Jonathan Keith (15) and Jackson Izzard (5) bring down a London ball carrier Saturday evening. Alder’s defense made life miserable for the Red Raiders during a 14-0 Division III state playoff victory. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
There is only one way to describe the athletic relationship between Madison County neighbors Jonathan Alder and London.
No matter what the sport, there has been an intense rivalry between the schools for many, many years.
While Saturday evening’s temperature was a bit on the cool side, the players from both football squads had red-hot feelings about each other.
In the end, the No. 4 seed Pioneers (8-0) survived a 14-0 battle against the 6-2 Red Raiders (No. 5) during a Division III state playoff game.
The contest was originally scheduled to be played on Friday.
Inclement weather, however, forced Pioneer and Red Raider Nations to wait 24 hours before the battle was waged on Jonathan Alder’s Volunteer Field.
If there is one thing JA head coach Brett Glass was very happy with, it was the play of his defensive unit.
London managed only 207 yards in total offense during 50 snaps.
“Posting a shutout against a good team like London was great for our kids,” said Glass. “I really couldn’t single anybody out above the others until I maybe look at some film.
“Our entire defensive unit played spectacularly.”
It was the second time in three weeks the Pioneers defeated the Red Raiders.
The first victory came on Oct. 2 by a 30-13 count.
That game decided the Central Buckeye Conference’s Kenton Trail Division title.
Saturday’s contest was more important as it propelled JA into next Friday’s playoff game at No. 1 seed Columbus St. Francis DeSales.
While Glass was pleased with his D unit, London’s front-line defense wasn’t shabby.
A strong JA running game was limited to just 72 yards against a stout defense.
The Pioneers gained valuable yardage through the air (166), but didn’t get into the end zone as much as Glass had hoped.
“We didn’t convert as well as we should have in the red zone,” he said. “I felt we left a lot of points on the field.”
Jonathan Alder had rough sledding at times when it put the ball in play.
Along with establishing a clamp on the Pioneers’ ground game, London’s defensive line was able to put more pressure than usual on JA quarterback JT Keith.
As such, the normally high-flying Alder offense, which went into the contest averaging more than 30 points per game, was limited to just a pair of touchdowns.
The Pioneers’ first score was more or less a gift from the Red Raiders’ special teams.
JA cracked the midfield stripe on the first offensive series of the game.
Alder could move no further and summoned Jackson Izzard to punt the pigskin.
Izzard got off a solid kick.
The ball, however, slipped through the hands of London’s return man.
Jonathan Keith of JA pounced on it, giving the Pioneers a first down at the Red Raider 10.
JT Keith slapped the ball in Will Heisler’s belly and watched the running back explode through the line for the touchdown.
Charlie Aurin booted the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
Penalties hampered both teams’ offensive units as play continued through the remainder of the half.
There were the garden-variety encroachment and false start infractions.
There were also, however, a few personal foul calls on both squads throughout the night.
The yellow flags eventually dropped nine times against both teams, with each losing 85 yards due to the laundry.
The first half ended with the Pioneers nursing their 7-0 advantage.
Alder made a huge defensive stop on fourth down to begin the third quarter.
JA took possession on the Red Raider 42 and marched for its second touchdown of the night.
JT Keith connected on critical passes to Izzard, his brother Jonathan and Tyson Mast.
Those aerial antics gave Alder a first down at the London 11.
Heisler struggled for a couple of yards against London’s strong front.
Keith then threw an incompletion, setting JA up at third-and-eight.
On the next snap, Keith rolled to his left, which is something that’s difficult for a right-handed passer.
He quickly glanced in the opposite direction and saw Denver Petersheim alone near the goal line.
Keith reversed course and rifled a bullet shot that hit Petersheim on about the two-yard line.
All Red Raider defenders could do was helplessly watch as Petersheim went in untouched for the score.
Aurin’s conversion pushed Alder out to a 14-0 lead.
The rest of the game was a swap in possessions and field position.
Both teams lost the ball on fourth down later during the fourth period.
Alder’s final series ended with 1:24 on the clock.
London moved the ball well and also took advantage of JA’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty as the clock reached zero.
The game couldn’t end on a defensive penalty.
As such, London had a chance to avoid a shutout with one untimed play from the Alder eight-yard-line.
A Red Raider pass, though, fell incomplete in the end zone.
to conclude the game.