&ltA HREF=mailto:jim.walker@irontontribune.com&gtBy Jim Walker

Heads you win, tails we win.

Monday, November 05, 2001

Heads you win, tails we win. We win.

Literally with a flip of a coin, the Ironton Fighting Tigers will host an unprecedented playoff semifinal game against the Portsmouth Trojans.

Ironton athletic director Mike Burcham proposed to the Ohio High School Athletic Association and Portsmouth High School officials that a playoff game between Ironton and Portsmouth be held at either Tanks Memorial Stadium in Ironton or Spartan Stadium in Portsmouth.

"The only two stadiums locally that can hold the crowd are Tanks or Spartan. Otherwise, both of us have to travel a couple of hours and that isn’t fair to our fans," Burcham said.

"Portsmouth agreed to a coin flip with the winner hosting the game. I didn’t care to play at Portsmouth, but I didn’t know if the state would go for it. This area is unique from the rest of the state. You don’t have too many big stadiums like in other areas."

Ironton principal Dean Nance and Portsmouth principal Ann Charles met at 8 a.m. Sunday at Bob Evans Restaurant in Wheelersburg for the coin flip. Nance made the call with a tip from former Ironton principal James J. "Bear" Mains.

"I asked Mr. Mains what I should call and he said, ‘Tails.’ So I called tails and that’s what it was," Nance said.

The game will be at 7 p.m. Saturday and be a rematch of the regular season classic won by Ironton 16-15 at Tanks Memorial Stadium on Oct. 28.

Ironton, 11-0, routed Portsmouth West 41-12 while Portsmouth (10-1) beat New Lexington 20-17 in the opening round Saturday.

Although Ironton and Portsmouth boast the second longest rivalry in the state of Ohio, the Region 15 Division IV semifinal game will mark the first time the two schools have met in the playoffs.