Fantasy Matchup: Ironton 1992 VS Wheelersburg 2017: Who Wins?

[RBH23]

90s football doesn’t even compete or compare with today’s football. Sorry. Ironton may have had better athletes but they would have lost by scheme alone. Irontons offensive and defensive line would be confused from the start of the first snap. Now if you want to set the athletes in the same era, different story but if you magically take burgs 17 team back to the past, they would beat them easily.

Exactly! Ironton would not have handled the pass game. Again, Burg wouldn’t have beaten them as bad as MLC did, but Burg would easily win because of the offensive fire power. Let’s not forget, this Burg team went 80 yards in less than a minute in the state title game to force overtime. Ironton didn’t have that ability.

As for stopping Jackson, 2017 Burg went up against some good athletic teams. The Eastwood back was a 3* recruit, and Burg held him to less than 100 yards on the ground.

I gotta be honest. Was burgs passing game all that ferocious or were they just playing teams w one tall athletic kid vs an area where one tall athletic kid stands out? lol. I think 92 Irontons sos was more impressive. I'm not sold on anything intricate about 17 burgs offensive schematics. I think they just had better athletes per the teams they played. And 92 Ironton had better athletes than 2017 burg. I don't think it's so much an X's & O's deal. 17 burg doesn't match up well w 92 Ironton per man imo.

Yes it was. On the 80 yard drive with less than one minute to tie the game in the state finals, it was all passing. Three different receivers caught the ball; none were Holden. Btw, the QB was playing on a broken leg.

The game has changed a great deal. Watching MLC decimate Ironton isn’t the game to watch for obvious reasons. But watch the 1993 state title against Wauseon. In the last drive, Wauseon QB had all day to throw (and Wauseon was mostly an option pass team). Also, if you watch that drive, you will see some terrible tackling by Ironton. Absolutely terrible.

Keep in mind, the 2017 Burg team had around 90 players with many only going one way. This team didn’t wear down simply because of numbers, and the team was an exceptional tackling team; great against the run. This team would not have beaten Marion Local that year, but they definitely could have beaten Kirtland and Coldwater; only Burg or Ironton team in the past 20 years that could.

Watching Ironton in the early 90’s is like watching NFL teams in the 70’s. They were good for their time, but if dropped in to play a game this week against a top team, they would be completely out of their element.

[Jason Vorhees]

It’s very hard comparing eras. You can however, compare accolades and awards:

1992 Ironton- OKAC Champs, DIII State Runner Up.
Outscored their opponents 522-116. PPG-37.3 Defensive Average-8.3. 6 Total Shutouts.

2017 Wheelersburg, SOC2 Champs, Region 19 Champions, DV State Champions. Outscored their opponents, 594-128. PPG-39.6 Defensive Average-8.53. 3 Total Shutouts.

[wobycat]

It’s very hard comparing eras. You can however, compare accolades and awards:

1992 Ironton- OKAC Champs, DIII State Runner Up.
Outscored their opponents 522-116. PPG-37.3 Defensive Average-8.3. 6 Total Shutouts.

2017 Wheelersburg, SOC2 Champs, Region 19 Champions, DV State Champions. Outscored their opponents, 594-128. PPG-39.6 Defensive Average-8.53. 3 Total Shutouts.

Best information on this topic. The real winner is burg. They won the last game when it counted.

[packers80]

I'd have to take BURG, since they actually won the state title in 2017.

[MrFirstTake]

I'd have to take BURG, since they actually won the state title in 2017.

Big difference in D3 and D5 I can guarantee you Burg would have been runner up too if they played Trotwood Madison I’m the 2017 D3 state championship but since this is all fake it doesn’t really matter honestly

[RBH23]

I'd have to take BURG, since they actually won the state title in 2017.

Big difference in D3 and D5 I can guarantee you Burg would have been runner up too if they played Trotwood Madison I’m the 2017 D3 state championship but since this is all fake it doesn’t really matter honestly

There were only 5 divisions in 1992 versus 7 divisions in 2017.

[MrFirstTake]

I'd have to take BURG, since they actually won the state title in 2017.

Big difference in D3 and D5 I can guarantee you Burg would have been runner up too if they played Trotwood Madison I’m the 2017 D3 state championship but since this is all fake it doesn’t really matter honestly

There were only 5 divisions in 1992 versus 7 divisions in 2017.

Yeah which IMO made it harder

[RBH23]

Big difference in D3 and D5 I can guarantee you Burg would have been runner up too if they played Trotwood Madison I’m the 2017 D3 state championship but since this is all fake it doesn’t really matter honestly

There were only 5 divisions in 1992 versus 7 divisions in 2017.

Yeah which IMO made it harder

But Ironton didn’t win D3 state title in 1992. They also didn’t win the D4 state title in 1993. We are not comparing state champ versus state champ.

And the assumption that 2017 Burg would not have beaten 2017 TM means nothing in this debate about Ironton versus Burg.

[packers80]

I'd have to take BURG, since they actually won the state title in 2017.

Big difference in D3 and D5 I can guarantee you Burg would have been runner up too if they played Trotwood Madison I’m the 2017 D3 state championship but since this is all fake it doesn’t really matter honestly

Correct, you can't guarantee anything because like you said, it's all fake. But I gotta take the closest thing to reality and that is that BURG won in 2017 and the ironton team lost way back in 1992.

[MrFirstTake]

There were only 5 divisions in 1992 versus 7 divisions in 2017.

Yeah which IMO made it harder

But Ironton didn’t win D3 state title in 1992. They also didn’t win the D4 state title in 1993. We are not comparing state champ versus state champ.

And the assumption that 2017 Burg would not have beaten 2017 TM means nothing in this debate about Ironton versus Burg.

My point of them not being able to beat the D3 team was because I saw a post that said ironton was a runner up and I was trying to say Burg would have been too that’s all since were talking if and could have

[Jason Vorhees]

Ironton actually holds the state record for most State Runner Ups with 8:

1973-Lost to Benedictine 38-13
1982-Lost to St. Vincent-St. Mary-21-14
1988-Lost to St. Vincent-St. Mary-14-12
1992-Lost to Lake Catholic-31-7
1993-Lost to Wauseon-13-10
1999-Lost to Sandusky Perkins-16-14
2019-Lost to Kirtland-17-7
2020-Lost to Kirtland-38-0

I think something that the entire region/area can pride itself on is that Ironton currently ranks 11th in the state for all time wins and has made 35 playoff appearances. That looks like it’s currently tied for 1st place with Cincinnati Moeller. They also have 12 State Final Four Appearances.

Wheelersburg is currently ranked 4th all time in winning percentage, with 31 playoff appearances, and 8 State Final Four appearances. If Wheelersburg ends up with a winning record or even.500 it’ll secure a record that I don’t know that any other program in the United States can claim. They’ve had no less than a .500 record since 1964.

[frankie]

Saying that Burg 2017 won state and Ironton '92 didn't doesn't prove they would beat '92 Ironton head to head. I watched both of those teams in person and the '92 Tigers were the better of the two, IMO. I will tell you this, Holden was no Jerivicous and 2017 Burg wouldn't have beat '92 MLC. And you're dreaming if you think any Burg team from 2017 to present would beat Kirtland.

[eagle one]

Gonna do 1 new fantasy matchup per week.

Nuetral field. Who wins & why? Let's hear it!

ironton and not that close

[RBH23]

Saying that Burg 2017 won state and Ironton '92 didn't doesn't prove they would beat '92 Ironton head to head. I watched both of those teams in person and the '92 Tigers were the better of the two, IMO. I will tell you this, Holden was no Jerivicous and 2017 Burg wouldn't have beat '92 MLC. And you're dreaming if you think any Burg team from 2017 to present would beat Kirtland.

Holden wasn’t, and Burg wouldn’t have beaten ‘92 MLC, but they would have beaten 92 Ironton. Why? Because Ironton’s O strength was running the ball, while Burg’s D strength was stopping the run. On the flip side, Ironton’s D strength was stopping the run while Burg’s O strength was passing. Ironton’s weakness is stopping teams that can pass; was then and still is now.

Sure, Ironton had more talent, but that doesn’t always seem to be of much benefit to them (see Ironton-Kirtland game for proof).


As for Burg beating Kirtland in 2017, Calpreps thinks Burg would win for what it’s worth. That Burg team had the numbers, defense, and diverse offense to compete against Kirtland, Coldwater, etc. Only team in the area in the past 25 years that could.

[wobycat]

Saying that Burg 2017 won state and Ironton '92 didn't doesn't prove they would beat '92 Ironton head to head. I watched both of those teams in person and the '92 Tigers were the better of the two, IMO. I will tell you this, Holden was no Jerivicous and 2017 Burg wouldn't have beat '92 MLC. And you're dreaming if you think any Burg team from 2017 to present would beat Kirtland.

Holden wasn’t, and Burg wouldn’t have beaten ‘92 MLC, but they would have beaten 92 Ironton. Why? Because Ironton’s O strength was running the ball, while Burg’s D strength was stopping the run. On the flip side, Ironton’s D strength was stopping the run while Burg’s O strength was passing. Ironton’s weakness is stopping teams that can pass; was then and still is now.

Sure, Ironton had more talent, but that doesn’t always seem to be of much benefit to them (see Ironton-Kirtland game for proof).


As for Burg beating Kirtland in 2017, Calpreps thinks Burg would win for what it’s worth. That Burg team had the numbers, defense, and diverse offense to compete against Kirtland, Coldwater, etc. Only team in the area in the past 25 years that could.

Yeah no one outside of burg truly knows how good that team was.

[fielddaddy]

It’s very hard comparing eras. You can however, compare accolades and awards:

1992 Ironton- OKAC Champs, DIII State Runner Up.
Outscored their opponents 522-116. PPG-37.3 Defensive Average-8.3. 6 Total Shutouts.

2017 Wheelersburg, SOC2 Champs, Region 19 Champions, DV State Champions. Outscored their opponents, 594-128. PPG-39.6 Defensive Average-8.53. 3 Total Shutouts.

Best information on this topic. The real winner is burg. They won the last game when it counted.

Ironton ran into a buzz saw in the Championship game that year.
Their QB was hurt their All-State running back was put out of the game early.
To get there Ironton went against a killer team Germantown Valley View and they was stacked and had a incredible passing and running game.
They ran spread option team to a precision.
Germantown Valley View would have beat Burg and that is showing no disrespect to that team I was there and they was very very good

[wobycat]

It’s very hard comparing eras. You can however, compare accolades and awards:

1992 Ironton- OKAC Champs, DIII State Runner Up.
Outscored their opponents 522-116. PPG-37.3 Defensive Average-8.3. 6 Total Shutouts.

2017 Wheelersburg, SOC2 Champs, Region 19 Champions, DV State Champions. Outscored their opponents, 594-128. PPG-39.6 Defensive Average-8.53. 3 Total Shutouts.

Best information on this topic. The real winner is burg. They won the last game when it counted.

Ironton ran into a buzz saw in the Championship game that year.
Their QB was hurt their All-State running back was put out of the game early.
To get there Ironton went against a killer team Germantown Valley View and they was stacked and had a incredible passing and running game.
They ran spread option team to a precision.
Germantown Valley View would have beat Burg and that is showing no disrespect to that team I was there and they was very very good

Burgs last two opponents in 2017 could have easily won it themselves. Burg was great. Ironton was great. I think we don’t go anywhere on this topic but fans of each side going with their home team.

[Ironmen34]

That 2017 burg defense was pretty wild. Their defense line was unreal. I remember in the state championship game that parsley boy had about the best game at defense line that I’ve seen. Evan dahm and big xander Carmichael at linebackers, man they wound punish people

[Jason Vorhees]

I don’t know a whole lot about the 1992 Ironton Team. With the 2017 Wheelersburg Team, their front 7 on defense was about as good as you can get. Anytime you win a state championship, you have a combination of a lot things to go right. 1. You have to a staff that prepares well. 2. You have to the horses to compete. 3. You have to have some luck on your side. 4. You’re going to have to overcome adversity.

With Wheelersburg’s 3 out of their last 4 opponents, all 4 of those aforementioned factors occurred.

Vs. Columbus Academy-Down at the half (if I’m not mistaken) and come out in the second half with a complete change of the offense. They line up in power formations and start knocking Columbus Academy off the ball and start dominating the Line of Scrimmage.

Vs Madison-Down 10-0 in the 3rd quarter and gets a big break by a botched snap on Special Teams and kicks a field goal (10-3). Gets Madison out of their rhythm and scores a touchdown (10-9). Forces Madison even more out of their comfort zone and if I am not mistaken, has four interceptions in the second half. Holden and Carmichael make some amazing plays in the second half. #60 or #63 gets an interception. Can’t remember the kids name but that really was a huge momentum swing for Burg. Ends up winning 15-10. Madison’s weakness was passing.

Vs Eastwood-Reyes was key in this game and creative play calling. Wheelersburg drove down the field in less than 2 minutes to score a touchdown to force OT. Wheelersburg had a tough 4th and 1. Decides to go Old School with a jump pass from Carmichael to Holden. Goes up 21-14. Forces an Eastwood fumble and wins the game.

The biggest thing I saw with that 2017 more than the talent, play calling or defense, was composure. One of the most composed teams that I have ever personally seen.