Team of Week: Irmo looking for strong finish down the stretch

Finishing games hasn’t been the strong suit for the Irmo football team this season.

On Friday, the Yellow Jackets were able to do it as they defeated White Knoll, 36-35, in double overtime for their first region victory. Irmo went for it a 2-point conversion in the second overtime and Raekwon Heath caught Masson Lassiter’s tipped pass for the victory.

The win over White Knoll, which was ranked No. 6 in the Midlands, earned the Yellow Jackets The State’s Team of the Week honors. It was Irmo’s first win in four tries in games decided by eight points or less.

“It was the right move to make at the time. Defense wasn’t playing as well as they normally do,” Irmo coach Reggie Kennedy said of going for two. “It paid off. I told them after the Nation Ford game (an overtime loss), we would be put in that situation again and the results would be the opposite. So the kids really believe in me now.

“I overheard Dabo (Swinney) say this weekend players have to make plays so that is one thing we haven’t doing this year is making plays at the end of games. We have been in every game. When the game is on the line, we haven’t been coming through. Finally, we did and we can keep moving in the right direction.”

Kennedy said he hopes that a win will help be a springboard to a strong finish for Irmo, which remains in the hunt for a playoff spot in Region 5-5A. The Yellow Jackets (2-5, 1-2) sit in sixth place in the seven-team region, a half game behind Spring Valley and White Knoll. The top five teams in the region are guaranteed of a playoff spot with the sixth-place team in the running for at-large berth among Regions 5-5A, 6-5A and 7-5A.

As a coach, Kennedy knows about making a second-half run. In 2013, Kennedy’s Sumter team started 1-4 before making to the Class 4A, Division I title game.

Irmo has some playmakers on offense in running backs Shykeem Bradley and Jeffrey Tharp. Kennedy said quarterback Mason Lassiter is starting get a grasp on things.

The Yellow Jackets are averaging 393.8 yards on offense and giving up 21 points a game.

“These guys haven’t quit and still having fun,” Kennedy said. “I’m still looking for some good things with this group.”

This story was originally published October 4, 2016 at 10:22 PM with the headline "Team of Week: Irmo looking for strong finish down the stretch."