Our GHSA Class-A-Public-Finals championship preview is listed below. Clinch County and Irwin County will face off for the second time this season and for the second year in a row, the two teams will meet in the state title game. Last season Irwin won the regular season match but Clinch won the state title game. Irwin County has again won the regular season title. Will history repeat itself of will Irwin County bring home their first title since 1975. Best of luck to both Clinch County and Irwin County and their respective communities as they compete on Tuesday, December 11th.
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Key:
TFR – Turd Ferguson Report
GSWA – Georgia Sports Writers Association
NR – Not Ranked
The Skinny
The Indians
The Irwin County Indians advance to their second consecutive state title game and 8th finals appearance overall. Last week, the Indians got two rushing touchdowns and a stellar defensive performance to down Pelham to advance to the state championship game for the second consecutive season. Irwin County is averaging 40.6 points per game this season, while the defense is allowing 8.3 points per game. In the playoffs, Irwin County’s offense is averaging 30 points per game while the defense is allowing 9.6 points in their previous three-playoff games.
The Panthers
The defending state champion Clinch County Panthers return to the state title game where they have won the title on 8 previous occasions. Last week, the Panthers got scoring plays from Tyler Morehead, Trezman Marshall, and Jeremiah Johnson en route to a 31-23 victory over Marion County. During the regular season, Clinch is averaging 36.1 points per game while their defense is allowing 13.6 points per game. In the playoffs, the Panthers are averaging 34.6 points per game while the defense is allowing 14.6 points per game.
Final Thoughts
This will be the 45th matchup between the two South Georgia rivals, dating back to 1952. Clinch County has ended Irwin COunty’s season in the playoffs on 5 previous occasions. Much like last season, Irwin County won the regular season matchup. Will history repeat itself and Clinch win the state title game? We don’t believe so. We think this game will be closer than the 21-3 score of the first matchup, but we like Irwin County to edge Clinch by 4 points this time around.