Derrick Webb, Managing Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
JACKSON — When the rubber met the road on Friday night, Jackson’s Ryan Seimetz was in the driver’s seat.
Trailing 21-17 with less than a minute to play in a Division III, Region 12 Quarterfinal, the Ironmen put the ball in the hands of their best two players.
Bodhi Wolford delivered a picture-perfect pass and Seimetz, seemingly flying through the air, grabbed it in the back of the end zone to give Jackson (9-2) a lead and, eventually, a 24-21 victory.
“First off, the line led the way all night long and I couldn’t be happier with how they played,” Seimetz said. “They just seem to be progressing week by week. Bodhi and I have been best friends since grade school, and I knew he was gonna put it where only I could get it. After that, I just made a play and celebrated with my teammates and the community.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Seimetz’s final catch of the game is what you’ll see on highlight reels. But in an overall sense, it was just one of many plays he made throughout the evening.
The senior ended the night with 17 carries for 197 yards and two touchdowns while bringing in two receptions for 16 yards, including the game-winner.
“[The win] is everything to us,” Seimetz said. “The support from the community, friends, and family is everything. We didn’t start how we wanted, but we showed resilience when we needed it most.”
After Miami Trace (10-2) received the football and promptly went three-and-out, Jackson’s Charlie Woodard got his paws on the punt to give the Ironmen excellent field position.
Five plays and 40 yards later, the Ironmen had a 7-0 lead after a 14-yard touchdown run from Seimetz.
The Panthers, however, had an answer.
After chunk runs from Cooper Enochs, Julian Baker, and Baron Phipps, Enochs ended a 68-yard scoring drive with a five-yard touchdown run, making it 7-7 with 1:22 to go in the first quarter.
Throughout the second, both teams traded possessions. But late, with 1:10 to play before halftime, Seimetz intercepted a pass and the Ironmen went to work.
Wolford spearheaded a magnificent drive, putting the Ironmen in position to take a lead. Thatcher Brown then nailed a 40-yard field goal to make it 10-7 at halftime.
PHOTOS: Images from Jackson’s playoff win over Miami Trace
That tally stayed intact until the 3:59 mark in the third.
That’s when Baker capped off a time-consuming drive — one that took six minutes off the clock and spanned 80 yards — with a two-yard touchdown plunge to put the Panthers ahead 14-10 with 3:59 left in the third.
“None of those last five wins [over Miami Trace] have been easy by any means,” Seimetz said. “They are a great team with Division I talent and great coaching. They came out with a much different offense than we were prepared for, so that kept us off-balance all night. Hats off to their seniors on a great season and careers.”
Seimetz provided a counter punch with 8:13 remaining in the contest. After the Ironmen had been pinned at their own two-yard line with a coffin corner punt, Seimetz took a handoff, hit the hole and sprinted 95 yards to pay dirt to make it a 17-14 victory.
However, just 18 seconds later, at the 7:55 mark, Baker put Miami Trace back on top with a house call of his own, coming from 65 yards out for a 21-17 score.
And that’s where things stood until Seimetz embraced the hero role.
The Panthers had a chance to close the game late but Jackson’s defense came up with a huge fourth down stop with 4:21 remaining, giving the offense possession at its own 33-yard line.
Methodically, the Ironmen began to move the chains.
Seimetz ripped off a 14-yard rush to MT’s 48-yard line and Gavin Sites moved the ball to the 27 with an 11-yard gain. Four plays later, Wolford found Seimetz for the game-winner, putting Jackson into Week 13.
“The senior group, as a whole, knew exactly what we were capable of doing,” Seimetz said. “Leadership is crucial in times of hardship and we did whatever we could to let the underclassmen know what had to be done.”
Following Seimetz, in a statistical sense was Wolford, who went 8-of-19 passing for 83 yards and a score.
For the Panthers, Baker had 29 carries for 178 yards and two scores while Enochs finished with eight carries for 32 yards and a touchdown.
While Miami Trace’s season comes to a close, Jackson will now travel to London on Friday in a Division III, Region 12 Semifinal. The Red Raiders nipped Archbishop McNicholas by a 17-14 final to advance.
“We know what’s in front of us and that’s all we’re focused on,” Seimetz said. “We’ll celebrate this one over the weekend, but it’s right back to work on Monday. London is a great team that will make us play assignment football. We definitely need to clean up mental errors and improve our tackling in the week ahead.”
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