John Bruce, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by Holzer Health System.
JACKSON — Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games.
Ironton’s Brycen Mullins is just one of many big-time players for the Ironton Fighting Tigers.
After Jackson moved the ball well on its opening possession, the senior playmaker did just that: he made a play.
Mullins swooped in front of a pass at Ironton’s 31-yard line to grab any momentum that Jackson had. That play helped the Tigers remain in front on their way to a 38-7 victory over the Ironmen.
“Brycen Mullins has played a lot of football for us,” Ironton head coach Trevon Pendleton said of his senior. “He’s been a three-year starter and has been in a lot of big moments and made a lot of big plays. When you are on your heels a little bit and things are going the opposition’s way, you expect your big-time players to step up and make a big-time play, and he’s done that. He extinguished the fire there early.”
Six plays later, sophomore quarterback Wyatt Wolfe rolled to his right and found Kayden Edwards downfield. The Boston College commit evaded a defender before splitting two more and reaching pay dirt from 31 yards out, giving Ironton (5-0) a 7-0 lead with 5:48 to play in the first quarter.
After settling for a punt on their next possession, disaster struck for the Ironmen.
The snap to the punter was high, giving Ironton the ball at Jackson’s 16-yard line. Four plays later, Mullins muscled his way through a pair of would-be tacklers and into the end zone with 56.9 seconds to play in the first.
Jackson pieced together a lengthy drive on the ensuing possession, but still faced a 4th and 9 at Ironton’s 37.
Instead of looking downfield, C.J. Crabtree looked the defense off to his left before tossing it to halfback Tate Rosler on the right. Rosler took the ball and followed a convoy of blockers to go 37 yards untouched, getting Jackson on the board with 6:19 to play in the first half.
Once again, Mullins made a major impact on the very next play.
The senior caught the ensuring kickoff at his own one-yard line and found a seam, returning the kickoff all the way to Jackson’s 33-yard line. One play later, Wolfe connected with Tyson Harvey at the 10-yard line, where Harvey broke two tackles before scoring only 19 seconds after Jackson’s score, pushing the lead to 21-7.
“Brycen was able to get some field position and put some momentum back to us,” Pendleton said of Mullins’ kickoff return. “We talk about that all the time, where we have to weather the storm a little bit and then when an opportunity presents itself, you gotta be the storm and get that momentum back quickly.”
Jackson got a big play on special teams themselves when Dayton Kallner took the kickoff into Ironton territory. However, it was wiped out on the very next play when Silas Edwards laid down a huge hit in the backfield, knocking the ball loose.
CREDIT: John Bruce/SOSA
Ashton Layne quickly pounced on the fumble to regain possession for the Fighting Tigers.
Ironton was unable to turn the fumble into a touchdown, but junior Beckham Waginger nailed a 22-yard field goal with 3:45 left in the half to push the lead to 24-7, which they carried into the break.
Ironton’s defense controlled the remainder of the contest, denying Jackson at every turn and giving its offense the chance to push the game into a running clock.
Wolfe later scored from 18 yards out on a 4th down sneak, breaking multiple tackles along the way. The night’s final score came on a nine-yard run from Harvey, with 3:59 to go in the third.
Ironton’s schedule doesn’t get any easier next week as it welcomes Big Walnut to Tanks Memorial Stadium next week for a major challenge. Jackson will attempt to bounce back with a home date against Miami Trace.
“Be present, be where your feet are and go 1-0 every week,” Pendleton said of his team’s schedule difficulty. “They all count the same and you don’t get two wins for beating certain opponents. They all count as one. We just have to go out and take care of business.”
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