A challenging night became an uphill climb for the Cavaliers, much like the battle the events surrounding the game represented.

Chillicothe and Jackson met in the Spielman Gridiron Classic Friday night at Herrnstein Field. While the events prior to and during the game focused on Breast Cancer awareness and benefitting the Stephanie Spielman Foundation for Breast Cancer research, the visiting Jackson Ironmen were racing to a 51-10 victory over the Cavs.

Jackson entered the game with a chance for a share of the SEOAL title and touted an undefeated record with a potent offense and a stingy defense. They didn’t leave Chillicothe disappointed.

The Cavs had their own concerns.

Off the field troubles earlier in the week sidelined their best offensive player, Zach Johnson, who was suspended for the game. Then in the second quarter, the Cavs lost starting quarterback Ryan Mathis after a blow to the helmet. Turnovers also caused problems, losing four fumbles and punter Noah Valentine never received a clean snap in punt formation. Three he had to field on a short hop and another led to a safety.

For Jackson, it simply fueled their strengths.

Ironmen quarterback Austin Osborne threw four touchdown passes (22, 38, 46 and 49 yards each) on a 5-10 night. Three of those scores were to Ty McNelly. Leading rusher Drew Ervin ran for 81 yards on only 10 carries, capped by a 30 yard touchdown.

For the Cavs, they had difficulty finding continuity after losing Mathis. The sophomore signal caller who had guided the Cavs on their only scoring drive of the first half (a 29 yard Noah Valentine field goal), hadn’t missed a snap since being named the starter in the fourth week of the season. Adam Bixler took a few snaps before Luke Barnes came on to close out the game.

Jackson flexed their way to a 37-3 lead at halftime and were ahead 51-3 before the Cavs found what had eluded them all game long. Freshman Carl Harris scored Chillicothe’s only touchdown on a two yard run in the final moments.

Chillicothe managed just 132 total yards offensively while Jackson generated 384 yards.

Chillicothe (1-3/2-7) will finish the 2011 campaign at home with Logan (1-3/1-8) Friday night. The Chieftains suffered a 24-21 overtime loss at Portsmouth.

Jackson (4-0/9-0) finishes the regular season at home with Gallia Academy (3-1/6-3) for a shot at an outright SEOAL championship.