The Eye of the Tiger

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

A Touching Reply To ” Where Are They Now”

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

Bishop Hartley 34 Ironton 16

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

Jackson 28 Ironton 22

Ironton Tanks Memorial Field and Bob Lutz Field

I get a phone call last night asking if we stand a chance at making the playoffs again this year and my answer was, get ready to go on the road. Now before we get into that let’s revisit Homecoming night at The Tank.

The visiting Jackson Ironmen came into Ironton on a mission and accomplish that mission they did. The Ironmen needed a victory over the Tigers to make the playoffs and that is one victory they got even though it was a hard earned one. When it seemed like the Tigers had taken all the steam out of the Ironmen in the first half, big Mo changed in the form of a TD pass with about 6 seconds left on the clock. Our trouble started with a big kick return to about midfield. Then the jump ball TD pass with virtually no time left on the clock and the Tigers in the prevent. Like Coach Lutz says, they made the plays when they had to and we didn’t. Final score Jackson 28 Ironton 22.

Now let’s review where we stand as far as the computer race goes and what kind of chance we have at making the playoffs. First of all here is the latest standings:

1. St Clairsville (7-0)……………14.6837
2. Coshocton (6-1)………………14.4071
3. Johnstown Monroe (7-0)……13.7786
4. Amanda Clearcreek (5-2)…..12.6919
5. Ironton (4-3)……………………10.1643
6. Marins Ferry (5-2)……………..9.0143
7. Chesapeake (5-2)……………..8.5051
8. Wellston (4-3)………………….8.3786

In looking at the rest of the remaining schedule, it looks to me like this. I’ll list the teams I feel has a chance to make the playoffs and my reason for feeling that way.

Coshocton……………………Clinched home field
St Clairsville………………….Clinched home field
Johnstown Monroe………….Clinched home field

Amanda Clearcreek…………Clinched playoffs

Has the best chance at the last home field spot. They have Fairfield Union (0-7) and Bloom Carroll (1-6) left on the schedule who they should beat.They also have a very tough and undefeated Logan Elm (7-0) but with the lead they have they should eek out Martins Ferry for that final spot.

Martins Ferry…………………Clinched playoffs

The Red Riders have Edison (3-4) and rival Bellaire (3-4) left on their schedule and they should win both these games. They also have an undefeated St Clairsville standing in their way and that may not bode too well for them. Still they will make the playoffs even if they have to go on the road.

Ironton………………………….About a 90% chance at making the playoffs

The Tigers still have a very tough road ahead of them. Defending state champ Bishop Hartley (7-0) out of Columbus is the next opponent on the Tigers schedule. Then they have a D1 Simon Kenton out of Independence, Ky coming to town. Rival Portsmouth (2-5) then finishes off the season for the Tigers.I think the Tigers have to win 1 and maybe 2 of these remaining games to make it into the playoffs.

Chesapeake………………….An 85% chance

The Panthers have rival Fairland (3-4) to lay next week,South Point (1-6) the following week and they finish off the season with the Coal Grove Hornets (3-3) in what could be for the OVC championship.

Wellston………………………60%

The Golden Rockets have to contend with a very good Athens Bulldog (7-0) team and that will be quite a task. Meigs (4-3) isn’t a given either. Then they play Vinton County (1-6) who they should put away.

Indian Valley………………..50%

Don’t count these guys out yet. they have Fairless (2-5) who they should beat. Then comes two teams who can be very tough on Indian Valley. Tuslaw (3-4) and Tuscarawas Valley (4-3) will both be a very tough challenge and won’t be easy.

Well there you have it. This is just my opinion but I think we will make it into the playoffs and add to the number of times we have made it into the Ohio Playoffs.

So until later on in the week when we come back and update  what is happening with these Ironton Tigers. Everyone have a great week and as always..

Go Tigers!

Joe Holtzapfel

I’m Back……

There comes a time when everyone needs a little time off and this past week was my time for some R and R. The wife and I, along with some of her family, took a trip out West to visit Las Vegas, Nevada. We just got back last night and believe you me I am one tired puppy. So now it’s back to the task at hand but before I do that I did see one person I knew while I was there. Seems I always run into someone from the wonderful world of sports that I remember. Last time it was old Los Angeles Dodger 1st Baseman Steve Garvey and this time from the world of boxing Ernie Shavers.

OK now to re-visit the Ironton-Jonathan Alder game. Ironton may have played the best
team on their schedule in Division 3 Alder. Things stayed rather tight in the first half
as neither team could muster an offense. Things changed after half as Jonathan
Alder came out of the dressing room and immediately went to work and put 17 on
the board. Ironton had no answer for the Alder attack and the score ended up 17-0 with Alder getting the win.

Now it’s on to the third undefeated team in a row on the Tiger schedule, the Jackson Ironmen. The Ironton and Jackson series started in 1910, It has been going off and on for 101 years. This game always seems to be a very good one. This years game will be very important, especially for the Ironmen. They are in a very good region this year and with their schedule can’t afford to lose one game. Ironton on the other hand doesn’t have that knid of pressure on them to make the playoffs. A couple more wins should make them a shoo-in. I’ll get you a complete rundown of the game and Homecoming activities after the game tomorrow night. Everyone get that ticket early and I’ll see you at the game. The guys are going to need us to make that stadium rock tomorrow night for Homcoming. Until then God Bless and as always…

Go Tigers!

Joe Holtzapfel

Computer Points Week 5

We have reached the half way mark in the high school football season and the main point of interest now is that of making the playoffs. Where do we stand and what are the chances of us playing for another title? Well here is what I’ve come up with so far thanks to the help of a couple of real experts in the world of Ohio high school football, Joe Eitel and Drew Pasteur.

First let’s take a look at Joe Eitel’s computer points totals for this week in Region 15 Division 4 after Week 5

1) Coshocton……………………10.4000
2) Johnstown Monroe…………..9.1500
3) St. Clairsville………………….9.1429
4) Ironton………………………….8.4000
5) Amanda Clearcreek………….8.1939
6) Meigs……………………………5.9500
7) Chesapeake……………………5.6313
8] Martins Ferry…………………..5.6000

Pretty much the same as last week. Only one dramatic change is going to take place if you go by what Drew Pasteur thinks will happen during the rest of the season. Meigs will fall completely out of the picture as the season goes on, if what he thinks will occur, comes true.Our good friends up to the north of us, Wellston, looks to become the number 8 team in the playoffs.

Maybe I’m getting a little ahead of myself. Let me introduce Mr Pasteur. This man used to rate all of the high school teams in North Carolina until he moved north to Ohio. His rating system is a computer based ranking system and is completely unbiased and impartial. Now with that out of the way let’s get to how he thinks this will all work out. Granted this is just with 5 weeks of games played but he is very adept at doing this. Let’s start with our favorite region. Region 15 Division 4 will be the first one we will cover although we willtake a look at some of the others.

The following are the teams he thinks will make the playoffs and what the percentages are that they will succeed.

1) Johnstown Monroe…….100%
2) Coshocton………………..99%
3) Amanda……………………99%
4) St. Clairsville……………..99%
5) Ironton……………………..98%
6) Martins Ferry……………..89%
7) Chesapeake………………75%
8] Wellston…………………..41%
9) Richmond…………………37%

Everyone looks to be in good shape but Wellston who has Richmond right on their tail.
Needless to say some of this could change but as of now this is the way he sees it coming about.

Now let’s go to Region 19 Didision 6

3) Nelsonville York……………97%
4) Valley………………………..88%
5) West…………………………86%
9) Wheelersburg………………51%

Region 23 Division 6

1) South Gallia……………….88%
4) Symmes Valley…………..85%
6) Notre Dame………………..72%
10) East………………………..41%

Region 12 Division 3

3) Athens………………………97%
8] Jackson…………………….53%

That pretty well covers about everyone in the area. I’ll do an update as the season progresses to see how accurate Drew Pasteur is with his rankings. This will at least give us something to talk about.

That will do it for this weeks update so until the recap of the Alder game everyone drive safely to and from the game and until then God Bless and as always…

Go Tigers!

Joe Holtzapfel

Ironton Gallipolis Recap

Ironton at Gallia Academy

There comes a time when it just seems you can’t get over the hump and the Fighting Tigers must have felt that way Friday night in Gallipolis. But then you must give credit where credit is due and place the blame on the Gallia Academy defense for the Tigers failure to cross the goal line. Five times they were within 25 yards of crossing that ever dreaded goal line and couldn’t get the job done. A fumble and an intercepted pass were two of the reasons for the misfires.

The lone score of the game came in the 4th Quarter when Dion Brown went 73 yards on a student body right for the only score of the game. It was nice to see Dion score his first varsity touchdown after all of the bad luck he has had in the past couple years. The corner on this play had the only shot and after his dive failed to bring Dion down it was all over. No one could catch him and he was off to the races. The point after failed and the score stood at 6-0.

The Blue Devils still weren’t to be denied as they began a drive that had the Tiger faithful on the edge of their seats. The games came down to a 4th and 2 at the 2 yard line. The Blue Devils took a time out to talk things over and on 4th and 2 they elected to throw the ball and Trevor White came crashing through to nail the QB back at the 8 yard line for the game ending sack.

Ironton’s record now stands at 4-1 as Gallia Academy falls to 3-2. Ironton had 311 yards of total offense as Gallia had 217 yards with 152 of those yards being through the air.

Ironton now travels to Plain City to take on Jonathon Alder. Jonathon Alder is undefeated and leading their Division 3 region in the computer rankings. This will no doubt be a very stern test for our Fighting Tigers.

I’ll be back later on this week with a recap of those computer rankings so until then,

Go Tigers!

Joe Holtzapfel