Wheelersburg Moves On

COLUMBUS - Since the release of the OHSAA Division V bracket, it was almost destined to be a Wheelersburg and Nelsonville-York regional final; especially after Ironton being ruled out of the playoffs.

With both teams coming into the Region 19 Final undefeated, we were expecting a highly competitive football game. Despite the resumes, this contest was the complete opposite as the Pirates dominated in all aspects of the game.

Wheelersburg received the ball first and moved quickly down the field with the help of their aggressive playstyle. This was the fastest we've witnessed Wheelersburg play all season long as they were snapping the ball within seconds of the ball being spotted. Once the Pirates reached the goal line, Braylon Rucker snuck the football up the middle for the first touchdown of the game.

Nelsonville-York was not fazed by the Pirates quick score as Cameron Sullivan found Walker Stone across the middle, who then ran it down to inside the 10-yard line. Wheelersburg's defense stepped up though as they would force a turnover on downs to keep the Buckeyes off the scoreboard.

Both teams would then trade possessions before Wheelersburg would put together another long and successful drive. The Pirates began gashing the Buckeyes defense once again on the ground and capped off the drive with an Elijah Brown touchdown.

On the Buckeyes next possession, Wheelersburg Senior, Ison Emnett batted a Sullivan pass up in the air and fellow Senior Elijah Brown came away with the interception.

Wheelersburg now with full control of the momentum would score another touchdown. Junior RB Stephen Hall went to work on the ground and then Elijah Brown finished the drive for the Pirates, scoring his second touchdown of the contest.

The Pirates would come away with another stop on defense and then just before the end of the first half, Senior Kicker, Cooper Heimbach nailed a 50-yard field goal. This gave Wheelersburg a 24-0 lead heading into halftime.

In the second half, the Buckeyes offense continued to struggle, mainly in part to the aggressive Wheelersburg defense. The Pirates would tack on 17 more points in the final two quarters with Brady Music and Elijah Brown touchdowns. Cooper Heimbach put the final touches on the game as he would strike another long field goal, this time from 47 yards away.

Wheelersburg went on to defeat Nelsonville-York 41-0 to advance to the Division V State-Semifinals. The Pirates are set to take on the Division V Region 17 winner, Youngstown Cardinal Mooney. The Cardinals are expected to be a tough matchup for the Pirates as they are coming into this state-semifinal game with a 10-2 record. They're also riding an 8-game winning streak with dominate wins over 2022 state champions Canfield South Range and an undefeated Girard team.