Football is to Ironton as what beaches are to Miami. So when the seventh and eighth grade football teams finished their seasons two weeks ago with perfect records, the coaches said the boys were simply carrying on an old tradition.

"It's always a good year when you win," coach Terry Miller said. "It makes you feel good as a coach, you feel good for the community and the city. They worked hard on this. The practices were not easy but they came out here and worked hard for these games."

His assistant Trent Carpenter agreed.

"We've got good kids in both these classes. The kids love to play. They were excited to come out every day and practice."

Carpenter said there were a couple of games when success did not seem so certain: two Kentucky schools,

Johnson Central and Ashland had strong seasons as well. In the end, the young men tasted victory and found it sweet.

They said now, they're ready for bigger and better things.

"When we get to high school," eighth-grader Gage Murphy said, "we're winning state!"