This just made me look forward to this Saturday night even more (in a good way)!
Funny thing is that Kirtland beat Manchester a few weeks back who was led by Jim France (who passed Bob Lutz not too long ago for most wins in the state) and Ethan Wright (a D1 commit).
Sounds to me like this Ironton team has out-physicaled and beaten every team at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball since their week 3 loss. Also sounds like they have a defense that flies to the ball, doesn’t miss tackles, and could make most offenses in the state underperform.
I also agree with your analysis in that whoever makes the most stops, plays with the most heart, and makes the least amount of mistakes should win.
Kirtland’s also been known to wear down their opponents by residing with the ground and pound since their dynasty began (with the exception of the MAC schools such as Coldwater, Minster, & Marion Local and Mogadore too).
Against Oak Harbor last week, I could see a lot of Rocket defenders with hands on their hips and a couple of times taking a little longer than usual to get up from the turf. Not to say that they weren’t physically prepared because they played hard the whole game...I just mean that they probably wore down for the first time all year. It doesn’t sound to me like Ironton is going to wear down at all which will pose an interesting challenge to the Kirtland offense.
I said earlier in the week that this will be a battle of attrition. Whoever has the most capable bodies left and whoever doesn’t tire first will most likely win this one. Two of the most physical teams in the state going toe-to-toe battling in a game of inches! Can’t wait for Saturday!