Defensive unit dismantles vaunted Irmo ground game

Ledger photo / LARRY B. LITTLEJOHN Gaffney linebacker J.B. Shippy trips Irmo ball carrier Mario Carter. The Indians defense shut down the Irmo ground attack and kept the Yellow Jackets off the scoreboard. COLUMBIA - As the final few minutes of Gaffney High's 45-0 state championship rout of Irmo ticked away, Indians defensive coordinator Dan Jones found himself in a unique position - on the sidelines.

He had been at Williams-Brice Stadium before during state title games but on those previous occasions he remained in the coaches box upstairs until the final gun. Jones had never been on the field to experience a victory countdown. On those previous occasions he had joined the celebration well after the game had ended.

"This is the first time I've been down on the field for the celebration," he said Saturday amidst the quasi-pandemonium. "During other games I've had to stay up in the press box because the games were so close."

That would not be necessary this time. He would not be required to be upstairs to run the defense in the waning moments of this game. The issue had all but been settled in the opening moments of the third quarter, and some would say even well before that after the Indians fashioned a 26-0 halftime lead.

After Irmo took the second-half kickoff, the Yellow Jackets' Mario Carter fumbled away the ball on the first play from scrimmage with Gaffney recovering at the Irmo 25. Five plays later, Gaffney quarterback Malcolm Long scored from the 3 to make it 32-0.

While the GHS offense clicked on all cylinders, Jones' defensive squad took Irmo out of its game plan and then methodically and systematically dismantled the Yellow Jackets.

For example:

- Irmo tried to convert a 4thand 1 from its own 30 at the 7:42 mark of the third quarter but was unsuccessful. Six plays later Rodney Love pulled in a 5-yard scoring toss from Long to make it 38-0.

- With 3:14 to play in the third quarter, an Irmo threat was extinguished when a 3rd-and-4 from the Gaffney 34 yard line became a 4th-and-15 following a quarterback sack. Once again Irmo turned the ball over on downs.

- Etc., etc., etc.

But it was the defensive stick of Carter, the ensuing fumble, and the Gaffney recovery to start the third quarter that was the final nail in the coffin for a frustrated Irmo team that was stonewalled at every turn.

"The key for the defense was that turnover to start the second half," the defensive boss said. "We wanted to come out and stuff them right away and not let them gain any momentum."

Mission accomplished.

It was a continuation of a first-half defensive domination that held the normally successful Yellow Jackets ground game to only two first downs and 37 rushing yards. The traditionally explosive Carter - dubbed "Super Mario" by the Irmo faithful - had only 18 yards on eight carries in the first two quarters.

Oddly enough, 26 was also the total number of points Summerville had against Gaffney at halftime of last year's state championship game when it surrendered a 26-7 lead in a 33-32 loss.

This was a bit of irony not lost on the Gaffney coaches.

"At the half, we told 'em about what happened last year," Jones said. "We were on the other side of this kind of score last year and we reminded them about that."

Ditto head coach Phil Strickland.

"We refreshed their memories about what happened last year," Strickland said. "We challenged them to not let up. A lot of these kids played in that game last year and they remember what happened."

Indeed, there was no let up.

"The defensive game plan was to make 'em throw it," Jones said. "We knew he (Irmo quarterback Leander Barney) was left-handed so we wanted to bring pressure from his left side. The kids worked hard all week and they came in here inspired and ready to play. They wanted this undefeated season."

Another mission accomplished.