Marietta’s Blake Limegrover (14) heads a ball into the net for his first of three goals during the Tigers 4-1 win over Jackson during Thursday’s Division III district semifinal at Chieftain Stadium in Logan. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

LOGAN – You can call him Blake. You can call him Ronnie. The king of hat tricks might be just as appropriate.

For the second consecutive match in the postseason, Marietta senior Blake Limegrover scored three goals. Thursday night at Chieftain Stadium on the campus of Logan High School, the senior accomplished the feat by the end of the first half as the Tigers defeated Jackson 4-1 in an Ohio Division III district semifinal.

Limegrover, who is also known as ‘Ronnie’, is just grateful to be on the pitch after missing the early portion of regular season with back issues.

“It feels amazing to just keep going out and get results,” Limegrover said. “It’s a miracle, honestly. I didn’t know if I would be able to play at all this year.

“I’m grateful, especially this being my senior year.”

Marietta’s Reid Sloter (1) and Jackson’s Grady Massie battle for the ball in the corner of the field during Thursday’s Division III district semifinal at Chieftain Stadium in Logan. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

Marietta (14-3-2) returns to Chieftain Stadium on Saturday to play Chillicothe in a district final. A start time is yet to be determined. Chillicothe defeated Athens 6-2 in the second game at Chieftain Stadium on Thursday. Marietta and Chillicothe did not meet this season.

“Ronnie is healthy,” Marietta coach Todd Morris explained on Limegrover’s latest goal explosion. “He is such a dynamic player, probably our most creative player with the ball at his feet. He has a great vision of the field, and he can also finish.

“He had a fracture in his C4 or C5 his freshman year, and took a year to get back. This season, he irritated it at the beginning of this year and missed five or six games. He has been playing his way back in, and you are starting to see what he can do. Had a great first half tonight, and we needed it.”

Against Jackson, Marietta dictated the pace from the outset. Limegrover and teammate Cameron Davis both took a challenging shot on goal in the first five minutes of the match but came up empty with a pair of saves by Jackson freshman keeper Tanner Jenkins.

Limegrover then busted through at the 34:31 mark of the first half when he beat the keeper to the ball on a corner kick and headed the ball into the open net.

Marietta’s Will Haller (4) leaps for a loose ball during Thursday’s Division III district semifinal at Chieftain Stadium in Logan. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

Before the first half reached the midway point, Limegrover tacked on a second goal. In a race downfield with a Jackson defender at his side, he crept close to the net area and the Jackson keeper came out to cut down the angle.

Limegrover chipped the ball to his left towards the net. A second Jackson defender whiffed on his attempt to stop the shot in its track, and the ball continued on its path before rolling into the back of the net with 23:44 showing on the clock.

As darkness was setting above the stadium lights, Limegrover struck one more time before intermission. He powered his way parallel to the end line deep in Jackson territory and like his own personal steamroller willed his way closer to the net with a defender draped on his every move then notched his third goal with 5:06 remaining before intermission.

The one hiccup which caught Marietta off guard occurred in the opening moments of the second half from a rejuvenated Jackson squad. At 37:01, Thatcher Brown found the inside of the left pole vacant for the first and only Ironmen goal.

“Credit (Brown), that was a heck of a strike,” Morris said. “But it was just lazy on our part. Bad clearance and no one closing down. That just can’t happen.”

Marietta’s Cameron Davis (10) takes possession of the ball during Thursday’s Division III district semifinal at Chieftain Stadium in Logan. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

Jackson kept the energy on high for the first part of the second half then ran out of steam as Marietta dominated possession in the last 18 minutes. During that span, Brady Lent added another insurance goal for the Tigers with 7:54 left in regulation.

“Until Jackson got the goal, I thought we had a better tempo the first few minutes of the second half than the first five or six minutes of the second half,” Morris said. “While we are happy and proud we are moving on, we need to be better than we were in that second half. Otherwise, it will be a long day Saturday.”

Coach Morris applauded Jackson’s improvement from the first time the two schools met this year. On a steamy day in the preseason, the Tigers emerged with an 8-0 win. Jackson ends the season at 11-8-0.

“Jackson’s coach, Lee Lord, has been there a long time and does a great job with them,” Morris said. “That first scrimmage back in August, it was 95 degrees. They had the bus ride to us, and their players had to sit the JV game in the heat.

“They were much more organized (tonight). They pressed us really well. Hats off to them. They had a great season.”

Marietta’s Blake Limegrover (14) tracks down the ball during Thursday’s Division III district semifinal at Chieftain Stadium in Logan. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com