OHIO — Battling in the fourth quarter of a 21-17 state championship game, Ironton had fumbled with 1:41 left to play, and the Fighting Tigers defense had one more opportunity to make a stop and hold on to the win.
Liberty Center senior running back Waylon Rentz rushed twice for gains of three and four yards, setting up 3rd and 3 at Ironton’s 32-yard line. The Tigers lined back up for another chance to convert, and Rentz was handed the football again.
Rentz ran to his left after the snap, and he was met by Ironton senior defensive back Josh Johnson, who lowered his body and knocked the ball loose where sophomore defensive back Brycen Mullins scooped up the football.
“I saw him come around the corner. It was one-on-one. I just had to go and make a fit tackle,” Johnson said. “That’s all I was trying to do. Ball popped out, our guys got on it, and after that, it was over.”
Ironton senior Shaun Terry broke off a 67-yard touchdown run on the ensuing possession, boosting the Fighting Tigers ahead 28-17 and clinching Ironton its first OHSAA Division V football state championship since 1989 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Saturday.
Terry led all players with 300 all-purpose yards, including 148 receiving yards, two touchdowns through the air and one on the ground.
“It definitely felt great,” Terry said. “I mean, just trying to prove everybody wrong in the state. They wrote me off with Mr. Ohio Football, and I kind of felt something towards that. And these guys even corralled me behind me and were like, ‘Hey, you should have been there too.’ And these guys, you don’t understand how much I love them. That’s the only reason why I performed the way I did was because of them.”
Ironton (15-1) earned its first state championship in 35 years. The Fighting Tigers appeared in six state title games since then but could not emerge victorious and bring a trophy back to the city — until Saturday.
“It eats, sleeps and breathes football,” Ironton head coach Trevon Pendleton said. “You hear about it daily. The needle mover in our town is football and sports in general. These guys live it. It feels like a huge weight off our shoulders.”