The Waterloo Wonders

Now that the football season has all but ended for the Fighting Tigers. I thought I would bring you a story that was brought to my attention by Jim Ridgeway a few months ago. This was about probably the biggest upset in the history of Ironton basketball. No it wasn’t the Ironton victory over the Huntington High West Virginia State Champions at Huntington. Although that Dennis Gagai led victory was a hum dinger of a win. This win involved one of the most legendary basketball team that ever ran unto any basketball court in the entire country.

Let’s go back to 1934 and the Ironton Tigers basketball team coached by Dick Gallagher and led by George McAfee and his brother Wes. The balance of the Ironton team was, and forgive the absence of the first names, Henry, Rice, Triplett and Grounds. This was the year the Tigers played the Waterloo Wonders. The Wonders won the Class B state title in 34 and 35. If I’m not mistaken the small school from out along the banks of Symmes Creek played almost 100 games and only lost 3 of those games. You must remember that in those days they played schools a lot bigger than them in most cases.

Like I said previously Ironton played the Wonders twice in the 34-35 season. The Wonders played most of their games away from home and the two games against Ironton were no different. That first game at Ironton drew close to 700 people. Although the game stayed close for the most part, the Wonders slowly pulled away toward the end and won by a score of 28-25. Coach Hairston of the Wonders gave the Tigers credit for the game that they had played against his Wonders.

The next game which was held about three weeks later. saw over 1200 people crowd into the Ironton Gym to see these Wonders take on the Ironton Tigers again. All seats were filled and there was standing room only around the floor. Ironton started the game off strong only to see the Wonders stage a comeback and take a 9-8 lead into the locker room at the half. Waterloo keep up their relentless pressure and built a 3 point lead after 3 quarters 17-14. George McAfee then took matters into his own hands and led the Tigers to the upset victory in the 4th quarter as the Tigers won the games 23-18.

The fans ran unto the floor lifting the players and the coach unto their shoulders as Ironton became only the 3rd team to defeat the Wonders in those two glorious years of Wonder Basketball.

And now you know the rest of the story!

Joe Holtzapfel

2011 Ironton Seniors

The word defeat can be used in two ways. In one sense it signifies frustration, the feeling that accompanies an experience of being thwarted in attaining your goals. It happens when there is an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest. In the other sense it refers to getting the better of, or win a victory over something. In this sense it signifies the successful attempt at defeating the other. Wins and defeats are equally important as you cannot get to know the meaning of either till you have experienced them with respect to the other.

Not my words but those of someone much wiser than I. The 2011 season came to an end for The Ironton Fighting Tigers, Saturday evening at Hamilton Township High School, as the Tigers went down to defeat at the hands of the Johnstown Monroe Johnnies by a score of 34 to 7. This season saw Ironton play what might have been the toughest schedule I can ever remember them playing. They finished the year with a 7-5 record. I would like to thank all the players, coaches, cheerleaders, band members, fans, the chain gang, the field crew, the concession workers and everyone else that helps get this Friday night off the ground.

I would like to thank the hard working bunch of young men that start in the heat of July and go into the cold and rain of November to please all of us with what they do, especially the Seniors who we will miss more than they will know.

#5 Tyler Kratzenberg
#26 Michael Lawless
#30 Tyler Hager
#32 Brandon Leach
#44 Cody Roberts
#46 Laron Beach
#50 Tom Saul
#55 Codey Jones
#57 Ryan Cox
#65 Steve Sisler
#73 Jon Shotsky
# 75 Dakota Taylor
#78 Gage Roach
#82 Schylar Fields
#85 Jake Rawlins

There is one young man in this bunch that has been on the sideline for as long as I can remember. He used to come to the games and he couldn’t have been 3 or 4 years old and he would wear his Ironton Tiger uniform and chase after the kicking tee after every kickoff. I would sit in the stands and know in his heart that all he wanted to do was be a Fighting Tiger. Well not only has he fulfilled that dream but he has lived it like no other. Michael Lawless, all Tiger fans will miss you. Like Coach Lutz always said, your motor never quit, whether you were on the practice field, or in a game time situation. I personally would like to wish you the very best along with all the rest of the Senior players.

If any of you have any ideas of what you would like to see out of this blog in the off season, drop me a line at joho1939@hotmail.com and we’ll see what we can do. I’m also on facebook if that would be more convienient. Until next time everyone take care and as always God bless and…

Go Tigers!

Joe Holtzapfel

I’ve been doing a little research this week and thought you all might like to see what I’ve come up with. Mind you these figures are all unofficial but it’s still something we can look at and go over.

My question of the week is, what team in Ohio has won more high school football games than any other high school? Better yet, who are the top 25 high schools as far as total wins? Well here is what I came up with and remember these are all my figures which are not gospel.

Wins thru 2011…..

1. Massillon……………………810….247….35
2. Canton McKinley………….785….328….42 *
3. Steubenville………………..735….302….34 *
4. Fostoria……………………..678….412….48
5. Martins Ferry………………658….346….35
6. Sandusky…………………..657….361….42
7. Warren Harding……………653….412….52
8. Piqua………………………..644….394….48
9. Bellaire………………………643….337….53
10. Dover…………………………640….339….42 *
11. Ironton……………………….638….321….44 *
12. Hamilton…………………….636….487….25
13. St Ignatius………………….633….282….32 *
14. Middletown…………………632….295….38 *
15. Troy………………………….632….377….44
16. Cinn. Wyoming……………631….187….48
17. Shelby………………………623….368….42
18. Fremont Ross…………….620….398….48
19. University School…………611….354….32
20. New Philadelphia…………608….401….51
21. Upper Arlington……………603….215….23 *
22. Mogadore…………………..601….260….22
23. Versailles…………………..600….270….27 *
24. Orrville………………………596….354….41 *
25. Napoleon…………………..589….316….32

* These teams are still playing in the playoffs and will add to their season totals for this year.

Well there you can find the answers to all my questions. As you can see, Ironton sits in the #11 spot in all time wins. The one thing I did spot that has slipped by us all is that Ironton played their 1000th game this year.

Like I said these figures are all unofficial so there may be a mistake here and there but it is something to look at.Until next time as always,

Go Tigers!

Joe Holtzapfel

Patrick Lewis with his all important kickoff return!

Who was it that said defense wins games? Well I think that person might have known what he was talking about. Last night in Amanda, the Ironton Fighting Tigers were again being generous with the football and the defense was being stingy. I’m thinking Coach Lutz was glad that the defense was feeling the way they were. In a game where the opponent was starting their series of downs at the 50 yard line, while his offense was dug deep in a hole down around the 15 yard line, the Ironton defense showed what they were made of with the stands they made, holding the Amanda offense to three field goals.

And while Amanda was kicking those field goals, the Tigers were punching in a couple touchdowns that proved to be enough to get them to the next level. Ironton had 239 yards rushing and 13 yards passing for a total of 252 total yards of offense. Amanda could only generate 81 yards on the ground to go with 49 yards through the air for a total of 150 yards of total offense. Final score Ironton 12 Amanda 9.

Now its on to Johnstown Monroe. This team has a 11-0 record so they have no idea what it is to lose this year. They will be ready to defend that record and the Tigers will have to be at their best. The team with the most mistakes will start their basketball season early. We want to make sure it is not at the Conley Center. I do want to emphsize that there is no team in Region 15 that Ironton can’t play with. Where we play is up to the OHSAA. I have seen half a dozen places mentioned and the most logical place is Athens. Athens is 80.5 miles from Johnstown and 81.5 miles from Ironton. Can’t get any closer than that. We’ll just have to wait until today to find out.

I would like to pass along my deepest sympathies to the family of Ron Lambert. Ron was a very good friend and one of the most avid fans of the Cincinnati Reds, The Ohio State Buckeyes and most of all the Ironton Fighting Tigers. Ron was a 1960 graduate of Ironton High School. He also was a very dedicated family man. He will be sorely missed by them and all of his many friends.

Everyone remember to get your playoff tickets at the high school as that is the only way they will get any credit for the tickets that are sold for the game. The school gets no credit for tickets sold at the gate. So until next time, as always….

Go Tigers!

Joe Holtzapfel

Tyler Kratzenburg and Steve Sisler (Tony Shotsky Southern Ohio Sports Photos)

We have a lot to talk about so let’s get started. First of all let’s talk about the Mud Bowl at The Tank last night. In what proved to be a toughy for the Tigers, especially in the first half when we were playing give away, The Tigers finally prevailed over the Trojans of Portsmouth 30-14.

The Trojans game plan was working to perfection as they were not just tackling the runner but going after the ball on every play. With 4 first half Ironton turnovers the Trojans kept the score at 8-6 Ironton at the end of a very sloppy first half of play.

The second half proved to be the downfall for Portsmouth as the Tigers came out and were not to be denied as Hager and White ran the ball down their throats for a final score of 30-14. Not only did this win solidify the playoffs for the Tigers it also gave them the series lead for the first time ever if my calculations are right.

Tyler Hager finished the night with around 200 yards on the ground along with a TD and Trevor White tacked on 2 TD’s and an extra point. Kratzenburg also score a TD on a 43 yard keeper.

Now let’s talk playoffs. Some say Johnstown Monroe some say Coshocton and I say Amnda Clearcreek. Who is it goingto be? The final say so comes tomorrow sometime. Right now it looks like Johnstown Monroe but they have two teams on their schedule who play today. Their final minimum average looks to be 22.4818 and should be good enough to pass Amanda Clearcreek who is sitting in the number 2 spot right now. All of Amanda’s teams have played and their final average is 22.2838 so Johnstown Monroe should pass them. That would make the Tigers traveling to Amanda Saturday to play the Aces. The final outcome will be known for sure Sunday afternoon when the OHSAA announces the pairings.

Chesapeake made the playoffs, even with the loss to Coal Grove, and are going to be sitting in the number 8 spot. They will be traveling to St Clairsville. Coal Grove failed to make the playoffs as they ended up in the number 10 spot in Division 5 Region 19. Lucasville Valley looks to play Ridgewood at home. Nelsonville York will be playing Crestview at home. Portsmouth West will be traveling to Grandview Heights in Columbus.

Division 4 Region 16. Our good friends up at Westfall made the playoffs and will be playing always tough Dayton Chaminade at home.

In Division 6 Region 23 Symmes Valley grabbed the 1st spot and will be at home against Trimble. East who are seeded number 3 will be at home against Bishop Rosecrans out of Zanesville.

The three top playoff contenders, year end and year out, are Newark Catholic, Ironton And Cincinnati Moeller. One of these three failed to make it this year. Newark Catholic will not be playing in the playoffs. Ironton will be making their 29th trip.

You have to forgive me if there are a few mistakes today as my desktop gave up the ghost and I’m not for sure I’ll get it back. This laptop and me just don’t see eye to keyboard. Until later on in the week stay warm and dry and we’ll see what the old Eye of the Tiger can come up with later on. Until then as always….

Go Tigers

Joe Holtzapfel

Can you believe that this is the last week of the regular season? Not only that but it is going to end with none other than the Portsmouth Trojans. Just like a message I got from a very good friend, throw out all the records. This one is for who takes over the overall lead in wins for this series that started all the way back in 1902. Not only that but it means a lot as to where the Tigers play in the playoffs. Portsmouth is out of the playoffs so they are playing for pride and prestige. They are coming off an overtime win at Logan last week. I’m sure all of you have heard of them, especially those of you who frequent SEOPS. A win over Ironton could sure soothe a lot of hurt from those loses of a few points, they could have won just as easy as they lost them. It’s Senior Night and the last time the Seniors will play in The Tank. Let’s make this one to remember.
OK now let’s look at how the region is shaping up as far as the playoffs are concerned.

Here is how Division 4 Region 15 looks thru week 9.
1. St Clairsville (8-1)………………………..(home game)21.5510
2. Johnstown Monroe (9-0)……………..(home game)19.9778
3. Coshocton (7-2)…………………………..(clinched)16.7653
4. Amanda Clearcreek(7-2)………………(clinched)16.2525
5. Martins Ferry (7-2)………………………(clinched)15.7000
6. Ironton (5-4)……………………………….(controls own destiny)13.9899
7. Chesapeake (7-2)…………………………(controls own destiny)13.2323
8. Indian Valley (6-3)………………………(controls own destiny)11.7611
9. Meigs (6-3)…………………………………9.4091
10. Piketon (5-4)……………………………..8.0333
All others are mathematically eliminated.
There you have it. Your guess is as good as mine. If Ironton wins there is no doubt they make the playoffs. If they lose then they would need a lot of help. I don’t think Piketon can catch them no matter what happens. Meigs would be the team they would have to worry about and they would have to be just about perfect. By that I mean Meigs has to win and all the teams Meigs have beat would have to win. Plus all the teams that Ironton has beat would have to lose. It can happen, so the best thing Ironton can do is win Friday night and there is no one to worry about.
I’ll be back later on in ther week with something on the Portsmouth Trojans so until them everyone have a great week.
Go Tigers!
Joe Holtzapfel

Patrick Lewis with his game saving defensive effort(Tony Shotsky Southern Ohio Sports Photos)

In a game that matched a D1 Simon Kenton from Independence Ky with a D4 Ironton everyone thought that this was still going to be an easy out for the Fighting Tigers, everyone but me that is. True Ironton has probably played the toughest schedule they have played in years, they still had a very good D1 team on their hands in Simon Kenton.

The game started out with the Tigers scoring first and everything seemed to be going their way until the Pioneers came up with a 70+ yard scoring pass to tie the game up. The Pioneers then scored a second time but missed the extra point and went up 13-7 with just 2:29 left on the clock. Still the Tigers kept their cool and scored again and took the lead a second time. Behind the running of Trevor White, Tyler Hager and Dion Brown and the little dump off passes of Tyler Kratzenburg, the Tigers had the Pioneers scratching their heads trying to find a way of stopping this Tiger offense. Still the Tigers scored and took a 14-13 lead with very little time left in the half. Then Tyler Hager intercepts a pass with the Pioneers trying to score late in the half and takes it to the house for a TD and a 20-13 half time lead.

Ironton again came out of the dressing room and took the half time kickoff and scored for a 28-13 lead early in the third quarter. Even with a scoring drive by the Pioneers, the Tigers defense came up with some very quality plays in the second half to preserve the victory. One of those play were by Patrick Lewis on a very important third down play when the Pioneers had a player break loose in the secondary and Lewis used his 4.5 speed to break up what looked like a sure TD pass. This had to be one of the many defensive plays of the game. Aaron Stephens and Nick Culbertson had tipped passes at the line of scrimmage and Tyler Kratzenburg had a long pass breakup that also added to the defensive effort. Pressure on the Pioneer QB also had a lot to do with it in the second half. Culbertson, Stephens, Fields, Hager, Lawless, Beach, White and Roberts all were putting pressure on the QB the entire second half.

So where does that leave us as far as the playoffs are concerned? Well number one we need a victory over those pesky Portsmouth Trojans. Again we need a total team effort. We need play from those big guys up front and from the backs who aren’t carrying the ball. How important is it to get the blocks from all these guys. If we can get a total team effort we will let the rest take care of itself.

I’ll be back later on in the week with a playoff run down so until then God Bless and as always…

Go Tigers!

Joe Holtzapfel

A man is known by the company he keeps. This can also be said of a football team so I thought we would take a look at just how tough a schedule the Tigers have had to face this year. So far this year Ironton has faced 8 opponents and 7 have winning records. Not only that but three are undefeated. Jonathan Alder, Jackson and Bishop Hartley are all 8-0. Wheelersburg is 7-1, Ashland is 7-2, Russell 5-3 and Gallia Academy is 5-3. That is a total of 48-9. The only team not with a winning record is D3 Chillicothe at 2-6.

One expert has Ironton with the 95th toughest schedule in the State regardless of class. They also consider this the 2nd toughest schedule in Division 4. Now this is as of this date. You must also remember there are over 700 teams in the State of Ohio.

Division 4 Teams with the toughest schedule:

1. Van Wert………………………….0.828
2. Ironton……………………………..0.788
3. Roger Bacon……………………..0.786
4. Ottawa Glandorf…………………0.774
5. Chaminade……………………….0.769
6. Kenton…………………………….0.765
7. Clearfork………………………….0.726
8. Orrville…………………………….0.722
9. Lima Bath………………………..0.711
10. Portmouth………………………0.703

Talk about running a gaunlet, the Tigers have really had to run thru the teeth of a mean one. Will this toughen them up for a run in the playoffs? That is something that remains to be seen.

Just thought I would give you something to talk about. Until next time as always…

Go Tigers!

Joe Holtzapfel

I did this article awhile back for a blog Tim Hodges and I were working on and here lately we received a reply that I thought was very moving and needed to be put out for all here in Ironton to see. Here again is the article and the reply that we received in regards to that article.

You often wonder what happens to coaches after they leave the Ironton area. I thought I would start a series called “Where Are They Now”. The first coach in the series will be Jim Rockwell.

Coach Rockwell coached New Lexington football to a 144-27-8 record from 1959 to 1976. He coached the 1970 and 1976 teams to the Class AA AP/UPI poll state titles. Coach Rockwell also coached unbeaten teams in 1961, 1964 and 1974. He coached 10 Muskingum Valley League championship teams, including eight straight from 1969 to 1976. Coach Rockwell was named Southeastern Ohio Coach of the year six times and coaches in the North-South game in 1971. He also coached basketball from 1959 to 1964, was head track coach from 1959 to 1973 and guided the Panthers to 12 consecutive MVL track titles. He was also New Lexington High Athletic Director from 1965 to 1976 and was inducted into the Ohio Athletic Directors Hall of Fame in 1984. Also in 1984, the school’s football stadium was named after him. In 1942, he graduated from Washington, Pa. High School, where he participated in football, basketball and track. He played in the Big 33 all-star football game and went on to play at Marshall University, helping the Thundering Herd win the 1948 Mid-American Conference Championship. He was head basketball and assistant football coach at Ironton from 1951 to 1955 and Wellston from 1955 to 1959. Coach Rockwell was named Southeastern Ohio Athletic League basketball coach of the year in 1957.

Here is the reply we received….

Just found this article. Coach Rockwell is my father. I am Jim Rockwell, Jr. (New Lex fans call me Little Rock) I was born in Ironton in 1953 while Dad was on the Tiger coaching staff. We did move to Wellston in 1955 or 1956 and I do remember Dad coaching basketball at WHS. We moved to New Lex in 1959 when I started first grade. Dad was the head coach in three sports (Football, Basketball, Track) until ’65. I played Tailback and Safety on the ’70 State Championship team. Dad was named the Class AA Ohio Coach in ’70 and I was named the Class AA Ohio Back of the Year in ’70. Dad also coached me to All-Ohio status in track in the Low Hurdles in ’71. I started 4 years at Tailback for Muskingum– even though Dad coached the night before , he did not miss one game during my college career. Dad passed away too soon in 1985. Yes, he was a great coach, but he was even a better father.

Jim we really appreciate the reply and believe me we think of your father and his family as part of Ironton’s football history and tradition. Your dad was apart of what has become something special, here along the river in this great State, as he also was there in New Lexington. Your dad is one of those men who can never be replaced but will never be forgotten.

Joe Holtzapfel

It really makes it nice when a coach has a 100 yard rusher in his stable of backs and it makes it even better when he has two but when he brings three to the table turn out the lights the partys over. That is the buzz saw the Fighting Tigers ran into when they traveled to Columbus Friday evening. Throw in three turnovers and the chances of coming away with a victory become very slim. Even with Dion Brown showcasing his talent, the Tigers couldn’t keep the Hawks from running up and down the field at will. Hartley showed why they were State Champs last year as they were near perfect against the Tigers. Best thing we can do is get ready for Simon Kenton next week and Portsmouth the week after. Both of these games become very critical to the Tigers playoff hopes. How critical, let me show you.

Here is how the computer rankings will come out this week:

1. St Clairsville (8-0)………………………19.1429
2. Johnstown Monroe (8-0)………………17.4125
3. Coshocton (7-1)…………………………16.6143
4. Amanda (6-2)…………………………….13.2330
5. Chesapeake (6-2)……………………….11.4198
6. Ironton (4-4)………………………………11.3649
7. Martins Ferry (5-3)………………………10.6250
8. Meigs (5-3)………………………………..8.6976
9. Indian Valley (5-3)……………………….8.5875
10. Wellston (4-4)…………………………..8.0750
11. Tuscarawas Valley (4-4)……………..7.3750

Why did I list 9, 10 and 11, well they all have a chance to make the top eight.

Let’s look at this from top to bottom.

St Clairsville is in and at home

Johnstown Monroe is also in and at home

Coshocton even though they have Columbus Bishop Hartley next week is still in and at home, win or lose.

Amanda Clearcreek is the fourth team in the playoffs and they will have the last home game.

Now comes the hard part.

Chesapeake should win next week against South Point but the last game against
the Hornets of Coal Grove will not be a gimme by any means. If they win they are
in if they lose they more than likely will still make it. I make their chances about 95%.

Ironton has D1 Simon Kenton coming to town next week and rival Portsmouth the
following week. If they win both games they are in for sure, if they lose a game it will be decided by secondary points and I’m not sure they can generate enough to make it. Ironton’s best option is to win both games. I rate them at about 90% at getting into the playoffs.

Martins Ferry really has a tough game next week with undefeated St Clairsville.
Ironton knows how they feel as they have been in this boat for three straight weeks.
After St Clairsville they then have to play rival Bellaire and every one knows what a knock down drag out game this one always is. If Martins Ferry wins them both they are in for sure. They must win at least one to stay alive and that looks to be the last game and I think they can pull it out. I give them a 90% chance of being the 7th team in.

Number eight is going to come down to the wire.

Indian Valley wins the last two they will be the team. If they lose and Meigs wins their last two they will be the team. If both of these team stumble Wellston and Tuscararus Valley both have a small shot at passing them but that seems highly unlikely. I give Indian Valley the best chance at 55% with Meigs very close at 50%.

This race at the bottom is getting very interesting. All I can say is stay tuned and we
will keep you as informed as possible.

Until later on in the week when I try and find out what the Tigers are facing with the likes
of Simon Kenton. Have a good week and until then God Bless and as always….

Go Tigers!

Joe Holtzapfel