Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

After a long period of futility, the Russell Red Devils have had a taste of victory against the Ironton Fighting Tigers.
Ironton hopes to turn that taste sour on Friday.
Russell beat Ironton in 1977 and didn’t get another win until 2015 with an 18-14 decision. The Red Devils followed that with a 13-6 win last season.
Ironton leads the series 26-5-1.
“They’ve had our number the last couple of years,” said Ironton coach Mark Vass. “They’ve been two tough games that didn’t go our way. We’re expecting it to be another tough game this time as well.”
Russell (0-1) lost 34-28 to rival Greenup County in overtime last Saturday while Ironton was beaten 48-3 by Wheelersburg on Friday.
The Red Devils showed balance in their offense against the Musketeers led by 6-foot-2, 188-pound senior quarterback Austin Church, senior running back Grant Bates (5-11, 190) and junior running back Landen Duvall (5-8, 160).
Church threw for a school record 1,634 yards last season as he completed 115 of 184 passes with 12 touchdowns and just six interceptions.
Against Greenup, Church was 8-of-18 for 119 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
Junior Jacob Thompson (5-7, 140) caught four passes for 68 yards and a score while junior Reed Galloway (6-0, 154) had three grabs for 61 yards.
The Red Devils ran for 208 yards last week with Duvall getting 65 yards on five carries and Bates 51 yards on 14 tries. Church ran 15 ties for 49 yards.
Other targets are seniors Jaeden Layne (6-1, 182) and Chaz Whitt (6-4, 208). Also in the backfield is senior Cole Coburn (5-10, 158).
Up front the Red Devils have sophomore Will Gunning (6-1, 252) at center, seniors Austin Braden (5-8, 251) and Aaron Hill (6-2, 251) at the guards, and senior Tucker Brown (6-2, 225) and junior John Giles (5-11, 254) at the tackles.
“This is one of the most balanced Russell teams we faced. They are pretty effective running or throwing the ball. Their quarterback is a nice player,” said Vass.
The Red Devils will use a 5-2 look on defense but adjust to the formation.
Braden is the nose guard with Brown at left tackle and either senior Matt Ratliff (5-8, 210) or Hill on the right side. Sophomore Malakai Anderson (6-1, 206) is the left end and Duvall is on the right side.
Gates and Giles are the linebackers while the secondary has Coburn and Thompson the cornerbacks with Layne and Galloway the safeties.
Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.