By Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

The old saying goes, “Two’s a couple, three’s a crowd, and four is the beginning of a party.”

The annual Ironton Gridiron Classic will be featuring 4 teams this season instead of 6 due to some scheduled defectors, but the foursome is quite a group that will make for quite a football viewing party.

The Fighting Tigers will face the St. Francis Red Raiders at 7 p.m. in the finale of the annual GridIron Classic on Saturday at Tanks Memorial Stadium. It follows the 1 p.m. game that matches a couple of big school national powers in the Cincinnati Moeller Crusaders and the Mallard Creek (N.C.) Mavericks.

Ironton comes into the game 3-0 with lopsided wins over Wheelersburg (37-7), Jackson (51-14) and Cabell Midland (63-7). The Red Raiders opened with a 23-17 win over Cleveland Benedictine last week.

Last season, St. Francis finished runners-up in the New York State Catholic High School Athletic Association state tournament for the second straight season with a 40-22 loss to Cardinal Hayes.

The Red Raiders are led offensively by senior quarterback Landon Welka (5-11, 150) who was 7-of-15 passing for 130 yards and 2 touchdowns last week. He also ran 10 times for 70 yards and a score.

The backfield is led by junior Larry Hardy (5-6, 190)  and junior Tavio Hoose (5-10, 175) who was a state wrestling champion last winter at Southwestern High School. Hardy ran 11 times for 44 yards and Hoose had 7 Carris for 32 yards last week.

Senior tight end William Hanson (6-0, 225) caught a pair of passes for 31 yards while senior wide receiver Edward Gauthier III had two grabs for 11 yards and a score. Junior receiver Damone Allen (5-10, 150) caught a 73-yard TD pass

The defense is led by Hanson at linebacker with senior defensive end Jack Suffoletto (5-10, 190) the top pass rusher. Senior middle linebacker Grant Rybczynski (5-11, 175) plays tight end and is also the team’s punter and placekicker.

St. Francis’ key linemen are junior William Wortkoetter (6-5, 285) who plays both offensive and defensive tackle, and seniors Ethan Farley (6-4,277), Peyton Johnson (6-3, 275), Michael Harris (6-5, 270) and Josh Sullivan (6-2, 195).

Sullivan is the center with Johnson one of the guards and Farley joining Wortkoetter at the tackles.

The Fighting Tigers have a plethora of offensive weapons led by H-Back Shaun “Mr. Electric” Terry with 13 receptions for 265 yards and 3 touchdowns plus 6 rushes for 118 yards and 3 scores.

Quarterback Braden Schreck is 40-of-63 passing for 714 yards, 6 touchdowns and just one interception off a deflection. Zayne “The Train” Williams has 14 carries for 100 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Tyler Roach had 6 receptions for 166 yards and 4 touchdowns, Nick Sites 4 catches for 450 yards and Braydon Baker 7 grabs for 41 yards and a score.

Defensively, Austin Bump has 16 total tackles, Brycen Mullins 14, and both Jesse Copas and Sites 13 each. All 4 players have 2 tackles for a loss.

Mason Wheeler has the team’s lone sack while Copas had 8 hurries.

The first game may be a better matchup than the originally scheduled game between Moeller and Benedictine Academy of Georgia.

Mallard Creek head coach Kennedy Tinsley thinks this year’s Mavericks can be the best team of his tenure.

Mallard (1-1) is led by senior quarterback Evan Rambert (6-1, 195).

“I think this is gonna be a pretty good team this season,” said Tinsley. “Fifteen starters back from last year, eight on that defense. I think it’s got a chance to be the best group that we’ve had since I’ve been here.”

Key players are senior safety Brandon Rose (5-11, 190), senior wide receiver Jamal Haizlip (5-11, 175), senior linebacker Nick Griffith (6-0, 210), senior outside linebacker Lawson Collins (6-0, 190) and senior wide receiver Elijah Thompson (6-2, 195) who missed last season  with a broken ankle.

Senior running back Curtis Clark (5-8, 170) is a key weapon.

“(Rambert) I personally don’t think I’ve seen anybody with better arm talent this summer,” Tinsley said. “Christian Dixon tends to still feel like he’s the fastest man in the state. Curtis Clark had the shoulder injury that ended his season early and he’s been phenomenal this off-season.”

Transfer senior defensive tackle Chaz Knox (6-0 285) gives the Mavericks a defensive stopper up front.

Tinsley played at North Carolina from 2006-09 and signed with the Los Angeles Rams in 2010. While training in 2011, his foot got stuck in the turf and he tore multiple ligaments in his knee forcing him to have surgery.

Tinsley landed a job with Eastern Guilford High School and his coaching career was underway. He was hired as the Mavericks head coach in 2020 as he took over a program that had 3 state titles and a national reputation.

When talking about the Archbishop Moeller Crusaders, you’re talking about one of the most storied programs in Ohio high school football history.

Third-year head coach Bert Bathiany has another strong Moeller team that’s off to a 3-0 start.

Coming off a 10-5 season, the Crusaders will look to junior quarterback Matt Ponatoski (6-2, 190) to lead the offense. He passed for a school record 3,334 yards last season with 29 touchdowns and was third team All-Ohio in Division 1.

The top target is senior wide receiver Jovan Love (6-2, 190) who caught 44 passes for 941 yards and 9 touchdowns. A first team All-Ohio selection, Love has offers from Army and Navy.

Love has plenty of help at wide receiver with senior Roman Mason (6-0, 190) who had 42 catches for 646 yards and 9 TDs last season. He has an offer from Gardner-Webb on the table.

Up front the Crusaders have senior offensive linemen Marty Adkins (6-3, 270), Mateo Armeta (6-3, 305), Titus Land (6-3, 270), Chuck Powell (6-3, 280) and Ollie Hamre (6-2, 260).

The defensive line had senior Luke Stuerenberg (6-0, 260), junior Christian Harris (6-1, 260) and senior Jonah Hayes (6-6, 215) who has committed to Northwestern.

Junior linebacker Conner Cuozzo (6-1, 220) was the Greater Catholic League South Player of the Year last season with 64 total tackles, 2 and one-half sacks and 8 and one-half tackles for a loss.

The secondary is led by senior defensive back Micah Rice (6-2, 185) who had 55 total tackles, 6 pass breakups and 3 interceptions last season for Akron Archbishop Hoban. Rice has committed to Louisville much like Ironton defensive back Josh Johnson.

Rice is joined in the secondary by senior Griff Daley (6-0, 190) and senior Lincoln Murphy (6-2, 200) who also plays tight end.