TIFTON —
The Irwin County Indians are coming off a disappointing loss to Bacon County where they had over 300 yards off offense but could not overcome a few crucial mistakes to get the win.
They continued to see struggles on defense, which has been a theme for the team all year.
“When you are young, inexperienced and not strong enough yet, you really pay on defense. It’s going to take some time before we get where we want to be on defense,” said head coach Jon Lindsey.
In his first year as head coach, Lindsey is in the process of rebuilding a once-proud program that has seen struggles in recent years. There is no better example of this struggle than their series record with Charlton County, this week’s opponent.
Irwin is 15-16 all time against the Indians of Charlton County.
When first seeing this statistic it appears the teams have been just as equal against each other as their names are the same. Looking just at the numbers, it has been close. When you look at the big picture though, it has been a series of domination.
In their first 15 meetings from 1966 to 1989, Irwin dominated the series going 15-0, outscoring Charlton by 367 points over that stretch.
Since that, Charlton has won 16 straight games, outscoring Irwin by 430 points.
“We started from scratch this year. As a coach there is only so much you can control. This year is a transition year where we are trying to figure out what our strengths and weaknesses are. We are laying the groundwork for the future. We are getting everyone on the same page, practicing at a high tempo, holding our athletes accountable for being at practice and watching as much film as possible,” said Lindsey of his program.
Heading into the game Charlton will be undefeated. They base out of a Multiple-I offense.
They have a big and aggressive offensive line which does a good job of opening up a running game.
This only makes things easier for a talented backfield which features a four-year starter at tailback. They are an explosive offense that is averaging 32 points a game.
As good as they are on offense they have been even better on defense so far. Their defense is strong, very fast and swarms the football wherever it goes. They have allowed only 20 points over three games, including a shut out over region opponent Lanier County last week.
“It’s obvious Coach Rich McWhorter has done a great job there. The kids and coaches believe that every time they step on the field they can win. That’s the sign of a great program,” Lindsey said about his opponent.
Lindsey will continue trying to get Irwin back into the “great program” category this Friday, as the Indians travel to Folkston to take on Charlton County.
Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m.
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