State Championship 14-0 Kirtland v the 13-1 Ironton Fighting Tigers

[kantucky]

I feel more confident in this ironton team than any I've ever seen. I see some comments that came from a pile of dung that are really silly and come from a black heart towards the Tigers. To write this team off is flat out garbage!

Every week Ironton plays they just get better and better. They may not win this coming Saturday (I'm feigning humility, I fully believe they are) but kirtland will be facing a better team than West Jefferson did. And a far better team than Ridgewood. Never seen a team improve this much. They're one of those teams people talk about years later

[greygoose]

This is from the state semi final game with Kirtland and Oak Harbor, while giving up 198 yards, including 56 yards rushing to Alexander (he threw for 127 yards on 7-of-21 passing) and just 17 yards to Schulte, Kirtland amassed 307 yards of offense. All but 14 yards came on the ground, as Kirtland attempted just three passes and rushed the football 56 times. The Hornets held a time-of-possession advantage of 32:04 to 15:44.

Oak Harbor came in with Alexander and Schulte both having rushed for 1,400 yards each and only rushed for 71 on the game. IF Ironton's defense can hold up I think this will be a low scoring affair, could see a 10-7 type of game.

[_BlackBeard_]

By just reading the comments in this thread will Ironton even have to show up? Everyone needs to realize Kirtland is a force, these kids are told they are not good enough to play at Mentor, This Kirtland team will play with a chip on their shoulder. Ironton is going to have to do more than show up to win. It will be a 4 quarter brawl for the Division 5 State Championship.

[MrFirstTake]

I’ve watched highlights from every game of Kirtland I’ve watched film on the teams they’ve played. This will be the first time they have played a team as physical as them. I’m not just a fan who looks at film and says oh they just run the ball all the time I understand how to watch film and breakdown what’s happening. I give Kirtland credit they play very well at the line of scrimmage and make virtually no mistakes but this will be the first time they play a team as physical as them

[MrFirstTake]

Ironton just needs to play a clean game. Like oak harbor they had 4 turnovers and 3 led to points for Kirtland besides that oak harbor was playing good defense

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

Sounds like it is going to be a hard hitting, intense game. I believe Ironton has what it takes to bring home that third title. I’ll be cheering for you.

thank you friend.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

Any Burg fan on here talking crap about Ironton I suggest you go to page 34 on this football forum and open up the thread Burg vs. Eastwood. You’ll read nothing but praise and good luck and well wishes from schools from all over with a lot of Tigers fans as well, so if you are a true Burg fan cut out the crap and let’s keep this thread positive for the Tigers.

Kirtland will be tough but not sure they’ve faced a team that is just as physical as them.

Good luck Tigers from this Burg fan!! Go up and remind them just how strong SEO football is. If we don’t back each other then we will never get any respect

brother, that's as fine a post as I've ever read here. and I deeply respect you for it. God bless you. the truth is we were all behind you. and would appreciate the same. you been raised right friend.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

Its hard for me to imagine Kirtland offense of line moving the defense around like what I saw on film. They are very sound in their technique for sure, but if Ironton subs at the interior and scrapes the ends with linebackers, I honestly don’t know what they’d do to move the ball? I saw no indication of being able to get the ball out in space?

Maybe they have some variations but? Anyone seen something vertical?

They don't have to, they run it and run it well. They'll run it 50 times a game, like I've said they've played with the likes of Coldwater, Maria Stein and Minster in the playoffs do yourself a favor and don't pay attention to the film. If you're not a coach and you're just a fan watching you probably won't be impressed but there's a reason for their success, there's a reason they run it 50 times a game and everyone knows it yet they keep winning and winning big. They're a team that wins the LOS every week. They don't care about vertical they're more than happy clipping off 4-5-6 yard runs and just wearing you out to the point it turns into 10-15 yard runs by the 3rd quarter. Everyone gets caught up in the new offenses and how can someone move the ball if they don't do this or this. Lutz as many of you Ironton faithful will remember didn't have some huge playbook he believed in running plays and executing at the highest level, Tom Redman back in the day with Waverly same way. Those coaches took the old adage of if you can't stop it why am I going to call something else and stop it for you, and that is what Kirtland does. They run it and run it well why am I going to get cute and try to go outside or throw verticals when I can drive it down your throat. Just the facts

I love that post goose. we all respect who we're in the ring with. this game might bre over in an hour the way these 2 run the ball.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

nobody, I mean nobody that i' friends with in tiger nation and that's a wholeeeee lotta people. none of them think of this as a rout. that's absurd. just realize there are a lot of posers out there. that post like they are tiger fans, and that's the farthest thing from the truth. many are just crap stirrers. I say if you stir the pot, you need to lick the spoon. ironton will be incredibly focused. and will have a huge amount of true fans behind them from all over ohio.

[_BlackBeard_]

I hope everyone that attends the game makes a trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame a very inspiring place.

[Tripaces]

This tiger team is just different

[Tigeralum71]

We went to the HOF the day of the '73 state championship game vs Cleveland Benedictine.
DIck Gallagher (former Tiger coach and Ironton Resident) was the HOF Director back then. He had a mannequin wearing a TANKS jersey as tribute. It would have been a great trip if the Tigers had won.

Too bad so few people don't realize the Tanks were the grandfather of the Lions and the Thanksgiving day game. Nobody plays that up. Without Presnell and other Tanks, the Spartans would have been less competitive and would have been less likely to be bought and moved to Detroit as the Lions.

Go Tigers!

[The Regulator]

Congrats to Ironton for making it to Canton awesome job definitely the best team in the area this year. But IMO the 2017 Burg team was a better team than this year's Ironton team Burg had to face much stiffer competition to win state But Kirtland is really good and if Ironton beats them and wins state I might just change my mind but I doubt it. Good luck to the fighting Tigers hope you guys win state

Burg people trying to insert themselves into this Ironton discussion is priceless.

The transition to irrelevance is difficult sometimes.

Some Burg fans are like that annoying kid in grade school when you got back from Christmas break. No matter what anyone else got for Christmas what he got was bigger, better and cost more. SMH

[Bleeding Red]

Burg people trying to insert themselves into this Ironton discussion is priceless.

The transition to irrelevance is difficult sometimes.

Some Burg fans are like that annoying kid in grade school when you got back from Christmas break. No matter what anyone else got for Christmas what he got was bigger, better and cost more. SMH

Yep!

[captainmorgan_]

Ironton playing smart. More fun to watch each week. Bring home the title!

[kantucky]

Supposed to be cool and dry Saturday night. Anyone else notice that ironton seems to fumble less when its wet? We might hope for a downpour instead

[bbjunky81]

Good recap of the Kirtland -VS- Oak Harbor Game.

I like Ironton being the underdog!

Go get Them Tigers.

They even used “eye of the tiger”for background music!

Go get THEM!!!!




https://youtu.be/dhWkNIfajns

The referee falling at 1:37 made watching the entire video worth it

[mattash]

I'll be there. Save me a seat Kantucky

[kantucky]

I'll be there. Save me a seat Kantucky

All seats are saved. You have no choice

Hope to see you there though!!

I seen some of the comments about this game and I'm wondering, seems there's some people actually think that the Ironton boys are going to be intimidated by Kirtland? Or maybe they dont even belong there? Our boys `ain't` going to be one bit afraid of anyone! I hope Kirtland does think all they'll have to do is go through the motion and then be doing flip-flops and dancing The Jig in the endzone afterwards and have nothing to worry about.

Seems like they like that song, Eye of the Tiger, well, next Saturday they can hear it all they want. They ain't doing nothing but mocking and taunting Ironton by putting that song on their highlight video. Shows me they're not giving one ounce of respect to the Tigers. That's Fighting Tigers

[Happy McGavin]

Pasteur has Kirtland as a 10 point favorite at a 73% certainty of winning. CalPreps has them projected as the winner. Yappi is heavy for Kirtland. That’s overwhelming......................... Just the facts.

The parochial view here is suffering from that SEO inferiority complex again. And for good reason.

Yappi has been picking against the Southern/Southeastern ohio teams all post season. Hell the last two weeks Ironton was a heavy underdog according to yappi. Block the noise and get er done, good luck Ironton from Tomcat country