Pirate defense melts down Ironmen, 17-7
- Staff
- Sep 7
- 3 min read
JACKSON — Another superb defensive game and a key touchdown pass in the first quarter helped to turn the tide of the game in Wheelersburg's favor, as the Pirates defeated the Jackson Ironmen 17-7 in a hard-hitting showdown on Friday night at Alumni Stadium.
Wheelersburg head coach Rob Woodward had a simple answer for how his defense played.
"Lights out."
It certainly was a lights out game for the defense, as the Pirates held the Ironmen to just 76 yards on the ground, 56 yards through the air, and gave up a single first down in the second half to suffocate Jackson's offense.
"Obviously there's always the concern of whether or not we are finishing drives, are we moving the ball, are we doing something. We went into the game knowing what things they do and what things we do. And you're just trying to hash that out, blow-for-blow for a little bit and make the right adjustments," said Woodward.
But in the early going, the Ironmen seemed to be in control of the games' momentum.
The Pirates stalled on the opening possession near midfield and lineup up to punt. But a pass attempt from Cooper Heimbach fell incomplete on a fake puny, giving the ball to the Ironmen at their own 47.
Jackson (2-1) drove as far as the Pirate 23, but a sack by Brady Doss on fourth down ended the drive, giving the Pirates the ball back.
But a fumble on the next play from scrimmage gave the ball right back to the Ironmen and they cashed in on the takeaway five plays later.
On 2nd-and-goal from the1, Gavin Sites followed his right side into the end zone for the games' first points. Thatcher Brown's extra point made it 7-0 with 4:03 left in the first.
But the momentum swung back in the Pirates' favor on their next possession.
Four plays into the drive, quarterback Braylon Rucker hit Doss on a 15-yard pitch-and-catch to move the Pirates close to midfield. Then two plays later, a play fake from Rucker made the safety bite on the run, and Rucker hit a wide-open Doss in stride for a 59-yard touchdown pass.
"All week, our offensive coordinator said that was the touchdown play. I got a little antsy. I knew it was gonna be a touchdown," said Doss.
Heimbach added the point after to tie the game up at 7-all with 20 second remaining in the opening frame.
Doss turned in a huge game for the Pirates on both sides. The senior caught 4 balls for 112 yards to go along with his score. Then on defense, Doss helped to keep the Ironmen offense in check.
"Coach, emphasized physicality when we were on defense. Last year, we weren't as physical and I think that hurt us the most. I think that's what our team executed well tonight," said Doss.
Woodward gave high-praise to his senior tight end/linebacker.
"(Brady) has continued to be a force for us. That tight end position is always an unsung hero," said Woodward. "My dad has told me for years 'use your tight end'. But it definitely worked out for us tonight.
After the break, the Pirates continued to
"Ultimately at halftime, we came in and said here's what they're doing and here's what we can do and we communicated that to our kids. They're super coachable and it's amazing what a year does for kids to learn like that."
"We gotta refocus now with two SOC games coming up and now we'll prepare for that."
The Pirates return home next Friday night against Northwest in Southern Ohio Conference action.
Wheelersburg 7 0 7 3 = 17
Jackson 7 0 0 0 = 7
First Quarter
Jax — Gavin Sites 1 run (Thatcher Brown kick), 4:03.
Wh — Brady Doss 59 pass from Braylon Rucker (Cooper Heimbach kick), 0:20.
Third Quarter
Wh — Stephen Hall 1 run (Cooper Heimbach kick), 0:22.
Fourth Quarter
Wh — Cooper Heimbach 36 field goal, 11:56.
———————
Wh Jax
First downs 12 6
Rushes-yards 42-149 22-76
Passing yards 130 56
Total yards 279 132
Cmp-Att-Int 7-14-0 6-14-1
Fumbles-lost 3-2 1-1
Penalties-yards 5-40 8-60
Punts-average 2-37.0 6-33.17
———————
Individual Leaders
RUSHING — Wheelersburg: Kenyon Evans 1-minus 3, Braylon Rucker 12-0, Stephen Hall 12-51 TD, Elijah Brown 10-84, Brady Music 6-22, Team 1-minus 5; Jackson: Charlie Woodard 2-28, Bodhi Wolford 5-1, Ryan Seimetz 7-29, Ashton Seymour 1-3, Gavin Sites 7-15 TD.
PASSING — Wheelersburg: Braylon Rucker 7-13-0 130 TD, Cooper Heimbach 0-1-0 0; Jackson: Bodhi Wolford 6-14-1 56.
RECEIVING — Wheelersburg: Brady Doss 4-112 TD, Kenyon Evans 2-12, Hunter Bivens 1-6; Jackson: Charlie Woodard 4-22, Ryan Seimetz 2-34.
MISSED FIELD GOALS — None.
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