Carson Francis, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by Holzer Health System.
CHILLICOTHE — Rather quietly, the Jackson Ironmen are functioning like a well-oiled machine.
Despite losing eight seniors from last year’s squad that brought home a district title, the Ironmen have picked up right where they left off by putting together six wins and a draw in its first seven contests of the 2026 campaign.
And when Jackson hit the road to face Chillicothe on Tuesday evening, with first place in the FAC on the line, it was business as usual.
Behind a quick scoring spurt in the first half and a strong defensive showing, Jackson held its opponent to a goose egg for the first time this season, dropping the Cavaliers by a 3-0 final to remain unbeaten.
CREDIT: Brock Netter/SOSA
“[Jackson’s coaches] really push us in training. They want us going one-hundred percent all the time in training, which helps us with match fitness,” Jackson’s Aiden Campbell said. “They’re always pushing us to do our best, so when it comes to games, we can go perform.”
The Ironmen (7-0-1, 3-0 FAC) came out guns blazing, firing off 13 shots in the first half — seven of which came on target. With 13:02 left, the Ironmen finally broke the ice when Aiden Campell crossed the ball to Alvero Garcia, who tapped the ball into the right side of the net for the game’s first score.
Campbell continued to display his arsenal less than 90 seconds later.
At the 11:38 mark, he received a free kick before dashing down the left side and firing to the right side of the goal, where it rattled off the post and in, extending the lead to 2-0.
That two-goal advantage would hold until the break, but the Ironmen were far from satisfied.
Even after several heroic saves from Chillicothe’s Eli Esham, Jackson persisted in its attack in the early stages of the second stanza. Then, the Ironmen netted one more goal at the 30:54 mark, when Garcia found nylon for the second time, off an assist from Branson Brennen to make it 3-0.
“I just try my best, and if I can score, I try to,” Garcia said. “We have good chemistry, and we play good together. We have to keep improving and score more goals.”
The one thing Jackson had not done in its unbeaten start, however, was force a shutout.
Its defense did its job to ensure the shutout drought would end by stifling Chillicothe’s offense for the remaining time to pace the Ironmen to a victory that keeps Jackson in sole possession of first place in the league standings.
“I reckon our team bonds, and we’ve all got good chemistry together,” Campbell said. “We’ve got a lot of classes together in school, which helps us get to know each other. We watch a lot of films together, which helps us figure out what the other person wants us to do.”
The Ironmen are back in action on Thursday when they travel to Hillsboro. Meanwhile, Chillicothe (4-5-1, 2-1 FAC) stays home for its next contest, welcoming in McClain on Saturday afternoon.
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