Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by Holzer Health System.
CHILLICOTHE — 350 days ago, Yusef Wilson was on the receiving end of a freak play that ended his season against Waverly.
Months of physical therapy, rehabilitation and summer workouts recovering from a torn ACL prepared him for his return to the gridiron on Thursday.
He traded in his No. 44 for No. 0, and he showed absolutely zero remorse against Jackson.
He finished the night with 22 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown, alongside a sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery for a touchdown, leading his Shermans to a decisive 35-21 victory over Jackson on Thursday.
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
“Earlier in the day, I talked to Yusef and told him that we were going to need a big play out of him tonight. But I didn’t know it was going to be that big,” Unioto’s Isaac Coy said. “He came off the edge, nailed the quarterback and took one back to the house. You can’t ask for a bigger play than that and I couldn’t be happier for him.”
With Unioto (1-0) moving up from Division IV to Division III this season, it knew the importance of sending an early-season message.
The further the goal posts move, the farther the Shermans kick.
“We focused on three things this week: believe you could do it, do your job and play tough,” Unioto coach Matt Hoops said. “Playing in front of this atmosphere was awesome, both communities really showed out. But I told our guys before the game that they were the ones putting in the work on the field, so when we review the film afterwards, what do they want it to look like? I believe they bought into that message, blocked out the outside noise and I couldn’t be more proud of them for how they played.”
Unioto’s defense opened the game by forcing Jackson (0-1) to go three-and-out. The Shermans then proceeded to put the first points on the board as Coy found Brayden Harsha for a four-yard touchdown to go ahead 7-0.
Moving to the second quarter, Unioto let a fumble loose and Jackson recovered to set the Ironmen up with a short field. That gave Israel Schindler the chance to later score on a one-yard plunge to tie the game at 7-7.
The tide felt like it was starting to turn Jackson’s way after the Ironmen forced a punt. But, Jackson decided to roll the dice on a fake punt try, only to be stuffed, setting up Unioto at the 20-yard line. Five plays later, Wilson found the end zone from two yards out to make it 14-7.
PHOTOS: Images from Unioto’s season-opening win over Jackson
Jackson had time and a chance to regain some momentum going into halftime, but that’s when Wilson made the play of the night.
He came untouched off the edge and sacked the quarterback to force a fumble. He then picked up the ball and sprinted 51 yards to the house, extending the lead to 21-7 at halftime.
“It’s opening night, and he probably made the play of the year,” Hoops said. “That was unbelievable and it couldn’t have happened to a better kid. No one works harder in the weight room than he does, and he’s done so much, not just to get back to where he was, but to be even better. He had such a huge impact on both sides of the ball and it was huge for us.”
Jackson got a stop to open the third, but fumbled on its ensuing possession and Unioto recovered.
All it took was one play for Unioto to essentially put the nail in the coffin as Coy went deep and connected with Levi Beam for a 56-yard touchdown, pushing the lead to 28-7.
“Looking at the scoreboard, we knew that a big play was needed,” Beam said. “Isaac and I practice that play and those routes all of the time. We have great chemistry together and I know I can trust him to put the ball where I can get it to make a play.”
Although Jackson managed to retaliate with a 37-yard touchdown run from Tate Rosler to close the gap, the damage was already done. Coy plunged in for a one-yard score before Jackson’s C.J. Crabtree ended the night with a nine-yard run late in the contest to close the scoring.
“Jackson’s brand of football is built on running the ball, being very physical and stopping the run as well, and I thought our guys did a great job of matching them all night,” Hoops said. “Our guys were up for the challenge and wanted to prove something to themselves. We lost a lot of guys on defense and from the first drive, they played really well. We had a lot of young guys and juniors, now seniors, who got some valuable playing time last year and those experiences definitely paid off tonight.”
Following Wilson’s final numbers, Coy finished 12-of-22 passing for 222 yards with two touchdowns and a rushing score. Beam ended the night with four catches for 116 yards and a touchdown, while Harsha added a touchdown catch.
For Jackson, Rosler finished with nine carries for 76 yards and a touchdown, Schindler added 13 carries for 72 yards and a score, and Crabtree had 12 carries for 67 yards and a touchdown.
Unioto returns to action next Friday, hosting Athens, while Jackson plays at Gallia Academy that same evening.
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