Hillsboro falls to visiting Jackson in FAC first-place showdown

HILLSBORO — There is only one team left in the Frontier Athletic Conference with an undefeated record in the conference standings following Week 8, and that team is the Jackson Ironmen. 

The Ironmen moved to 3-0 in the FAC against the host Hillsboro Indians Friday night at Richards Memorial Field, winning by a 63-21 score. 

Even with the 42-point loss, the worst part of the game for Hillsboro was an injury to standout sophomore Jeven Hochstuhl, who didn’t complete the game. 

That said, a positive was the Indians scored three touchdowns against one of the very best teams in southern Ohio.

Another bright spot for HHS was the play of Hillsboro senior Austin Barrett, who ran through the pathways made by his offensive line, and he made some plays in the open field as well. He unofficially finished with 256 yards rushing for the game, increasing his season-long streak of having at least 100-plus yards rushing in every game played thus far. For the season, Barrett has unofficially 1,560 yards rushing. 

On Friday night, the Ironmen (3-0, 7-1) scored first with a punt return for a touchdown with 10:17 left in the first quarter, as Ryan Seimetz took the ball nearly 80 yards to pay dirt. The PAT by Ethan Crabtree left JHS ahead, 7-0. 

The Indians struggled in their second possession, resulting in a turnover on downs at their own 40-yard line with 6:44 left in the first quarter as the top play in the drive for HHS was a pass from Mason Dumpert to Logan Elliott. 

It took the Ironmen one play to score their second touchdown of the game, as recent Kent State commit Cade Wolford went 46 yards for the score with 6:36 left in the first quarter. Again, the PAT was good for a 14-0 lead. 

The Indians got on the scoreboard with 3:03 left in the first quarter, starting a drive from their own 20-yard line, and seeing plays like a Dumpert pass to Zach Brown for a 6-yard gain, and a 40-yard run by Hochstuhl on third down, taking the ball to the JHS 18-yard line. 

Two plays later, it was Nic Burns catching a 14-yard pass from Dumpert in the end zone for a touchdown. Wesley Bailey’s PAT was good for a 14-7 score. 

Once in possession of the football, the Ironmen took two plays on the ensuing drive to score more points, with Nolan Johnson rushing 45 yards for the touchdown with 2:40 left in the first quarter, After the PAT was ruled good, the Ironmen led Hillsboro, 21-7. 

The Indians had a turnover on downs after eight plays, and when JHS regained possession with 11:16 left in the second, they took eight plays to score their fourth touchdown of the game, when Wolford rushed seven yards on first-and-goal for six points with 8:06 on the scoreboard. After the PAT, the Ironmen were ahead, 28-7. 

Hillsboro responded with their second touchdown of the game on the ensuing drive, as the drive began on their own 20-yard line with a 7-yard run by Barrett, followed by gains of five yards and two yards by the senior running back. 

Next was a 15-yard personal foul of JHS that aided the Indians on the drive, and on first down Barrett rushed 33 yards from the 49-yard line to the JHS 18-yard line. After a 2-yard gain by Barrett, sophomore quarterback Dumpert found his way in the end zone — racing around the corner of the defense — with a 16-yard touchdown run on second down for six points. The PAT was good, leaving HHS trailing 28-14 with 4:55 left in the second quarter. 

There was no stopping Jackson, because two plays later they added another touchdown to their total, this time — following a big kickoff return by Wolford, and a 24-yard reception by Brady Dailey — it was Wolford rushing three yards for a touchdown on first-and-goal with 4:15 remaining in the second quarter. The converted PAT put Jackson ahead at 35-14. 

JHS added another TD before the end of the first half, this one being a pass from Bodhi Wolford to Ryan Seimetz for a 53-yard touchdown with 1:02 left on the scoreboard. Another made PAT left Jackson with a 42-14 lead. 

HHS tried to add points, as Barrett had a 42-yard run for a first down, but the next play the Indians had a turnover on offense, giving JHS the ball on their own 47-yard line. 

The Ironmen eventually ended up with more first-half points as Bodhi Wolford passed to Cade Wolford for an 11-yard score with 2.5 left in the second quarter. Following the made PAT, JHS took a 49-14 lead at halftime. 

Getting the ball at the start of the third quarter — and having a running clock — the Ironmen continued their team dominance with their eighth touchdown of the game. This touchdown was Nolan Johnson running for nine yards for six points. Following the extra point, it was Jackson leading Hillsboro 56-14. 

Hillsboro’s final score came with a drive by HHS that was all Barrett in the rushing column. The senior started with a 59-yard run from the Indians’ 20-yard line to the JHS 21-yard line. Following an 11-yard run by Barrett, the Indians saw the senior Barrett race 10 yards to the end zone with 4:38 left in the third. Bailey made the PAT for a 56-21 HHS deficit. 

Jackson’s final touchdown of the game was a 1-yard run by backup quarterback CJ Crabtree with 9:58 on the clock. After the extra point was ruled good, the Ironmen built the final 63-21 lead. 

The Indians will have senior night on Friday, Oct. 13 as their Week 9 opponent will be the Miami Trace Panthers, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. at Richards Memorial Field.