THE NEW LOOK OF THE NEW OVC 2015

[linedrive]

who are the head coaches in the ovc now.

Ironton: Mark Vass (4th year)
Portsmouth: Aaron Duncan (1st year)
Rock Hill: Todd Knipp (10th year)
Fairland: Melvin Cunningham (1st year)
South Point: Chad Coffman (1st year)
Chesapeake: Andy Clark (5th year)
Coal Grove: Vacant (Would've been Lucas' 36th season)
Gallia Academy: ???

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

thank you.

[goUK]

IRONTON FIGHTING TIGERS
8/28 WHEELERSBURG
9/4 RUSSELL (KY)
9/11 TBA
9/18 @ ASHLAND BLAZER (KY)
9/25 PORTSMOUTH
10/2 FAIRLAND
10/9 @ DAWSON-BRYANT
10/16 @ ROCK HILL
10/23 @ CHESAPEAKE
10/30 @ SOUTH POINT

any chance at this time of still of getting a game 3 out of conference game.

This is where the move to the OVC hurts them. Better win 2 out of 3 against Burg, Russell, and Ashland or Playoffs are gonna be in jeopardy.

Seriously? Isnt it the goal to win every game, every year? Even in your good years irontons brutal schedule has killed their depth and hasnt produced any state championships.

The question is can you get Ashland to week 3 and your schedule would never change unless you world rather play valley over russell. But lets be honest, OHSAA gives way too many points for out of state opponents.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

I didn't say this. my quote is the top one. about finding a week 3 game. somebody else said the latter part.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

it makes perfect sense to me to play Russell and Ashland based on ironton's location. and I'd love to see an ironton/valley game.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

as far as making Ashland week 3. that would have to be both school's agreeing. make it like a 10 year contract, that's renewable.

[LetsGoPSU]

wow, just cant see a season without an Ironton-Ashland matchup....

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

some here may not realize what a rivalry is. all they can see is they are a ky. team.

Ashland is as tough as any of the local southeasternohio teams by and large.
and Russell ky has a rich football history, as did belfry. and if you think they're gimmes. schedule them.

that would be like no ironton /Portsmouth

or no burg/ironton

[goUK]

some here may not realize what a rivalry is. all they can see is they are a ky. team.

Ashland is as tough as any of the local southeasternohio teams by and large.
and Russell ky has a rich football history, as did belfry. and if you think they're gimmes. schedule them.

that would be like no ironton /Portsmouth

or no burg/ironton

Yeah i agree that ashland and russell can be VERY tough. Im just saying that when a team beats a weak greenup or boyd co, there are too many points awarded. I may be pushing it a little, but beating a 7-3 ashland seems to produce an aweful lot of points.

[local superstar]

Wow Ironton schedule sure is looking easy.

Sime windy folks on here.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

some here may not realize what a rivalry is. all they can see is they are a ky. team.

Ashland is as tough as any of the local southeasternohio teams by and large.
and Russell ky has a rich football history, as did belfry. and if you think they're gimmes. schedule them.

that would be like no ironton /Portsmouth

or no burg/ironton

Yeah i agree that ashland and russell can be VERY tough. Im just saying that when a team beats a weak greenup or boyd co, there are too many points awarded. I may be pushing it a little, but beating a 7-3 ashland seems to produce an aweful lot of points.

I understand. I really do. please consider where ironton is located. and these teams have been playing since the dinosaurs. especially ironton/Ashland.and they certainly fill the bleachers. let's face it . that is why ironton, Portsmouth and gahs joined the ovc. they had to assure themselves of a full schedule. and the fan's to sustain their programs success. things have changed so much from the days that made ironton football. not that this team is not successful. but the schedule certainly does favor them now. they have nothing to hang their heads about schedule wise. nobody I mean nobody in this quadrent of the state has played tougher schedules through the past 40 years.but the schedule strength now has certainly dropped joining the ovc overall. let's just hope the ovc picks it up a few notches in football. but football is not the only sport here. the ovc will be an awesome league in all other sports, especially basketball.you have athletes now playing 1 sport only, like when we were in school you basically had to pick 3. to stay busy the whole year.oh how I long for the seoal of the 70's. or the hardcore brutal independent schedules. but when you are 2 players away from the d6 cutoff, as they have been the last couple years. you can't play the teams like Watterson, Hartley, desales and the like, and not get beat up for the playoffs, because of depth problems. let's just hope the entire ovc steps it up football wise. I mean look at rock hill, they are on the verge literally of not having a football program. and like the staff or not. a change needed made for years. I know the guys and I like every one of them. -----------but when you are in a performance based job, and you ain't getting it done. and you get extensions then you are seein this mass exodus of players.i actually applaud the ovc now on this move to strengthen the entirety of the league. I sure would have loved to have seen ironton/Portsmouth in the soc. but that's water under the bridge. my hope is they combine the ovc/soc done the road. you talk about an awesome league.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

I know i'll get my hat handed to me for my opinion on rock hill football. I lived in the district there 32 years. and I coached youth football there for years. but facts are facts. sports is based solely on records whether we like it or not.

as the great vince Lombardi said--------''if it was just a game, why do they have scoreboards''
a woody hayes comment was-------------''we will pound you , and pound you until you quit''

it is indeed much more than a game. you are structuring these young men's lives. many of which have no father figure in their lives. you learn how to never give up. fight on when you are hurting, the humbleness of losing and the elation of winning. and having the grace to accept both with humbleness.i have just hundreds and hundreds of great friends from the rock hill school district. but I saw 1st hand that it wasn't the lack of athletes, but the overwhelming presence of politics. the district is going to have to accept that and change that. before it will again strive in sports. especially football. take it however you'd like. I'm trying to be completely honest and truthful at the same time, without being disrespectful. it would take so little to change that, and they have excellent facilities there. second to nearly nobody in these parts.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

look at andy knipp who has shown how great of a coach he has become. he was running idle at rock hill, got an assistant shot at valley and accepted the Jackson job. and basically has owned ironton since. you don't see the lack of discipline on these Jackson teams, they are like watching a 70's ironton team now, that passes. I remember losing to Gallipoli as a sophomore when ironton had won 37 seoal league games in a row in 76. I wanted to hide in the woods, I knew the bus ride home from gallipolis was gong to be a long ride home, nobody was allowed to say anything. and Monday I just wanted to be sick. because I knew what was coming that week. I remember sprints and running the bleachers to near exhaustion. pushing the seven man sled with the coaches standing on it.and you stand up and your legs felt like jello.the endless crabbing. that's a big reason why ironton lost so few. because they knew what was coming if they did.

hey I was never even a starter there on the varsity team. I was a 180 pound sophomore that had played in the syatem till that point. a homegrown fighting tiger. but I was small then, tried real hard. I didn't realize it at the time. but my keratoconus had already started, and I was going blind. I remember playing middle guard and beating my block, and a back come through the a gap. and I didn't even see sometimes who had the ball. little did I know in my very early 20's I'd be blind for 3 years. before having a series of cornea transplants. all my life I'd had and still do a terrible gagging reflex. I hated mouthpieces with a passion. I'd pull it out every chance I got on the field. dad cut it way back to help. but it wasn't enough. so I was by no means a star. but I learned the game under the best ever ohio football coach. and I had an incredible desire to win, and do it cleanly. but after I blew out my knee, I was ready for a change. I had not prepared myself for college. and I went to the vo-tech school and learned welding. but I have been a fighting tiger fan for nearly 55 years. and football taught me lessons I still draw on daily. and I even got to coach the game for a good stetch, which had always ben a dream. it wasn't all because we had a superior weight program back then. we had tuff nuts for coaches, you feared and respected them, and knew what was coming if we lost.------------all that and a dollar will get you a mccoffee.

[Westfan]

Ironton has had a great program for years. But how many players over the last few years were from Coal Grove, Rock Hill, or South Point? If those teams were better, Ironton would be worse.

[Tigercannon71]

Ironton has had a great program for years. But how many players over the last few years were from Coal Grove, Rock Hill, or South Point? If those teams were better, Ironton would be worse.

Yea and if candy and nuts were if's and but's everyday would be Christmas. Every school in the area has gotten transfers from other schools.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

Ironton has had a great program for years. But how many players over the last few years were from Coal Grove, Rock Hill, or South Point? If those teams were better, Ironton would be worse.

come on west fan. with open enrollment this happens everywhere.i ain't even responding. it happens at west too. all I can say is it didn't happen when I was in school. but things have changed.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

exactly cannon. I didn't see your response till after I responded myself.

[Westfan]

I'm not picking on Ironton. But what I stated was a fact. If South Point had a great program, would Pallidino (spelling?) have left South Point?
Of course West has gotten tranfers. All schools have.

[blacknblue]

First all you heard is ironton will dominate every sport in the ovc, NOT. They didn't win basketball, baseball, or track. Ironton has a great past, but people wanna say it's their in better shape, better coached, and so on. But we all know ironton has always had the superior black student athletes that no one else has had around here. Nothing wrong with that it's just life. Go back to Alfonso Johnson, bobby crockel, gabe Lewis, terry royal, Dennis bacon, bobby Brice, delandal Conwell, Jason Harmon, jermon Jackson, Marcus Williams. Many Im sure I missed I apologize. Hard to find those great backs now with the numbers as small as they are around here. And YTB , if coaches around here practiced kids that hard like you mentioned, they would be called in for child abuse or let go because they are too hard on mommas little boy. It's sad how the times have changed.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

man, i wanted to say that about county schools not having the black athletes. but was leary about doing it. but you are absolutely right. and everything you said was true.