By Thomas Grant Jr. The town of Irmo has two football teams still in the running for state titles. Both Irmo and Dutch Fork are headed to the state semifinals in Classes 5A and 4A, respectively. While the Silver Foxes will face J.L. Mann at home for the Upper StateContinue Reading
By Thomas Grant Jr. How things can change in the span of six weeks. It was at that time defending Class 5A champion Dutch Fork suffered a 17-14 loss to White Knoll. The defeat not only ended a 32-game winning streak in region play but also put the defending ClassContinue Reading
By Thomas Grant Jr. It’s been 13 years since the Irmo High School football team advanced to the third round of the Class 4A playoffs. After the Yellow Jackets defeated Myrtle Beach 55-24 to improve to 12-0, thoughts quickly turned to one year ago. It was a second-round matchup atContinue Reading
By Thomas Grant Jr. The schools’ Dutch Fork and Gaffney embody championship tradition in South Carolina High School football. The Silver Foxes have won seven state titles since 2013, while the Indians hold the state record with 18. Their most recent title was won in 2021 over Dutch Fork byContinue Reading
By Thomas Grant Jr. For the first time since 2010, the Irmo High School football team is in the third round of the Class 4A playoffs. The Yellow Jackets defeated Myrtle Beach 55-24 Friday in the Class 4A Lower State playoffs. They improved to 12-0 and will play at JamesContinue Reading
By Thomas Grant Jr. The arrival of the postseason has not just seen the Dutch Fork football team emerge as state champions. The Silver Foxes become “Road Warriors” who enjoy playing in other domains as much as their friendly confines in Irmo. Since head coach Tom Knotts’ arrival in 2011,Continue Reading
By Thomas Grant Jr. Aaron Brand has had a November. The Irmo High School head coach is already riding high with the undefeated success of his Region 5-4A champions. The 11-0 Yellow Jackets will play host to Myrtle Beach in the second round of the Class 4A playoffs. Brand watchedContinue Reading
By Thomas Grant Jr. Life is good for Aaron Brand. As Irmo head football coach, he’s leading the third-ranked team in Class 4A. The Yellow Jackets just claimed its first outright region title since 2002 and their first undefeated season since 2002. Running back Jaden Allen-Hendrix was selected for theContinue Reading
By Thomas Grant Jr. Throughout Tom Knotts’ legendary head coaching career, he’s always remained fixated on finishing a season strong. That approach was put to the test this season as Dutch Fork found itself in an atypical position. Not only would the Silver Foxes have any share of the RegionContinue Reading
By Thomas Grant Jr. The Region 4-5A title may have been settled last week by White Knoll, which has a bye before the playoffs. However, the stakes are very high this week in the final two games of the regular season in the region. In one matchup, defending Class 5AContinue Reading
By Thomas Grant Jr. A win away from regular-season perfection. It’s a feat Irmo High School football has accomplished in its history three previous times. Having clinched the Region 5-4A title outright for the first time since 2009, the Yellow Jackets look to complete a 10-0 season at Lugoff-Elgin forContinue Reading