Wheelersburg stuns Ironton, stays unbeaten with hard-nosed victory

Tyler Harris, Staff Writer

Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.

WHEELERSBURG — 1,414 days.

Think of everything that can happen in that time frame.

For Wheelersburg, that’s how long it’d been since the Pirates last beat their arch rival Ironton — a 17-14 win in a regional semifinal on Nov. 13, 2021.

But as of Friday, that streak is null and void.

With all eyes in Southern Ohio were on Ed Miller Stadium, both teams came in undefeated. And with Wheelersburg desperate for revenge, this one was set up to be special from the opening kick.

And the Pirates and Fighting Tigers obliged by producing an instant classic.

But for ‘Burg, it felt different. According to head coach Rod Woodward, “seasoned” would be the right word.

“These guys have played a lot of football and they are just seasoned.” Woodward said of his group. “They have played together for a long time and we were able to see that come together tonight. These guys just love football and when they start playing selfless football like this, it’s something special.”

Wheelersburg (6-0) set the tone early as the Pirates needed just seven plays to draw first blood, thanks in large part to a 59-yard strike from Braylon Rucker to Elijah Brown.

Brown capped the drive with a two-yard touchdown plunge, giving Wheelersburg a 7-0 lead with just under nine minutes left in the first quarter.

Ironton (5-1) answered on its second possession.

The Tigers strung together a nine-play, 75-yard drive, finished off by a six-yard touchdown run from Kayden Edwards. But Ironton failed to convert the two-point try, keeping ‘Burg on top by a slim 7-6 margin with 18 seconds to go in the first quarter.

The Pirates’ next possession stalled, and Ironton went on to piece together a marathon drive — one that featured seven penalties, a 4th and 2 conversion, and 23 total plays.

The Tigers chewed up over nine minutes of clock before finally settling for a 27-yard field goal, giving themselves a 9-7 advantage at halftime.

“We weathered the storm a little bit in that first half,” Woodward said. “We knew we were going to take some punches, but our coaches did a great job going into the second half of adjusting and going back to our toolbox to find what was going to work.”

PHOTOS: Images from Wheelersburg’s win over Ironton

Coming out of halftime, Wheelersburg’s defense immediately flipped momentum with a quick three-and-out.

The Pirates then capitalized on a short field, stringing together a 48-yard drive. Just a few plays in, Rucker connected with Xavier Miller for a 25-yard touchdown pass, pushing ‘Burg back in front at 14-9 with 8:28 left in the third.

Ironton wasted no time responding, driving 80 yards in just six plays. Edwards again finished it off, this time from 11 yards out, but the two-point conversion also failed.

Still, the Tigers had regained the lead at 15-14.

While it started to feel like Ironton might be taking back control, the Pirates answered again, this time with a steady drive of their own.

After stalling at Ironton’s 26-yard line, they relied on kicker Cooper Heimbach, who drilled a 43-yard field goal to put ‘Burg ahead 17-15 with just over three minutes left in the third.

From that point on, it was all about the Pirate defense.

They bottled up Ironton’s run game, forcing the Tigers into passing situations, where they thrived.

Late in the third, Wheelersburg picked off a pass at the Tigers’ 36-yard line, but the offense couldn’t come away with points. Still, their defense stood tall, stopping Ironton on a critical fourth down deep in Pirate territory to swing all momentum back to the home side with under four minutes to play.

WATCH: Wheelersburg’s Elijah Brown and Braylon Rucker discuss win over Ironton

“A lot of those guys have been with us since they were sophomores and juniors,” Woodward said of his defensive unit. “They played fast, strong and physical. We don’t have the size of Ironton, so we knew we’d have to put our foot in the ground and step up and they did in key moments.”

With time winding down, the Pirates turned back to Rucker and Brown to seal it. Rucker connected with Brown for a 57-yard gain that set ‘Burg up at the Tigers’ 26-yard line with less than two minutes remaining.

A few plays later, Brown delivered the dagger — an 18-yard touchdown run that extended the lead to 24-15 with 1:12 left.

Ironton, out of timeouts, was forced to the air, and the Pirates snagged their second interception of the night to lock up the victory.

Nails. Coffin.

“[Rucker] has a grasp of the game and understands what we need him to do.” Woodward said of his quarterback. “He made some great decisions tonight and he’s worked hard with Elijah to have the connection they have. They know what we want to do and they were able to go out and execute in some big spots for us tonight.”

Wheelersburg was led by Rucker, who finished 14-of-19 through the air for 247 yards and a touchdown toss. Brown led all receivers with four catches for 148 yards and two rushing touchdowns, and Miller caught two balls for 45 yards and a score.

Ironton was led by Kayden Edwards who finished 9-of-17 passing for 138 yards. He also led the way on the ground, carrying the ball 23 times for 100 yards and two scores. Zayne Williams also toted the rock to the tune of 10 carries for 58 yards. Brock Biggs led the Tigers’ receivers, hauling in four passes for 75 yards.

While Ironton attempts to bounce back with a trip to Uniontown, Pennsylvania next week, the Pirates will begin SOC play at Oak Hill.

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