One down, one to go.Ironton High School athletic director Mark Vass has filled one hole in Ironton’s football schedule next season with an agreement to play Nelsonville-York in the ninth slot.

Vass has mailed a contract to N-Y and only needs a signature to make it official. The game will be at Nelsonville-York’s new stadium in 2008 with a return trip to Ironton the following season.

The second date has several possibilities but the difficulty here is two-fold. Ironton needs a home game and it to be a game for one year because Russell, Ky., comes on the schedule in 2009 in the first year of a four-year agreement.

Interested parties include Johnson Central, Ky., and a team from Ontario, Canada.

Vass spoke with Columbus DeSales, but the Stallions wanted a home game. Ironton traveled to DeSales two straight seasons in the last contract in order to give DeSales a home date.

More SOC for Redmen

Speaking of football schedule changes, the Rock Hill Redmen will lose their regular game with Wellston next season now that Athens has joined the Tri-Valley Conference.

Athens will play Wellston in the fifth slot. To fill that hole, Rock Hill has agreed to play Wheelersburg.

The addition of Wheelersburg gives the Redmen four Southern Ohio Conference teams. They also play Lucasville Valley in week two followed by Oak Hill.

Aldridge quits team

Former South Webster standout Nick Aldridge has quit the Western Carolina team because of disciplinary problems.

A preseason All-Southern Conference selection, Aldridge was the Catamounts leading scorer at 18.8 points per game and averaged 5.2 rebounds.

WCU head coach Larry Hunter said in a statement that Aldridge quit because he “had some issues that we felt were being detrimental to the development of our team, and we have for some time been trying to help him work through these issues. He has chosen not to work with us any longer. The bottom line is he has quit our team.”

Ironton native Brigham Waginger is a sophomore point guard for the Catamounts. He played his senior year with Aldridge at South Webster when the Jeeps won the Division IV state championship.

Losing a friend

There was some sad news that came across the desk Tuesday. Former St. Joseph and Portsmouth Notre Dame teacher and basketball coach Benny Murnahan had died after a two-year battle with cancer.

Benny, 54, was a good coach but a better person. He was a great competitor, but he always handled himself with class.

He will be missed.

Official business

Former Ironton Fighting Tigers All-Ohio golfer P.D. Hazlebaker has a new state final in his scrap book. But it has nothing to do with golf.

Hazlebaker is involved in high school football officiating and he was assigned to work the Kentucky state championships this season at Cardinal Stadium in Louisville.

Rule change

And on a final football officiating note, there has been a lot of talk regarding coaches calling a timeout just before a kicker attempts a field goal.

The simple way to solve the problem is not allowing the defense to call a timeout once the back judge raises his hand to signify there are five seconds left on the time clock.