By Nick Jenkinson-SCINN Sports Director
The Bloomington South Panthers are heading out of State and will make the four and half hour bus trip to Ironton Ohio and Tanks Memorial Stadium to face the Ironton Tigers Saturday Night at 6 PM. The Tigers have a turf field since 2014.
Bloomington has a population of 79,168 and the Panthers have won two State Championships in Football both in Class 5A in 1993 and 1998. Bloomington South has won 9 State Championships they became Bloomington South in 1973 and Bloomington High School won 20 State Titles from 1919-1972 for a combined 29 State Titles which is tied for fifth most in the State of Indiana.
Bloomington South most notable alum is Rex Grossman who was 1999 Indiana Mr. Football and was the quarterback for the Florida Gators from 1999-2002 and the 22nd overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. Grossman played for the Chicago Bears from 2003-08 led them to the Super Bowl after 2006 season losing to the Indianapolis Colts 29-17 in Miami, Florida. Grossman played for the Houston Texans in 2009 and the Washington Redskins from 2010-13. Grossman was on the practice squad for the Cleveland Browns in 2014 and Atlanta Falcons in 2015 before he retired.
This is the first time the Panthers have faced and out of State Opponent since September 9th, 1994 when they Beat Cincinnati Moller 28-27. Since Bloomington South is an independent this season after Conference Indiana dissolved at the end of the 2025-26 school year the Panthers were looking to full the schedule and Ironton was available and the Panthers agreed to make the long trip to Southern Ohio for a once in a lifetime football game in an historic venue.
The Panthers are the Number 1 team in Class 5A in the State of Indiana and will head to Ohio with a 6-0 record. This will be fourth of five road games this season with a trip to Center Grove coming in two weeks. The Panthers beat Bloomington North 44-6 Martinsville 48-14 and Greenfield-Central 54-0 but this is the longest trip the Panthers will face all season and an our state opponent with a long history and tradition and this will be an epic battle between two of the top teams in their respective states not to mention an extra for each team to prepare.
Bloomington South will return home for its final home game when Brebeuf Jesuit comes to Bloomington Next Friday Night. The Panthers beat Terre Haute North 77-0, Muncie Central 45-21 and Columbus North 24-7 as the Panthers average 48.7 points and gives up 8 points per game outscoring thier opponents 292-48.
Bloomington South is in Class 5A which is the second biggest class in the State of Indiana with an enrollment 1,670 students. Indiana has six classes with a 9 game regular season schedule and six game playoffs schedule that includes three sectional games, Regional and Semi State Championships followed by the State Finals on Thanksgiving Weekend Friday and Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The Indiana High School Athletic Association allows its teams to travel 300 Miles from the state line. A couple years ago the IHSAA allowed teams from beyond that distance to travel to Indiana but the travel rule is still effect and these two teams are less than 300 miles apart from each school.
Ironton is 5-1 on the season and are 2-1 at home and 3-0 on the road. The Tigers have outscored the opponents 227-87 and are coming off a 47-40 overtime loss to Big Walnut last Friday Night. The Tigers beat Williamsburg 42-0, Somerset Kentucky 35-9 and Jackson 38-7 all on the road. The Tigers beat Salem New Jersey 55-14 and Archbishop McNicholas 17-10.
After this game the Tigers have three more games left in the regular season traveling to Harvest Prep and Portsmouth and Galia Academy all from Ohio as the Buckeye State has a 10 game regular season followed by a six game playoffs that includes four regional games and State Semifinals and State Finals.
There are seven Divisions of Football in Ohio and Ironton is in the third smallest division all based on enrollment and began their State Tournament in 1972 and the State Finals are held at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium located in Canton, Ohio located right next the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Ironton Ohio is located in Southern Ohio along the Ohio River and has a population of 10,751 and is located 20 miles North of Huntington, West Virginia. The Cities Name is a contraction of “iron town” , stemming from it’s Long Ties to the Iron Industry.
The City had one of the first professional Football Teams the Ironton Tanks who were a Semi Pro Football team that was organized in 1919 and folded in 1930. The played in Beechwood Stadium from 1919-26 and Tank Stadium from 1926-30 and had a record of 85 wins 19 losses and 14 ties along with a undefeated season in 1922. The Tanks won the 1926 State Championship and played on Thanksgiving Day from 1922 to 1930 with a record of 5-5-1.
In 1930 the Tanks played 3 NFL Teams beating to Portsmouth Spartans 16-15 while losing to them twice 7-6 and 12-0 on Thanksgiving Day. The Tanks beat the New York Giants 13-12 and the Chicago Bears 26-13.
Tanks Memorial Stadium was built in 1926 and was created through local enthusiasm and a stadium fund was created. The Ironton Tigers use the stadium and it is one of the last Stadium used for High School Football Today. The Stadium added the Memorial Part in 2009. The Stadium was given the additional name of Bob Lutz Field who was the long time High School Football Coach of the Tigers
Lutz Coached at Saint Joseph Central High School in Ironton and had a record of 20-8-1 in three seasons from 1969-71 and then moved to Ironton High School from 1972-2011 and retired with an overall record of 381-91-5. Lutz led the Tigers to 28 Ohio State Playoff Appearances along 10 State Semifinals Appearances, Six State Runners up in 1973, 1982, 1988, 1992, 1993 and 1999 and two State Championships in 1979 and 1989.
The Tigers won the Programs third State Championship in 2024 and have three players for played in the NFL. Pro Football Hall of Fame George McAfee was a three time NFL Champion in 1940, 1941 and 1946 all with the Chicago Bears. Coy Bacon who was defensive lineman from with Five different teams from 1967-1981. Reid Carrico who is on signed to the Cleveland Browns on May 19th after being undefeated was waived in August 7, and then the Tennessee Titans picked him up on August 24 and was Waived six days later.
The Tigers colors are Orange and Black and have an Enrollment of 418 and are in Division V. The School has won Three Boys Golf State Titles in 1995, 1996 and 1997 and a Boys Baseball State Title in 1972 to go along with the three football State titles.
In 2025 the Ohio High School Athletic removed the Tigers from the Football Playoffs due to numerous violations of the OHSAA’s recruiting bylaws over the last seven years. The investigation lasted several weeks and the violations were discovered by the IHSAA and shared with administrators and the coaching staff at the school.
The penalties including a postseason ban and a postseason suspension for some members of the coaching staff if they are coaching at OHSAA Member school in 2026 along with three years probation and $7,500 fine.
The district agreed to change local polices on enrollment and transfers and attend an educational seminar presented by the OHSAA staff. The postseason penalties and probation are specific to the football program. Any additional violations of the recruiting bylaws during the probationary period will result in automatic postseason ineligibility for the next available tournament.
Ironton was 8-1 heading into the final game of the 2025 Regular Season and allowed an ineligible Student Athlete to participate and resulted in a forfeiture in the Final Computer Rankings before the playoffs and they were placed at the bottom of region 19 in Division 5. The OHSAA did not require Ironton to forfeit wins the 2024 season and retain its 2024 Division 5 State Championship.
This will be a great game between two teams from two different states with a lot of history meeting for the first time. Bloomington South the Big School and Ironton a Small school that has a winning tradition and Saturday Night they will want to both show which State has the better brand of Football. Ohio has always had a great tradition, but Indiana has produced a lot of great football players and this game both teams are going to lay it all on the line in this border war.