| Tigers Rip Waverly, Finish Season Unbeaten by Tom Clutters The Ironton Fighting Tigers didn't leave any doubt what-so-ever as to who was the SEOAL football champions of 1978. With an offensive attack which looked more awesome that at any other time this season, the Fighting Tigers ripped, roared, clawed and rolled to a 66-14 pounding of the Waverly Tigers friday night at Tank Stadium. After a slow start, which saw Waverly actually tie the game at 14-14 in the second period, Ironton roared back with 30 third period points to put the game away. With the victory, the Tigers clinched the SEOAL crown with a 6-0 league record and finished the season with a perfect 9-0 record. Senior fullback Rodney Boykin once again piled up the points, racking up 5 touchdowns and two extra points, giving him 156 points and 25 touchdowns for the year. Running mate Terry Royal was the games leading rusher with 132 yards on 17 carries, as the Fighting Tigers took a 463-71 total yardage advantage. Waverly took the opening kickoff, but after three plays, had to punt. The Fighting Tigers began their first scoring drive of the night from their own 49. Quarterback Greg Ainsworth hit Royal with a 15 yard pass to aid the drive, which also included a 16 yard run by Gabriel Lewis and a 19 yard scamper by Royal. Boykin then pounded over from three yards out with 6:39 left in the first period for the TD, and Joe Fletcher kicked the extra point to make it 7-0. Sophomore halfback Rick Conley of Waverly then delivered the first of two major shocks to the Fighting Tigers. After taking the opening kickoff from his own eight, Conley darted and dodged his way into the clear and rambled in for the touchdown. The extra point attempt failed and the Ironton lead stood at 7-6. Ironton took the Waverly kickoff and began a drive from their own 37. In six plays, the Fighting Tigers marched to the Waverly 35 and from that point, Terry Royal did the rest, scampering in for the score, aided by a key block from Dan Bryant at about the 10 yard line. Fletcher added the PAT to make it 14-6 after the first period. The Fighting Tigers took over on downs early in the second quarter, and it looked like they were headed for another score until, with just nine minutes left, lightening struck again. After a 21 yard pass completion from Ainsworth to Tim Hodges, Ironton had the ball with a first down at the Waverly 24. Ainsworth then turned and gave the ball to Lewis, but he lost the handle and the ball dropped to the ground. Along came Rick Conley again and he scooped up the pigskin at the 25 and sprinted 75 yards for the score. Quarterback Lorne Weeter then hit John Knight for the conversion and Waverly moved into a 14-14 tie. Waverly tried an on-side kick, but the ball was recovered by Ironton's Brent Wilcoxen at the Waverly 48. This, for all intents and purposes, marked the end of the night for Waverly. In five plays, Ironton drove to the 37, and on the sixth play, Ainsworth found Joe Fletcher cutting for the right side, and fired a perfect strike, with Fletcher rambling in for the score. The conversion was blocked, but Ironton was in front to stay, 20-14. A little over a minute later, Ironton scored again when Ainsworth took a Waverly fumble from the 20 and ran into the end zone for a TD. Royal added the 2 pointer giving the Fighting Tigers a 28-14 lead at the 5:49 mark of the first half. After Irontons kickoff, Waverly, who coughed up the ball six times during the game, lost control again when senior Joe Singleton recovered for Ironton at the 25. The FIghting Tigers couldn't punch the ball in and the half came to a close at 28-14. Gabriel Lewis got the big third period off to a roaring start for Ironton when, with 10:23 left, he took a pitchout around the left side and sprinted 34 yards for the score. The Tigers faked the conversion kick, with Ainsworth hitting Hodges for two, making it 36-14. Junior tackle Joe Hacker the intercepted a Waverly pass, setting up another score, a 3 yard run by Boykin. Boykin added the conversion to make it 44-14 and less than a minute later it was 51-14. The Fighting Tigers recovered a fumble by Jeff Kritzwiser on the kickoff. Ainsworth hooked up with MArty Scior on a 25 yard pass to the Waverly 3. Boykin took it in from there, scoring his third TD of the game. Fletchers PAT made it 51-14 with 6:17 remaining. Boykin then added the final score of the period for Ironton with 1:05 left, on a 1 yard run, and with Fletchers kick, made it 58-14. The final score of the season came for Ironton with 4:33 left in the game, with Boykin doing the honors, but not in the usual way. Reserve running back Gene "Tink" Williams was the original ball carrier on the play but lost the handle and the ball scooted into a pile of players near the 5 yard line. Then, after a moments pause, Boykin turned up in the end zone with the ball high above his head. Boykin, who was in the game more or less as a decoy, just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Ainsworth ran in for the conversion, setting the final 66-14 score. The Ironton defense turned in a strong performance, holding Qaverly to just 71 total yards, including only 4 yards passing. The Fighting Tigers offensive line, including tackles Robert Clay and Daryl Womack, guards Dave Bryant and Joe Singleton, and center Dan Bryant, opened holes for the Ironton runners, who piled up 351 yards for the night. Ainsworth connected on 7 of 9 passes for Ironton, good for 112 yards and one touchdown. The Fighting Tigers picked up 25 first downs, while Waverly could manage only 4. Back to 78 Tigers |