Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
LOGAN — Experience is the greatest teacher life gives us.
On Sept. 18, Jackson ran out of steam and Gallia Academy scored twice in the final 22 minutes to squeak out a comeback win.
The Ironmen learned from that game, and completely flipped the script on Saturday.
And they made school history … again.
The greatest season in Jackson (17-2-1) history added a huge chapter to its storybook as the Ironmen dominated the second half, sealing a 3-1 victory over the Blue Devils (16-3-1) in a Division III district final.
CREDIT: Brock Netter/SOSA
“We had three goals coming into the season. Win the FAC, win the most games in a single season and win a district championship. I’m so proud of these guys,” Jackson coach Lee Lord said. “It’s such a relief more than anything. I know how hard these guys have worked and that first half was not the way we wanted to play. But they completely turned everything around in the last 40 minutes. Gallia was better in the first half, we were better in the second half. And our better was enough to top theirs.”
It marks just the second district crown in program history — the other came in 2005.
“We’re not a program that reloads every single year. Teams like this one come around every 8-10 years if we’re lucky. So when this chance happens, we have to take advantage of it,” Lord said. “We’ve had good teams in the past that have never made it here and when it was just three divisions, going through Athens, Marietta, Warren, Chillicothe, Gallia, Fairfield Union and others, it’s a gauntlet. This is so special for the guys, the program and the community.”
Considering there was some familiarity between the teams, the stalemate was on. For 30 minutes, they went back and forth, but Gallia was being more aggressive and getting the upper hand.
Then the Blue Devils got their moment.
With a free ball in the open field, Colton Reed turned on the burners, beat the keeper and slid one into the back of the net for a 1-0 halftime lead.
PHOTOS: Images from Jackson’s district title win over Gallia Academy
Although GA had all momentum and played the more physical half, things were drastically about to change. And it didn’t take long.
Less than five minutes into the second half, Jackson’s Grant Massie tapped the ball right to Ryan LeFever, who found the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1.
With all the energy in the stadium shifting to Jackson’s side, it kept its foot on the gas and struck again five minutes later.
Massie got past a defender and crossed the ball near the goal. The ball hit off a Gallia player and crossed the line for an own goal, and a 2-1 Jackson lead.
“We talked about how I needed to attack the wings and play the ball in more,” Massie said. “I finally got one to cross and Ryan has always been there to run in at the top of the box, so it’s a nice comfort to have to put that pressure on.”
It was clear the Ironmen had full control of the game as Massie was playing at a level no Blue Devil was able to match.
The Blue Devils weren’t finding any answers to netting an equalizer. They had a chance off a corner, but Jackson’s Tanner Jenkins tipped the ball just enough for it to go into play and be cleared.
The minutes winded down and Jackson was starting to taste victory. However, the Ironmen wanted the full experience and Massie provided it when he attacked before finding Fernando Rubio for a goal with 5:53 left, punching a Sweet 16 ticket.
“All of the summer workouts, late night practice, early morning practices, it all paid off in this moment,” Jackson’s Thatcher Brown said. “We used all that momentum from the first goal and just never stopped from there. This is such a great feeling.”
Jackson now advances to a Division III regional semifinal at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, back at Logan High School, and will meet with Dover, who beat New Philadelphia to advance.
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