D4, REGION 15- IRONTON VS. JOHNSTOWN

[JHS Pride]

great season for the ironton fighting tigers this year. very solid season for 1st year head coach mark vass and his staff. i'm very proud of the effort. just too many injuries for the fighting tigers, and wow, can johnstown execute. they beat us about the head and face area last night. that was as bad a thumping as since the columbus bishop hartley. but the fighting tigers fought hard all night. and all season.never saw the fighting tigers with so many injuries as this year.

we had so many lineman out too, and that has been our soft spot all year line play ,on both sides and our secondary.but you know what it was a great season of fighting tiger football none the less.always great to see fighting tiger playoff football. the streak continues. i know fighting tiger players are used to state championship football. and we'll get back there again.but this was the hardest schedule it think we ever had. i really do. every team we played had a winning record, and every team we played except portsmouth made the playoffs. and they always have a great squad, but have been down for a few years, and are going through a coaching change as we speak.

nothing but love for my fighting tigers, if it wasn't for following them in the playoffs and regular season, i'd not been in a fraction of the stadiums we've played in.athens has a great facility. they did a great job as well. good luck to johnstown, i said nothing about a weak schedule, i knew better, i saw ya'll last year. i knew what to expect, fast paced , hardnosed football, so good luck to you all with st. clairsville.AND I'M DANG PROUD OF MY FIGHTING TIGERS.

Very well put Tiger Bait, you guys will bounce back you always do. I am sure we will be meeting each other every year. Best of luck next season.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

you all earned the praise. ya'll just kicked our butt. and the band is the best high school band i have erer seen -------------period.

[tigerfan98]

St Clairsville will kill Johnstown Monroe
They weren't impressive to me their line beat our line
Stephens and Lewis went out in the 2 quarter
The boys lost composure
They also quick snapped us their team wasn't even set
They had several penalties not disciplined at all
Irontons line was terrible they blitzed everybody and dared us to pass
Dutey was limping and had to escape the rush all night
Irontons injuries caughtup to them
Starters out after 2 quarter
Adam Webb 6"6 300 plus
Nick Culberson 6"4 270
Tanner Schweickart great blocker starting linebacker
Patrick Lewis best back on team
Aaron Stephens great defender and blocker also huge in the pass game

Great year that ended in a bad way but at Ironton greatness is always expected
Great year seniors Thank You

[JHS Pride]

St Clairsville will kill Johnstown Monroe
They weren't impressive to me their line beat our line
Stephens and Lewis went out in the 2 quarter
The boys lost composure
They also quick snapped us their team wasn't even set
They had several penalties not disciplined at all
Irontons line was terrible they blitzed everybody and dared us to pass
Dutey was limping and had to escape the rush all night
Irontons injuries caughtup to them
Starters out after 2 quarter
Adam Webb 6"6 300 plus
Nick Culberson 6"4 270
Tanner Schweickart great blocker starting linebacker
Patrick Lewis best back on team
Aaron Stephens great defender and blocker also huge in the pass game


Yep, your right, Jtown is to slow and play a weak schedule, we are lucky to be this far.
You know us Jonnie fans are used to people always telling us so and so is gonna kick your butt,so and so is better and faster, and you know what Tiger Fan we always end up surprising people game after game. ST. Clairsville is faster, stronger , tougher, but are boys know that, we learn to play with heart thats why people get surprised when we beat great teams.

Great year that ended in a bad way but at Ironton greatness is always expected
Great year seniors Thank You

[maniac66]

St Clairsville will kill Johnstown Monroe
They weren't impressive to me their line beat our line
Stephens and Lewis went out in the 2 quarter
The boys lost composure
They also quick snapped us their team wasn't even set
They had several penalties not disciplined at all
Irontons line was terrible they blitzed everybody and dared us to pass
Dutey was limping and had to escape the rush all night
Irontons injuries caughtup to them
Starters out after 2 quarter
Adam Webb 6"6 300 plus
Nick Culberson 6"4 270
Tanner Schweickart great blocker starting linebacker
Patrick Lewis best back on team
Aaron Stephens great defender and blocker also huge in the pass game

Great year that ended in a bad way but at Ironton greatness is always expected
Great year seniors Thank You

Injuries is no excuse we got beat by the better team tonight Do I like it no but the Tigers played hard and we made it further than many teams have.
And for that they need to be given respect due.
johnstown came to play and they did Tigers have no reason to hang their head Thank You Tigers for a great season

[Pete Eckhardt]

After watching this whole season and knowing the amount of talent Ironton had returning from last year it seems that this was a very underwhelming season. I mean no disrespect to anyone involved with the football program, but it seems as though the team under achieved according to the amount of talent on this team, due to poor schemes, conditioning, and injuries. Obviously the injuries are not predictable or anyones fault, but the lack of conditioning and poor schemes lead to the early exit of what I believe should have been a lock for at least a regional championship appearance. I feel that Coach Vass must improve in many fields if he wishes to return Ironton to where they belong, and where fans want them to be. I fear that if he does not drastically improve, that not only will he probably lose the job but that also the program may suffer permanent damage. An example of this already is the shrinking crowds not only on the road but at home. I remember in years past when people would be lined up before games so that they could get a seat, and now even on homecoming and senior nights there were obvious gaps in the seating at the Tank. I fear that if this program does not start to live up to expectations the already shrinking fanbase may continue until Ironton is no longer the envy of all southern Ohio football. With shrinking fanbases I'm not sure our students will be able to continue to enjoy the same tradition of winning not only the local level but at the state level that older generations have enjoyed as well as the financial strain that will be felt due to lack of attendance and support. There was once a time not too long ago that when a opposing team walked onto the field and saw the orange and black across the field they were afraid, especially at the Tank, and now I'm not sure that is the case. I'm not saying any of this out of malice for anyone but out of concern for the school that I love, perhaps a bit of constructive criticism.

[55buckeyes98]

I didn't see the undisciplined penalties you talk about. 7 total penalties I think for Jtown and 1 for Ironton. 2 penalties were questionable pass interference calls. One was a holding call. 2 personal fouls (one on the #2 pushing a player off him after a great hit/tackle by #6, he barely grazed his helmet on film but tried to push him off & the other called on #34 trying to get a player off of his stuff or his ankle as he lost his shoe). I can't remember any other penalties at this time.

[ohbuckeye2]

After watching this whole season and knowing the amount of talent Ironton had returning from last year it seems that this was a very underwhelming season. I mean no disrespect to anyone involved with the football program, but it seems as though the team under achieved according to the amount of talent on this team, due to poor schemes, conditioning, and injuries. Obviously the injuries are not predictable or anyones fault, but the lack of conditioning and poor schemes lead to the early exit of what I believe should have been a lock for at least a regional championship appearance. I feel that Coach Vass must improve in many fields if he wishes to return Ironton to where they belong, and where fans want them to be. I fear that if he does not drastically improve, that not only will he probably lose the job but that also the program may suffer permanent damage. An example of this already is the shrinking crowds not only on the road but at home. I remember in years past when people would be lined up before games so that they could get a seat, and now even on homecoming and senior nights there were obvious gaps in the seating at the Tank. I fear that if this program does not start to live up to expectations the already shrinking fanbase may continue until Ironton is no longer the envy of all southern Ohio football. With shrinking fanbases I'm not sure our students will be able to continue to enjoy the same tradition of winning not only the local level but at the state level that older generations have enjoyed as well as the financial strain that will be felt due to lack of attendance and support. There was once a time not too long ago that when a opposing team walked onto the field and saw the orange and black across the field they were afraid, especially at the Tank, and now I'm not sure that is the case. I'm not saying any of this out of malice for anyone but out of concern for the school that I love, perhaps a bit of constructive criticism.

I Just want to hit on Irontons population and it's possible effects on attendance at the games.

Ironton has has a steady decline in population since the 70's. Ironton had a population of almost 16,000 people in 1970 and has declined to 11,000 today. Alot of the population in Ironton today is an older age group also. I graduated in 82 and we had a graduating class of 156 (80 Males), last years Senior class was 102 (46 Males). We have steadely decreased in school size from "AA" in the 70's to D3 and now D4 soon to be D5.

This was from the 2000 Census:
In the city the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.0 males

[urban buck]

After watching this whole season and knowing the amount of talent Ironton had returning from last year it seems that this was a very underwhelming season. I mean no disrespect to anyone involved with the football program, but it seems as though the team under achieved according to the amount of talent on this team, due to poor schemes, conditioning, and injuries. Obviously the injuries are not predictable or anyones fault, but the lack of conditioning and poor schemes lead to the early exit of what I believe should have been a lock for at least a regional championship appearance. I feel that Coach Vass must improve in many fields if he wishes to return Ironton to where they belong, and where fans want them to be. I fear that if he does not drastically improve, that not only will he probably lose the job but that also the program may suffer permanent damage. An example of this already is the shrinking crowds not only on the road but at home. I remember in years past when people would be lined up before games so that they could get a seat, and now even on homecoming and senior nights there were obvious gaps in the seating at the Tank. I fear that if this program does not start to live up to expectations the already shrinking fanbase may continue until Ironton is no longer the envy of all southern Ohio football. With shrinking fanbases I'm not sure our students will be able to continue to enjoy the same tradition of winning not only the local level but at the state level that older generations have enjoyed as well as the financial strain that will be felt due to lack of attendance and support. There was once a time not too long ago that when a opposing team walked onto the field and saw the orange and black across the field they were afraid, especially at the Tank, and now I'm not sure that is the case. I'm not saying any of this out of malice for anyone but out of concern for the school that I love, perhaps a bit of constructive criticism.

Well said. I would take it even a step further but I won't.

[Tigercannon71]

After watching this whole season and knowing the amount of talent Ironton had returning from last year it seems that this was a very underwhelming season. I mean no disrespect to anyone involved with the football program, but it seems as though the team under achieved according to the amount of talent on this team, due to poor schemes, conditioning, and injuries. Obviously the injuries are not predictable or anyones fault, but the lack of conditioning and poor schemes lead to the early exit of what I believe should have been a lock for at least a regional championship appearance. I feel that Coach Vass must improve in many fields if he wishes to return Ironton to where they belong, and where fans want them to be. I fear that if he does not drastically improve, that not only will he probably lose the job but that also the program may suffer permanent damage. An example of this already is the shrinking crowds not only on the road but at home. I remember in years past when people would be lined up before games so that they could get a seat, and now even on homecoming and senior nights there were obvious gaps in the seating at the Tank. I fear that if this program does not start to live up to expectations the already shrinking fanbase may continue until Ironton is no longer the envy of all southern Ohio football. With shrinking fanbases I'm not sure our students will be able to continue to enjoy the same tradition of winning not only the local level but at the state level that older generations have enjoyed as well as the financial strain that will be felt due to lack of attendance and support. There was once a time not too long ago that when a opposing team walked onto the field and saw the orange and black across the field they were afraid, especially at the Tank, and now I'm not sure that is the case. I'm not saying any of this out of malice for anyone but out of concern for the school that I love, perhaps a bit of constructive criticism.

Great analysis!

[Tjhtygeverve]

I also think it was a great analysis.
I also think the population has such an impactful result in many aspects of the turnout for IHS football. Most of the players come from the city limits of Ironton. I know there are recruiting rumours every year, but I'm in Florida, so I wouldn't know of any truths to that as my limited contacts are " out of the loop" on if any boys move into town just to play football anymore. Especially since we usually go out after the sweet 16 lately. I think it's highly doubtful.
Yes, the talent was there, but I nearly had to look 4x when I read this years schedule. It went exactly as I thought, except a shocker to me over Ashland. I believe in scheduling up for playoff readiness, but w/ player #'s down they have to get more realistic with the scheduling. I know it's hard to get 10 games. Perhaps, it might get a bit easier to get ten games & not such a brutal schedule until the player #'s grow. I could be wrong on EVERYTHING. I'm writing, but hey, we are all entitled, right?
The injuries happened also as I thought during the beef of that schedule. My cousins children are frosh @ Johnson Central, KY , & those kids are from a 24 mile radius. Over 2,000 students. That's where the injuries started.
I think Vass will need atleast a complete frosh -senior class to get numbers up, belief in him up from students, parents, & fans. We saw a better balanced offensive attack this year, I feel needed. But the line play was dismal except in a few games.
Especially, the J-M game & when even more players got injured, we were done. They fought, but it was just too much injury. I won't go any further about the "what if's" about these injuries & J-M game, but we all know where we stood if the new injuries wouldn't have jumped on us.
It's a scary thought to hear of the empty bleachers, lack of interest, etc. I know the next season will be extremely tough & I do hope interest abounds amongst younger players.
I know of a player whose son was a senior this year. He was a starter, injured, & sat out since his injury. He, could have possibly gotten a basketball scholarship, @ soph. Year started to see limited playing time for NO Apparent reason. Just constant problems w/those in decision making positions.
He favored roundball, but said "screw this" I'll do pigskin.
So, injuries set in & he was screwed all around at that point.

Does anyone think the roundball & pigskin two way talented players say" screw football" I'm not risking an injury over a possible roundball scholarship @ a small college?
I know this could only be 2-3 players a year, but they are talented boys, that I know of. Parents have to also consider this for their kids & weigh in on this. Especially, in this economy & a possible scholarship on the line.
What do you posters think.?

[wink]

The 1st obvious question to me would be why is the city population (and therefore the school population) dropping ?
I'd think everybody would know the answer to that would be the lack of jobs, the lack of industry (and I don't think rivrtboat gambling is a suitablr industry to build on), the lack of suitable and decent places to eat, the lack of entertainment facilities, etc. In short, improve and grow the city and the school population will also grow.
I'm aware that this is a huge undertaking but some enterprizing young adult needs to take the bull by the horns and light a fire under the city council and various other City Fathers and get uot of the status quo and take the politics out of the equasion and simply do what's right for the city.

By the way I don't live in Ironton so I'm not politicking or trying to stior the political pot, merely giving my views on the BASIC problem as I see it.

[urban buck]

This has nothing to do with population in Ironton.

[pembrook burrows III]

This Ironton team was vastly overscheduled. The Tigers don't have the number of bodies to stand up to playing much bigger schools week-in and week-out. For example, Johnson Central is bigger than any school in southeastern Ohio except Lancaster, Logan, and Marietta. The parochial schools in Columbus get to choose their players from a metropolitan area that exceeds the population of southeastern Ohio.

While Coach Vass still has much to prove, his first year was far from a disaster. The Tigers beat a good Wheelersburg team, a good Gallipolis team, a good Ashland team, and a good Oak Hill team. These were all playoff teams in their own right. The Tigers went 7-4, and won a playoff game, getting them to the Sweet 16 of high school football in D-IV. But the difficulty of the schedule ground this team down physically. Starting the game on Friday, Ironton was without its best 2-way tackle, its FB-LB, and a senior 2-way lineman. When Stephens and Lewis went down, the Tigers were down 5 2-way starters, and were left playing with a QB unable to run on a badly injured foot and a HB bravely playing on two surgically repaired knees. To suggest that this team underachieved in the playoffs because of Vass is really overstated IMO. Even Bob Lutz couldn't have pulled off a win on Friday night given these circumstances.

What games would Lutz have won that Vass didn't? Maybe the Johnson Central game? Perhaps he could have defended their offense better and left the Commonwealth with another win for Ironton. But remember, even Lutz's defenses in recent years have had their problems stopping people.

It may be heartening to some to talk about about returning the Ironton program to "where we belong," but no school has a birthright to success. Ironton was fortunate to have Coach Lutz for as long as we did, and you never know how good you have it until someone great like that is gone. There will never be another like him for sure.I too am a bit saddened by the aging of the town, the lack of economic opportunity, and the slowly dwindling crowds. I can only hope that Coach Vass and his staff will continue to grow as coaches, and that some magic can be found in Ironton to snare another title before my days are done.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

very well said.

[playa_44]

What is the criteria for picking a head coach at Ironton? Blood relation?

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

I HOPE NOBODY RESPOMDS TO THIS. THIS HAPPENS EVERY YEAR.
WE HAD A GREAT YEAR OF FOOTBALL
NOW LET'S GET READY FOR 2013.
I'M PROUD OF THE FIGHTING TIGERS EVERY YEAR.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

SORRY FOR THE GRAMMER ERROR.

[dreamweaver]

What is the criteria for picking a head coach at Ironton? Blood relation?

That is a great question playa. I wonder the same thing. The qualifications for the job seem to be just that. No disrespect intended, but how many of Ironton's coaches are Burchams?

[The Oaf]

This has nothing to do with population in Ironton.

Care to elaborate a little?