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HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS
Wheelersburg slips past Ironton
Ironton's Jon Monnig dives for the leg of Wheelersburg quarterback Tyler Lang during the high school football game on Friday, Aug. 22, 2008, in Wheelersburg.
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WHEELERSBURG, Ohio -- Sophomore Brandon Schankweiler capped an 86-yard, fourth-quarter drive with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Andy Stegman with 39 seconds left to rally Wheelersburg to a thrilling 23-22 win over U.S. 52 rival Ironton in the high school opener for both teams on a hot Friday night at packed Ed Miller Stadium.
Schankweiler spent much of the night cheering for brother Jordan, who starts at running back for the Pirates. But when starting quarterback Tyler Lang went down with a knee injury early in the fourth period, Brandon went from cheerleader to clutch performer.
"We tried to keep it simple and he made it work," said Rob Woodward, who had a memorable debut as head coach for the Pirates thanks to Schankweiler. "He's dead tired, but he's tough and he showed it."
Ironton, which suffered three first-half fumbles and trailed 16-0 at halftime, played error free ball in the second half and capitalized on some Wheelersburg mistakes to take a 22-16 lead on Keith Wetzel's 5-yard TD run and two-point conversion with 3:01 left in the game. A 40-yard punt return by Lukas Morris gave the Fighting Tigers a first-and-goal at the 5. Lang, the regular punter, had been replaced by Bryan White on the decisive punt.
Ironton fans are whooping it up in the stands at this point and Wheelersburg patrons, suddenly quiet, are left to wonder what Brandon Schankweiler can do when the Pirates get the ball at their 14 with 2:53 on the clock.
"You practice situations every day you hope you don't have to use," Woodward said. "You've got have the players ready. I can't take credit for this. The kids fought hard and got it done."
With Schankweiler in the shotgun, he started the winning drive with an 18-yard run. He added dashes of 9, 28 and 6 yards by taking snaps, reading the Ironton defense and running to daylight.
On third-and-8 at the Fighting Tigers' 24, Stegman ran a fly pattern down the right sideline and Schankweiler sailed a high pass to the corner of the end zone. Stegman outjumped the Ironton defender and pulled in the pass to tie the game. Aaron White added the go-ahead point after.
Ironton got the ball at its 45, but suffered an incompletion, sack and hit two short passes as the clock ran out and Wheelersburg fans stormed the field.
IRONTON 0 0 7 15 -- 22
WHEELERSBURG 0 16 0 7 -- 23
W -- J. Schankweiler 2 run (White kick)
W -- Lang 4 run (kick failed)
W -- White 27 FG
I -- Brice 59 run (Schweickart kick)
I -- Wetzel 1 run (Schweickart kick)
I -- Wetzel 5 run (Wetzel run)
W -- Stegman 24 pass from B. Schankweiler (White kick)
"I knew there was a lot on me," Brandon Schankweiler said. "The TD was a fade route. I looked off the safety. When I let it go, I knew he'd catch it. We called the plays, I looked at the linebackers and ends and took what was there."
"It was a darned jump ball. I hate those," Ironton coach Bob Lutz said. "I've seen it before. The effort was good in the second half. We didn't tackle at the end. The quarterback's out. All they can do is run. We have to make the tackle."
