Irmo boys counting on execution
By Bill Mitchell
Special Writer
Columbia (12/22/09) Irmo basketball coach Tim Whipple has the kind of problems that give many others night mares.
His Yellow Jackets are small, very small and there just aren't enough of them. In a nutshell, short and few can present lots of problems in a basketball program.
Short in a game of giants is not a good thing, but the games still have to be played and played with an attitude that wining is what this is about.
"We don't have a starter over six feet," Whipple said. "We start five guards."
One of the ways to combat lack of stature is to use a pressing defense, but to be effective in the long haul, such a plan requires a bench that feeds players into the game as those on the floor began to show fatigue. Irmo doesn't have that either ?yet.
"We have to try to make up for a lack of size and work to develop some depth as the season goes along," Whipple said. "That would allow us to make the best use of our quickness. We could get up and down the floor and play more full court pressure."
Depth comes from having the nerve to play people and its beginning to show slowly.
"I believe it's going to be a continuing process," Whipple said.
The Yellow Jackets will get plenty of exposure over the holidays. Irmo will play four games in five days plus play fierce competition in the Chick-Fila tournament and the Midas Highlander event right after Christmas.
"I have always preferred to practice rather than play over the holidays, but with our big region, we have to do play just to get games in," Whipple said. "You certainly want to play as much as you can."
Irmo has never been a very large team, but it has had benough bulk to compete inside and to occupy space on defense. Not now.
"In the past we have had those 6-foot-3 or 6-4 guys who could help inside and fill up space," Whipple said. "We don't have that now. It hurts too that offensively, we often one and done, we get one shot and very few offensive rebounds. If you aren't hitting your shots, you can see where that could go."
Nevertheless, the Yellow Jackets have come quickly out of the gate, winning four of their first five games, including a Region 5-AAAA clash with Orangeburg-Wilkinson. The lone loss came to Ridge View.
Jordon Roper, Jeremy and Josh Clinkscales, David Frazier and the only senior John Ranly make up the starting lineup.
"Because we have five guards out there, they all can shoot," Whipple said. "They all handle the ball well and they have good quickness. but we don't have those big bodies to help take up space for us.
"When we get into half-court situations, we end up having to take the perimeter shot with little prospect of getting the rebound if we miss," he added. "That's happened to us some already this season."
The first two reserves off the bench are Stephen Rodgers who Whipple says is also a perimeter play at 6-5 and sophomore Samuel Amedee.
"We get a few minutes from some other people, but we'll be working to increase those minutes as the season goes along," Whipple said. "The guyhs are very unselfish and they play very hard. Those are positive things we can build upon."
Irmo hopes to close out season with another region title
By Bill Mitchell
Special Writer
COLUMBIA (10/29/09) Just one more to go. Irmo needs to beat up-and-down Richland Northeast this week to clinch the Region 5-AAAA football title. No sweat, right? Wrong.
"Northeast is Northeast," shrugged Irmo coach Bob Hanna. "They are always athletic, Their schemes are solid. Their quarterback has been there for ever. They can throw the deep ball, run the option and run the football. All three have hurt us this year."
The Cavaliers have been very streaky. They lost their first four games and then won the next four before losing to once-beaten North Augusta last week.
"Northeast has only one region loss," Hanna pointed out. "It is an extremely dangerous team and we will have to play well to win.
"We always have trouble with them," he added. "Our games are always close and although we have won the last few, we have trailed in almost all of them. I have great respect for Coach Frye (Jay) and his his team,."
Irmo can wrap up its second straight region crown with a win. It' balanced offense will be a major hurdle for the Cavaliers' on-again, off-again defense.
"Northeast has won some close games and lost some close ones," Hanna said. "They have been in many of their games and last week's game with North Augusta, a 35-0 North Augusta victory, merely emphasizes how good North Augusta is."
Northeast's spread attack will bring Irmo back to the 21st century after last week's game with White Knoll. The Yellow Jackets won, but it was not easy. The Timberwolves's offense predates all the state's coaches except John McKissick of Summerville.
"We had to go online to find something about it," Hanna said. "It's from a 1957 single wing play book and White Knoll runs it well. It's a very difficult offense to prepare for because it almost impossible to simulate it in practice."
Irmo won 34-25 but it was a bruising contest as Hanna had predicted it would be.
"I told our kids that they had been beating on each other for two months," he said. "Its get tough and physical or get gone. I commend Coach Walters (Gordon) on what he is doing over there."
"Physically, they are as good a defensive as we have played," Hanna added. "Offensively, they run for 250 yards against us. That's impressive."
The Timberwolves played their game and Irmo played its version of football for at least a half.
Quarterback David Olsen had a great day, largely in the first half. He finished with 235 yards on nine completions out of 18 attempts.
"David is having a great season," said Hanna. "He's completed right at 50 percent of his passes thrown for 1300 and 15 or 17 touchdowns. He thrown only interception."
The Yellow Jackets won again without star running back Mustafa Greene.
"He's getting better," Hanna said. "We think we will get him back before this season is over. What we don't want to do is bring him back too soon and he reinjures himself. We want him 100 percent."
Dawan Scott has stepped in for Greene admirably.
" Dawan has over 600 yards rushing now," Hanna said. "He's a different runner than Mustafa, more of a stasher, but he has done a great job. We have all the confidence in the world in him."
Irmo and Lexington renew midlands rivalry
By Bill Mitchell
Special Writer
IRMO (10/15/09) - There's no rest this time of the year as Irmo, fresh from a key win over North Augusta finds out., Arch-rival Lexington awaits a crack at the Yellow Jackets.
Irmo, at 6-1 and unbeaten in the Region 5-AAAA race, can afford no let down against the Wildcats. Although some might think Irmo is in the clear for the title now, coach Bob Hanna knows that isn't so.
"I would rather be where we are than anywhere else," he said. "But every game is important and each is just as big as the next. We need to win to be successful in reaching our goals."
The Yellow Jackets follow Lexington with White Knoll, Richland Northeast and Dutch Fork. Richland Northeast, also unbeaten in region play, highlights the imperative to stay focused.
Fans who attend this week's game are likely to see a lot of scoring. Lexington has an explosive offense led by Shag Roland and Adrian Wigfall.
Lexington has two dynamic players in those two," Hanna said. "They have the speed to go the distance every time they get the ball. We know that we are going to have to play solid defense and put points on the board if we are to win.
"Their offensive line is strong," Hanna added. "They have struggled some on defense, but you know they are going to play sound fundamental football and that you must find a way to contain those two athletes.
Points have not been a problem in Irmo's season this year. The David Olsen to David Frazier combination, supported by other receivers, in the air and bullish running back Mustafa Greene can make things happen.
Irmo managed to beat previously unbeaten North Augusta last week in the final 20 seconds when it recovered a fumble in the end zone.
"It was a great game with momentum shifting back and forth," Hanna said. "Both teams played with a lot of intensity and effort on every play. The difference was we had one turnover and they had four."
Greene, who is the workhorse of the ground attack for Irmo was out but reserve Dawan Scott came in rushed for over 100 yards.
Irmo faces North Augusta in region 5-AAAA showdown
By David Shelton
Consulting Managing Editor
Irmo - There will be plenty of buzz surrounding this week's region 5-AAAA showdown between the Yellow Jackets or Irmo and the Yellow Jackets of North Augusta this Friday night.
North Augusta comes into the contest with a 6-0 record overall, 2-0 in region play. The Yellow Jackets are ranked 13th in class AAAA this week.
Irmo has posted a 5-1 record overall and is also 2-0 in region play. They are ranked fifth in class AAAA.
The winner of this week's game will have the inside track to the region title, though there will be four games to play.
Irmo brings a balanced offense into the contest but relies heavily on senior running back Mustafa Greene. The 6-1, 205-pounder has rushed for 1,169 yards and 17 touchdowns on 134 carries in six games.
Quarterback David Olson keeps opposing defenses honest through the air. Olson has completed 51-of-97 passes for 736 yards and 11 touchdowns. David Frazier is the leading receiver with 24 receptions for 371 yards and five touchdowns.
Leading Irmo's aggressive defense are Jordan Kirven and Nolan Dorton. Kirven is the team's leading tacklers with 81 total hits while Dorton has 48 tackles and five sacks.
Anthony Long has 47 tackles and Antonio Stewart has 45 tackles. Issac Scott also has five sacks this season.
The Irmo defense will be challenged by North Augusta's versatile attack, which is led by quarterback Loranzo Hammond. Hammond has rushed for 439 yards and nine touchdowns, while passing for 991 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has completed 64-of-91 pass attempts, including a 10-for-10 performance last week.
Demareus Rouse is the team's leading rusher with 485 yards and four touchdowns. The leading receiver for North Augusta is Matt Hazel with 37 receptions for 669 yards and nine touchdowns.
Linebackers Montel Hughes and Dillon Temples are the leaders of North Augusta's defense. Hughes has 64 tackles while Temples has 51 total hits.
Irmo faces Aiken after blowout win over O-W
By Bill Mitchell
Special Writer
Irmo - Irmo has been rolling along on a three-game win streak since a second week loss to Fort Dorchester, but an old nemesis would like nothing better than to derail the Yellow Jackets.
Aiken, off to rocky start in the Region 5-AAAA race with a loss to Lexington last week, has been a thorn in Irmo's flesh for years and Yellow Jacket coach Bob Hanna knows better than to overlook the Hornets.
"Aiken has been a problem for us for more than 15 years," Hanna said. "Coach Johnson (Carey) has a young group this year, but they are fast, very tough, quick kids. They are a young group that could take its lumps this year, but they will be good for the next three.
"Aiken is going to play hard, they play fast and they get to the football," he said. "They are fundamentally sound. They're always a challenge for us."
The Green Hornets run a similar offense to the uncommon one played by Georgia Tech, making preparation more difficult.
"We don't see their offense often and they execute it well" Hanna said. "If you don't play assignment football, they are going to make some big plays and cause you a lot of problems."
The Yellow Jackets came away with the region title last year, but lost to Aiken in much the same circumstances as they face this year. More reason for caution.\
"Aiken runs a lot of eight-man fronts," Hanna added. "They have a lot of kids playing both ways. They are lot quicker than us and it's going to be a challenge to get a hat on them. Hopefully, we can cut down on our splits and run Mustafa (Greene) and see what happens.
Irmo had little difficulty against Orangeburg-Wilkinson last week, scoring 56 points while running only 37 plays.
"Mustafa carried on 15 of those plays," Hanna said. "He's just a special kid. He has scored 15 or 16 touchdowns and rushed for nearly 1,000 yards. He hasn't played in the fourth quarter of three of our five games.
"We expect that kind of performance from him," he continued. "The kids work real hard for him because they know he'll get the job done if they can just get a hat on their man."
Although he only completed two passes against O-W, quarterback David Olsen and his favorite receiver David Frazier continue to record outstanding seasons.
"David Olsen is having an outstanding year," Hanna said. "He has thrown for seven touchdowns, completed over half of his passes and has not thrown an interception.
Hanna says Irmo on the right track
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By Bill Mitchell
Special Writer
Irmo - ( 09/23/09 ) The football season has reached Stage 3 for the Irmo football team a week ahead of most teams.
Stage 1 is the opening of practice in the dog days of August. Stage 2 is the opening of the regular season against non-regional opponents, important but?
Stage 3 is the beginning of the regional schedule, the games that determine playoff eligibility and to the largest extent, playoff seeding .The size of Irmo?s region, 5-AAAA with eight teams, requires their family feuds to begin early.
The first of the regional struggles will be this week against Orangeburg-Wilkinson The Bruins are riding a two-game winning streak that squared their record at 2-2. That fact hasn?t eluded Irmo coach Bob Hanna.
?Region play is more intense, more at stake,? said Hanna. ?Practice is over now. This is real. If you lose a region game, your chances of wining the region drop dramatically. We certainly take these games personal and focus a little more.
?We have a very balanced region,? he said. ?I believe that any team in our region can beat us and that we can beat any of them
? Opening up with O-W has always been very tough on us. They always play us very tough. O-W has good athletes who can make plays on both sides of the ball.
?If our kids don?t realize that now, they will before this week is over,? Hanna said. ?We?re just going to have to continue to get better,?
The Yellow Jackets clobbered improved Spring Valley for their third win in four games heading into the region play.
?O-W has always thrown the ball well and they have good athletes in the backfield,? Hanna said. ?If we?ve had an issue this year it has been in our secondary. O-W also has a number of backs that can score any time they touched the ball. We certainly are going to have to play good disciplined football, especially in the secondary, if we are going to be successful.?
Irmo has been explosive on offense this year, overshadowing its defense. The Yellow Jackets held Spring Valley to minus 20 yards in the first period last week while building a large lead.
?I think we have pretty good athletes there,? Hanna said. ?Our linebackers, Jordan Kirven, Anthony Long and Nolan Dortan, are making most of the plays, as they should, Isaac Scott and Markeem Blount, an undersized defense have made big plays along the line.
Kirven leads the team in tackles with 54 and Long has 37 Dorton has 28. Kirven has three tackles for a loss and has recovered two fumbles. Long leads the team in tackle for a loss with five.
:I have a lot of confidence in our secondary?s athletic ability,? Hanna continued. ?Brenton Davis and Nehemiah Shelly are college football players.?
The two cornerbacks are the key to the Imo coverages and will face a tough challenge against the Bruins.
Irmo?s dynamic trio of quarterback David Olson, receiver David Frazier and running back Mustafa Greene continue to provide high octane fuel for offense.
Olson has completed 38 of 77 passes for 472 yards and seven touchdowns without throwing an interception. Frazier is his favorite target with 16 catches for 221 yards and four touchdowns. Greene, one of the state?s top rushers, has carried 101 times for 740 yards and scored 10 touchdowns.
?We?re very balance right now,? Hanna said. ?Its hard to take something away from us because we have been effective rushing and passing the ball. It?s very tough on the defense.?
The young offensive line has come along pretty well. Shaquille Counts and Randy Wiley at tackles, Miles Gardner and Colin Derrick at guard and Hunter Gray at center are the regulars.
?They are young group,? Hanna said. ?Only Derrick is a senior and they remain a work in progress. Having a back like Mustafa helps too. If you get a hat on somebody, he can make people miss. That makes the line look better.
?I?m pretty much please with their progress at this point., he said. ?They?ve done a good job?.
Irmo set to battle revitalized Spring Valley
By Bill Mitchell
Irmo ? (09/15/09) There?s not much time to enjoy a big win and Irmo?s triumph over Summerville last week evaporated quickly and by Monday was ancient history. What?s next.?
The answer to that one is rejuvenated Spring Valley . The Vikings are 2-1 after winning only one game in two years. No longer a pushover.
? Spring Valley is a much improved football team,? said Irmo coach Bob Hanna. ?There are a lot of athletes on defense and they get to the football well. The offense is well balanced.?
The Yellow Jackets certainly can?t look behind, as good as a victory over Summerville might be.
?I think our kids expect a big effort from whoever we play,? Hanna said. ?What I?m trying to get our kids to realize. that they have only X number of games and they have to use every one of them to get better.?
As usual, the Yellow Jackets were powered by running back Mustafa Greene who carried 42 times for 278 yards and four touchdowns in the victory over the Green Wave. No surprise for Hanna.
?Mustafa expects that, he expects and wants the ball ? Hanna said. ?He worked very hard this summer with running and doing extra time in the weight room. The thing about him is that he gets better as the game moves along.?
The passing combination of quarterback David Olson and David Frazier were also very effective. as the Irmo offense alternated working over the Summerville defense for 42 points. Olson was 13 for 21 passes for 147 yards and one touchdown. Frazier had four catches for 59 yards and a touchdown. He also took a key two-point conversion as well.
?David has thrown for 400 yards and five touchdowns,? Hanna said. ?Perry Richardson on the other side is very dependable David Frazier is special with what he can do.
?To do the things we are doing has been our plan and we just have to keep working on executing it better,? Hanna said.
