Irmo has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the James Island Trojans at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Irmo walked away with it. They took their match at home on Friday with ease, bagging a 55-24 victory over Myrtle Beach. Given Irmo's advantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina football rankings (they are ranked third, while Myrtle Beach is ranked 37th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Irmo's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Aaron (AJ) Brand Jr., who rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown on only 13 carries, and Jaden Allen-hendrix, who gained 267 total yards and three touchdowns. Allen-hendrix hasn't dropped below 100 rushing yards for ten straight games. Telvin Smiith also deserves a shout-out for his three touchdowns.
Meanwhile, James Island put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Hartsville 45-21. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as James Island just coasted through the last quarter.
James Island got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Amontrae Scott out in front who rushed for 94 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries. The team also got some help courtesy of Braxton Scott, who threw for 210 yards and a touchdown while completing 75% of his passes.
Irmo's win was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 12-0. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 2-9 Colleton County and 3-9 Lancaster (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 43.3% over those games). As for James Island, their victory bumped their record up to 12-0.
We should be in store for an exciting game Friday as the pair have no problem gaining yardage. Irmo has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 480.8 total yards per game. However, it's not like James Island struggles in that department as they've been averaging 375.6 per game. With a pair of commanding offenses duking it out, the defenses are going to have their work cut out for them. Come back here after the game to get analysis of the match and other football content.
Irmo couldn't quite finish off James Island in their previous meeting back in November of 2022 and fell 24-22. Can Irmo avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
