By Craig Dunn
Logan Daily News Sports Editor

LOGAN — Hello, Jackson. It’s been a long time…

For the Logan Chieftains, Friday’s Southeastern Ohio Athletic League game at Jackson is not only the renewal of a longtime and healthy football rivalry, but a victory would go a long way toward another league title and a state playoff berth.

The Chieftains (8-0 overall, 4-0 SEOAL) make their second appearance at Jackson High School’s beautiful Alumni Stadium Friday (7:30 p.m. kickoff) for a crucial week-nine matchup with the Ironmen (5-3, 2-3).
A little background: when the SEOAL expanded to 10 schools beginning with the 2006 football season, the league went to a seven-game schedule in which two teams rotated off each team’s slate for two-season intervals.

Thus, Jackson was not on Logan’s conference schedule in 2006 or 2007, marking the first time, other than in 1978 (when most of the Logan schedule was wiped out due to a teacher’s strike), the two teams hadn’t met since 1934. Other than Athens (88 games), Logan has played Jackson (85) more than any football foe since 1912.

Since it’s been a few years between varsity meetings between the Chiefs and Ironmen, “the kids don’t see Jackson the same way you or I see Jackson,” said Logan coach Dale Amyx. “I see Jackson as a traditional rival that’s always tough to play against.

“The kids have heard of Jackson but (the seniors) haven’t played them since their freshman year,” he added.

Amyx recalls all-too-well that Jackson was, in fact, the last conference team to deal the Purple & White an SEOAL defeat. The Ironmen upended the Purple & White 21-14 back on Oct. 1, 2004.

Since then, the Chiefs have rattled off a school-record 27 consecutive SEOAL wins. But only one of them — a narrow 14-7 decision in their first trip to Alumni Stadium in 2005 — has been at the expense of the Ironmen.

While staying on course toward a fifth-straight SEOAL championship and a third-straight post-season berth is priority one for the Chieftains — Jackson and Chillicothe (6-2, 5-0) still stand firmly in their way — the Ironmen have struggled since starting the season 4-0.

Jackson has lost three of its last four games, including a devastating 36-28 week-five setback at Gallipolis, and over the last two weeks was routed by Ironton and Chillicothe by a combined score of 95-22.

And the Ironmen lost their top running back, Cody Huff, on the first play from scrimmage two weeks ago against Ironton. He didn’t play against Chillicothe, and his status for this week is up in the air.

“Our game plan won’t change whether he plays or not,” said Amyx. “We’re preparing as if he will play. Without him they rely more on their quarterback (Josh Brown), who will also play some tailback and receiver. They use (Brown) something like (Jaymes) Haggarty was for Gallipolis a couple years ago.

“They’re not as big as (previous Logan foes) Ironton or Zanesville,” he added. “They have decent size, but not nearly as big as a Pickerington North or Ironton.”

As for the Chieftains, well, they know full well what’s on the line both this week and next. A win Friday night more than likely clinches a playoff berth and could also mean a home game as well.

“We absolutely could not be in a better position than we are right now,” Amyx said. “We’re 8-0 and we’re sitting good in our (playoff) region. As we keep telling the kids, we are the ones who control our destiny. And that’s the way we want it.”
 
 

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