Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

 

The stat sheet read Desmond Young and Garrett Carrico had 362 yards between them, but the two Ironton running backs divided the total by another eight players.

Carrico ran 13 times for 191 yards and Young had 171 yards on 19 carries and scored 20 of Ironton’s first 21 points as the Fighting Tigers ran past the Portsmouth Trojans 42-20 on Friday at Tanks Memorial Stadium.

“It was all (the offensive line). You could have put anybody back there,” said Carrico who was filling in for the injured D’Angelo Palladino.

“I just saw open field. All the credit goes to them. Those holes wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for them.”

With center Brock Midkiff-Sands, guards Tyler Webb and Ronnie Artis, tackles Hayden Robinson and Levi Langdon, and ends Lucas Campbell, Travis Carey and Eli Willis opening holes, Ironton amassed 532 total yards — all on the ground.

“That’s where you start. You’ve got to give the line credit. They’ve been beat up around here lately feeling they’re not getting the job done. It was good for them as a unit to do a good job and that’s what I thought they did,” said Ironton coach Mark Vass.

“They worked well together, they communicated and knew who to block. They got a hat on a hat and got some push out of it and the backs did what they’re supposed to do.”

Ironton took the opening kickoff and marched 59 yards in 10 plays with Young going the final 2 yards. Tre Neal got his first varsity point with the conversion kick and it was 7-0.

Ironton’s defense held and drove to the Trojans 26 only to fumble the ball away. Portsmouth quarterback Cole Lowery hit Austin Hollins with a 74-yard catch-and-run play and it was 7-6 with 2:25 on the clock.

The Fighting Tigers came right back with a 72-yard, 8-play drive with Young’s 8-yard scoring run pushing the lead to 13-6.

A facemask penalty put the ball at the 47-yard line and Portsmouth took advantage as Lowery and Hollins clicked on a 53-yard scoring pass and it was 13-12 with 8:26 left in the half.

But again Ironton answered as Young ripped off a 47-yard run to start a 64-yard drive and five plays later he had a 1-yard scoring run. He also ran for the conversion and it was 21-12.

“It was just trust my line, find the crease and hit the hole,” said Young. “The coaches told me before the game with D’Angelo being out and Barker’s a little banged up that I would get the ball a lot. I expected it.”

Following a Portsmouth punt into the end zone, it took Ironton all of one play to score as tight end Lucas Campbell went 80 yards on an end around with 3:59 on the clock.

“I was just ready for the play. We’ve been practicing it all week real hard and we knew it was going to work well. We just executed,” said Campbell.

Portsmouth (2-3, 1-1) was able to score again thanks to a couple of questionable 15-yard penalties.

Lowery hit Hollins with a 16-yard pass on a fourth-and 15 to the 1-yard line and then kept the ball on the next play for the score. He threw to Dylan Mullins for the conversion and Ironton’s lead was 28-20 at the 4:33 mark.

A big defensive play gave Ironton its next score as Eli Willis hit Lowery in the end zone causing a fumble, then jumped on the ball for a touchdown and a 35-20 lead.

Ironton got the ball back on its own 16-yard line and Carrico promptly ripped off a 59-yard run to the Trojans’ 25.

Five plays later, Andrew Barker — who had 77 yards on 13 carries — ran the final 12 yards with 5:33 left to cap the scoring.

Ironton limited the Trojans to 50 net yards rushing. Lowery — a sophomore — proved to be the Trojans’ offense. He ran 20 times for 63 yards and a touchdown while completing 9-of-20 passing for 190 yards and two scores.

“I felt like defensively we played pretty well. We gave them those two big passes and we’ve got to make those plays. You’re in decent position (to make the play) but you can’t give them up right down the seam. But we rebounded from it and we contained them pretty well,” said Vass.

The win was the first for Ironton in five games and gave them a victory in their first-ever Ohio Valley Conference game.

“We needed a win and we got. It’s as simple as that. We got some confidence back. We’ve always believed in them. I do, the coaches do, and now they believe in themselves,” said Vass.

Ironton hosts Fairland this Friday.

Portsmouth 6 6 8 0 = 20

Ironton 7 21 0 14 = 42

First Quarter

Irn — Desmond Young 2 run (Tre Neal kick)6:48

Prt — Austin Hollins 74 pass from Cole Lowery (kick failed) 2:25

Second Quarter

Irn — Desmond Young 8 run (kick failed) 10:05

Prt — Austin Hollins 53 pass from Cole Lowery (kick failed) 8:26

Irn — Desmond Young 1 run (Young run) 6:23

Irn — Lucas Campbell 80 run (Tre Neal kick) 3:59

Third Quarter

Prt — Cole Lowery 1 run (Dylan Mullins pass from Cole Lowery) 4:33

Fourth Quarter

Irn — Eli Willis recover fumble in end zone (Tre Neal kick) 11:01

Irn — Andrew Barker 12 run (Tre Neal kick) 5:33

——

Prt Irn

First downs 11 19

Rushes-yards 27-50 52-532

Passing yards 190 0

Total yards 240 532

Cmp-Att-Int 9-20-0 0-2-0

Fumbles-lost 2-1 5-1

Penalties-yards 10-85 8-82

Punts-average 7-40.7 2-31.0

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Individual Leaders

RUSHING —Portsmouth: Cole Lowery 20-63, Austin Hollins 5-minus 11, Timmy Hacker 1-1, D.J. Eley 1-minus 3; Ironton: Desmond Young 19-171 3-TD, Garrett Carrico 13-191, Andrew Barker 13-77, Lucas Campbell 2-83 TD, Jake Isaac 3-4, Chase Rowe 1-3, Ethan Duncan 1-3.

PASSING — Portsmouth: Cole Lowery 9-20-0 190 2-TD; Ironton: Jake Isaac 0-2-0.

RECEIVING — Portsmouth: Austin Hollins 4-151, Luke Purdy 3-12, Dylan Mullins 1-19, Ryan Williams 1-8; Ironton: None.