Carson Francis, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by Holzer Health System.
IRONTON — Bloomington South (Ind.) could not have run into Ironton at a worse time.
Coming off a heartbreaking 47-40 loss in overtime to Big Walnut a week ago, the Fightin’ Tigers were longing to get back on the field and make things right.
And when the lights came on Saturday night at Tanks Memorial Stadium, Ironton (6-1) released all its frustrations onto one of Indiana’s top programs.
Sophomore quarterback Wyatt Wolfe put on a show for his home crowd by completing 19-of-24 pass attempts for three scores, breaking Ironton’s single-game record with 453 passing yards.
Wolfe spread the wealth all night long, helping three different Ironton receivers reach over 100 receiving yards as the fireworks on offense boosted the Fightin’ Tigers to a 37-0 bounce-back win.
“Last week was a heartbreaking loss. We played our hearts out, but just ran out of time,” Ironton’s Easton Caudill said. “We came back to practice and worked ten times harder. That’s just what it takes.”
The Panthers (6-1) took the ball first and marched straight into Ironton territory, reaching as far as the 13-yard line. However, Ironton’s defense put a stop to the drive when Tyson Harvey picked off a pass in the end zone on 2nd and 5 at the 8:29 mark.
But, the Tigers couldn’t capitalize on their first drive as a missed field goal kept them off the board. The two teams would exchange possessions from there, leaving no score through the opening frame.
Things began to click for Ironton in the second quarter, however.
The offensive explosion began at the 10:40 mark when Wolfe sat back in the pocket and found a wide open Caudill down the seam. Caudill turned on the jets and darted his way to the end-zone for a 74-yard touchdown to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead.
“[Wolfe]’s just got a chip on his shoulder, and when coach called that, I just knew it was going to be open,” Caudill said. “He had full confidence, and once he saw it wide open, he just threw it and got the job done.”
Caudill’s night was far from over, though.
After a missed Bloomington South field goal, Ironton took the ball and marched straight back into enemy territory before Caudill ran for a one-yard score to extend the lead to 15-0, following a two-point conversion on a pass from Wolfe to Harvey.
The Panthers returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards to the end zone, but it was waived off due to a holding penalty. They would then be forced to punt, giving Ironton one more chance to add on before halftime.
Sure enough, the Tigers salted the wounds when Wolfe connected with Brycen Mullins for a one-yard passing score with just three seconds left in the half, sending Ironton into the break with a 22-0 lead.
“We’ve got a group of athletes who do everything around the field. Every guy on this field is special,” Ironton’s Kayden Edwards said. “You’ve got Easton and Wyatt making plays, you’ve got Nolan [Wolfe] making plays. It can’t be a one-person team, and we have great players all around.”
And with a blown 15-point second-half lead still in the back of its mind from a week ago, Ironton kept its foot on the gas throughout the second half.
After both teams exchanged possessions to start the third quarter, Ironton again moved the ball back into Panther territory. From the 34-yard line, Wyatt Wolfe lofted a pass down the sideline for Nolan Wolfe, who made an acrobatic back-shoulder grab to set up the Tigers at the four-yard line.
Harvey finished off the drive with a rushing touchdown at the 1:56 mark before Wyatt Wolfe found Bryson Kerns in the end zone on the two-point try, extending the lead to 30-0 heading into the fourth.
Still, the Fightin’ Tigers had room for one more highlight-reel moment.
Edwards, who had already put up video game numbers to that point, turned a screen pass from Wyatt Wolfe into an 85-yard house call with 8:16 to go, putting an exclamation point on a 37-0 win — sending the Panthers back to Indiana with their first loss of the season.
“Good teams bounce back, so we took practice extra seriously. Preparation was crazy, extra film hours and extra time on the field,” Edwards said. “Being with this group of guys, this is special. It definitely took extra preparations to get the job done.”
As the regular season winds down, the Fightin’ Tigers will travel to Harvest Prep next Friday.
And, after Ironton was stripped of the opportunity to defend its state title last season, it hopes to finish the regular season strong and climb back to the top of the mountain come playoff time.
“We’re definitely not taking our foot off the gas. We’ve still got a bad taste in our mouths from last season, and I’m never going to forget about that,” Edwards said. “Harvest Prep doesn’t like us, and we don’t really like them, either. It’s definitely going to be a good game, but I’m not taking my foot off the gas and I know my guys aren’t going to take their foot off the gas.”
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