Chasing history: Irmo football in state title game after ousting White Knoll
Aaron Brand made a promise to take Irmo High School football back to a state championship when he was hired as the program’s coach six years ago.
The Yellow Jackets helped Brand deliver on the promise Friday night as they defeated White Knoll, 29-25, at chilly WC Hawkins Stadium in the Class 5A Division II Lower State finals.
Irmo will play Northwestern on Dec. 14 at S.C. State’s Oliver C Dawson Stadium in Orangeburg. It’s the Yellow Jackets’ first championship game appearance since 2006.
The Yellow Jackets haven’t won a football state title since 1980.
“The principal that hired us, we told her it was going to be this short of time,” Brand said. “We are just happy the people came out and celebrated with us. We are just happy we can go on and play next week.”
The Yellow Jackets have been on the trajectory toward a championship appearance, making it to the second round of the playoffs from 2020 to 2022. Last season, Irmo had its first unbeaten regular season in more than 20 years before losing in the state semifinals.
This season, Irmo (12-1) wasn’t going to be denied. As the seconds ticked down, Brand pointed to the crowd with his fist in the air in celebration.
Quarterback AJ Brand, the coach’s son who was named S.C. Gatorade Player of the Year earlier on Friday, delivered an MVP-like performance by running for three touchdowns and throwing for another.
“This may sound repetitive. It may sound redundant, but we have 1 (AJ’s number) and a lot of people don’t,” Aaron Brand said of his son.
Brand carried it 22 times for 214 yards and was 7-of-9 passing for 91 yards. The Virginia Tech signee, who has 147 career touchdowns, came up with a key run or throw every time the Yellow Jackets needed it.
“I thought Dakereon Joyner (Fort Dorchester/USC) was the best high school player I saw, but I was wrong. It is AJ Brand,” White Knoll coach Nick Pelham said. “He is the best I have coached against, no doubt about it. … When it is the right moment, he plays so hard. He is so smart with stop and start, when to slow up and set up a block. Just a savvy and experienced player.”
Donovan Murph also added a touchdown catch for Irmo, which won its 24th straight home game. The Wolves finished the season at 8-6 and were looking for a second-straight state championship appearance.
It was the second meeting of the year between the two Region 4-5A teams. Irmo won 35-21 on Oct. 18. Much like the first contest, it wasn’t decided until the fourth quarter.
Irmo looked like it would pull away a couple of times Friday, but White Knoll managed to keep things close. Brand put Irmo up 29-19 on an 8-yard run with 9:20 left.
The Timberwolves answered as quarterback Landon Sharpe scored on a 40-yard run to make it to 29-25 with 7:47 left. White Knoll missed the extra point. The Timberwolves missed three extra points on the night and botched a snap on a punt that led to an Irmo field goal at the end of the first half.
Still, the Wolves defense came up with the stop it needed and forced Irmo to punt. White Knoll was pinned down at its own 2-yard line with 4:22 left.
Sharpe hit Caleb Geronomi on a third-down pass to keep the drive alive, but the Wolves never crossed midfield. Irmo’s Jaiden Bryant knocked down Sharpe’s pass on fourth down to seal the win.
“It is surreal. I’m at a loss for words,” AJ Brand said. “Me and my guys, we competed so hard until the clock was at zero. I told them we had to bow our necks, and that is what our team did.”
Irmo scored on its second possession as Brand ran it from six yards out to make it 7-0. White Knoll answered on the first play after the kickoff. Tiyon Fanning took it 66 yards to tie at 7-7 with 1:00 left in the first.
The Wolves took the lead on their next possession when Sharpe scored on a 2-yard run to make it 13-7 with 6:01 left in the quarter.
Irmo jumped back on top as Brand took it 31 yards on a fourth-and-1 to make it 14-13. Tucker Williams hit a 27-yard field goal with 8.5 seconds left in the second quarter to make it 17-13.
Clinton 32, Fairfield Central 21
Tushawan Richardson threw two touchdowns, including one with 6:33 left to seal the Red Devils’ win over Fairfield Central in the Class 2A Upper State championship.
Clinton will face Barnwell for the 2A state championship at 2:06 p.m. on Thursday at S.C. State. It’s Clinton’s first championship appearance since 2009.
Both teams rushed for more than 300 yards in the game. Jaren Cook had 113 to lead Clinton, Rhett Gilliam had 109 and Richardson had 103.
Fairfield’s Tydarion Grier rushed for 212 yards and two touchdowns. Grier’s second TD cut Clinton’s lead to 25-21 with 9:49 left.
The Griffins finish the season at 12-2, their most wins in a season since winning 12 in 2015.
This story was originally published December 7, 2024 at 12:01 AM.
