Unioto starts season with statement win over Jackson

CHILLICOTHE — Doubted. Overlooked. Ignored.

Who cares?

Thanks to a near-perfect first half, and a defense that laid wood all night long, Unioto started its season with a 35-21 win over Jackson on Thursday night. 

It was, without a doubt, a statement victory and one that — for the present moment — hushes the program’s naysayers.

“If we’re talking about programs, Unioto isn’t on the same planet as Jackson High School football,” Unioto coach Matt Hoops said. We’re just trying to get better. Have we had some success over the past four years? Yes. But [Jackson] has been good for a long time. We knew we were going to have to be up for the challenge tonight to give ourselves a chance. We did that.”

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Right off the bat, the Shermans’ defense set the tone, forcing a three-and-out to give their offense the football.

And on the 10th play of a 77-yard drive, quarterback Isaac Coy found Brayden Harsha open for a four-yard touchdown to make it 7-0 with 4:46 to play in the first quarter.

“To get a three-and-out and then be able to manage the clock with a fast-slow, fast-slow tempo like we did, that was huge,” Hoops said. “I don’t think we could’ve started any better than that. And for Isaac, just being a senior quarterback and getting the ball to a great athlete like Harsha in the corner of the end zone, it was just huge.”

The Ironmen answered, forcing a fumble deep in Sherman territory before capitalizing on the opportunity with a two-yard touchdown plunge from Israel Schindler — evening the score at the 10:31 mark in the second.

But after several trades possessions, Unioto (1-0) returned the favor with a defensive stop of its own. 

Jackson (0-1) gambled with a fake punt try, but the Shermans’ defense held its ground, giving the ball to Coy and company at the Ironmen’ 20-yard line.

Just over two minutes later, senior Yusef Wilson found the end zone from a yard out on 4th & 1, putting Unioto back on top at 14-7

Wilson was just getting started, though.

The senior completely changed the tide with less than a minute to go. 

After transitioning to his linebacker position, Wilson forced a fumble with a sack, picked up the ball and made a beeline to the house, extending the lead to 21-7 at the break. 

“That was the play that allowed us to get over the hump,” Hoops said. “That play is what fueled us going into the second half.”

The Shermans stayed locked in after the break, too. 

Coy started the third quarter with a bang, finding Levi Beam for a 56-yard touchdown toss at the 7:56 mark to make it a 28-7 count.

“The message at halftime was to be mature,” Hoops said. “Were the kids excited when they got into the locker room? Absolutely. But we talked about playing with emotion, but not playing emotional. We wanted to be in the right head space. I just felt like we came out in the second half with the right mindset.”

Jackson added a 37-yard touchdown run from Tate Rosler in the third quarter before Coy answered early in the fourth with a one-yard score. The Ironmen closed the night’s scoring with a nine-yard touchdown run from CJ Crabtree in garbage time.

“We just try to keep things super simple,” Hoops said. “I loved the atmosphere here tonight, and I think that brought some extra excitement. I also think our kids knew how big this win would be for our program and for the players who got us to this point. I think that’s what motivated these guys. It’s awesome to see it continuing to trend upward.”

Unioto will be back in action on Aug. 28, hosting Athens.

The Bulldogs replaced Vinton County on the Shermans’ non-league schedule and are coming off a 9-2 finish last fall.

“The message this week will be, ‘How do you handle success?’ That’s just as important as how you handle adversity,” Hoops said. “We just have to stay healthy and see what we do next Friday.”

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Unioto starts season with statement win over Jackson