

Expect the Ironmen to stick to the run again this week, given their success against the Vikings and Wheelersburg’s ability to amass 445 rushing yards against Portsmouth.

The Pirates pummeled the rival Trojans to the tune of a 68-14 blowout.

Hall highlighted what he saw from the film of that tilt.

This was the same Pirate squad which he believed his Ironmen struggled mightily against in the second preseason scrimmage.

“Wheelersburg came right out with their size and speed and ran right at Portsmouth,” he said. “That’s a bitter rivalry game too. Those two schools absolutely hate each other. But Wheelersburg basically said, ‘Here we come and you can’t stop us.’ They just ran it right down their throats and didn’t let up. I think it left some of Portsmouth’s kids a little banged up too.”

Hall believes his Ironmen can have similar success against the Trojans.

“I think there are some things we can do running the ball,” he said. “Our running backs have shown they can run extremely hard, and they block very well for each other. When you do that, that sets up the play-action pass. When they (Trojans) see what we did last week, and what Wheelersburg was able to do to them, they will be concentrating on the two-tight formation and stopping the run. They are going to make sure we don’t rush for 450 yards. But the play-action passing game is set up with the run. We don’t want to be one-dimensional.

Running and passing for Portsmouth is arguably its top returnee from last season — junior quarterback Josh Myers.

Myers has completed 25-of-58 passes for 344 yards, and is also the team’s leading rusher with 48 carries for 156 yards and five touchdowns.

“Josh Myers is their offense,” said Hall of Portsmouth. “He is their leading rusher, he’s the one throwing the ball and making them go. Wheelersburg did a very good job of keeping him in check and blitzing him to death. They sacked him a couple of times and got him rattled. The key is getting to him early and not giving him any time to throw the ball. And you sure as heck don’t want him to run it. He’s one of the fastest kids on their team. I feel like they can do some things in the passing game which can hurt you. They have good athletes and they try to platoon a lot of their kids. Everything is out of the shotgun. Wearing them out is going to be hard to do.”

But the Ironmen can wear the Trojans down if they succeed as the Pirates did with the ground attack.

Hall re-emphasized the Ironmen’s imperativeness to reduce — and eliminate altogether — penalties.

“We’re doing some things in practice this week that are mentally and physically reminding them that penalties will hurt us. Some things they will not enjoy,” he said. “We’re not going to tolerate it. In this league, we simply can’t have those kinds of penalties and win games.”

Against good teams in new stadiums.

The Trojans, which went 1-9 last season and lost at Jackson 21-20 in the final 15 seconds, won their first two games this season, including an identical 21-20 win over Portsmouth West in the stadium opener two weeks ago.

“Portsmouth is still 2-1, and still a good football team,” said Hall. “This is the first conference game in the new stadium. I think their kids will enter with the same mindset as us — this is a new season. They’ll forget about the Wheelersburg game, make the corrections and move on.”

But Hall hopes its his Ironmen which are moving on up after Friday.

“This is a very important game,” he said. “We want to start the league off right.”

Injury update

While the Ironmen are undefeated, they aren’t without their share of injuries.

Hall said linebacker Dewey Steppe re-aggravated an injured shoulder, and senior lineman Brian Jarvis will miss the remainder of the season after suffering an injured knee.

Recovering from a knee injury is senior placekicker Ryan Mullins, who returned to his entire role of placekicking and punting against Vinton County.

Mullins, who missed the season opener, has kicked extra points the past two weeks, making three against Waverly and four against the Vikings.

Hall said Mullins boomed two kickoffs into the end zone, improved his punting distance, and attempted a 42-yard field goal.

sports@timesjournal.com

[Ironman92]

10-0 Jackson in the midst of the 2nd qtr.....Jackson has been inside the 25 4 times but keep stalling. Mullins made a 42 yard FG for Jackson. Jackson around 200 yards of offense.


Josh Meyers of Portsmouth is 0-7 thus far.

[Ironman92]

2:00 till half and Jackson driving after a zero yard punt by Portsmouth


....and a big run comes back from the 20 yard line to the other side of midfield....ugh

[Ironman92]

TD Jackson...17-0


32 yard pass from Wandling to Winchester

[battlecats]

looks like a 3 win season for the Trojans.

[grndma1]

Portsmouth is coming back strong in the 3rd quarter. Score is Jackson - 17 and Portsmouth - 13.

[seasick80]

AHHHHHHHHHH!! Go trojans!!

[grndma1]

20 to 17- Trojans and still the 3rd quarter.

[seasick80]

Ptown just took the lead 20-17!!

[acf05]

portsmouth seems to have a very solid team with the ability to come back on some good teams what happened last week I hate to think wheelersburg is actually that good

[grndma1]

Jackson- 24 Portsmouth- 20 What a game.

[acf05]

is that a final score?

[grndma1]

4 minutes to go in the game. Portsmouth ball.

[seasick80]

Ptown down to the 1yd line!!

[seasick80]

TD PTOWN!!

[Mad-Dogg]

Come on p-town

[grndma1]

26 to 24 Portsmouth

[seasick80]

26-24 Ptown!! YEAH GRNDMA1!!