Fitzgerald and Irwin County to renew long rivalry

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Irwin County’s Antuane Merritt Eddie Senkbeil/sgasports.net
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September 6, 2012

Fitzgerald and Irwin County to renew long rivalry

Steve Carter/The Tifton Gazette CNHI The Tifton Gazette Thu Sep 06, 2012, 10:54 PM EDT

TIFTON — Legend has it that Irwin County and Fitzgerald High Schools are only nine miles apart. Depending on which way you travel that's reasonably close to accurate.

There could be a new legend brewing, however.

When Jason Strickland took over for Robby Pruitt as the new head football coach of Fitzgerald High Purple Hurricanes, he needed a place to live after moving from Lamar County. The home he decided on is close to another high school head football coach, Irwin County’s Jon Lindsey.

“There is only about a block between (their homes),” Strickland said with a chuckle, while in a separate interview, Lindsey, also with a chuckle, put it as being, “less than a half of a mile.”

The two neighbors, school-wise and home-wise, will meet up tonight at Fitzgerald’s Jaycee Stadium for the annual game between the Indians of Irwin County and the homestanding Purple Hurricanes.

If you take into consideration the games that Fitzgerald and Ocilla High played against each other, the series dates back to 1922, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association website. If you add the Fitzgerald-Ocilla and the Fitzgerald-Irwin County series together, Fitzgerald holds a series advantage of 48-22-2 overall.

However, the Indians have fallen 12 straight years to Fitzgerald with the last Indian win coming in 1999.

During that 12-year run, Fitzgerald has outscored Irwin by a 433-172 score, an average of 36.1-14.3 over the span.

Strickland does not want this to be an “unlucky 13” for his squad.

“They are a real good team. They are a lot faster than we were expecting,” the Fitzgerald head man said. “If we don’t play well, they are fully capable of coming in here and ending that streak.”

Even though Irwin defeated Taylor County last week, 35-14, to open its 2012 season, there is still plenty of work to do, Lindsey said.

“We still made too many mistakes, those and ignorant penalties will kill you,” said the Irwin coach.

On the other hand, “We did tackle well, and you could tell we have made progress,” he added.

The win over Taylor County was Irwin’s first home opener win in its new stadium built in 2006. But that will be quickly forgotten when the Indians take the field at Jaycee Stadium.

“They are still big, bad Fitzgerald, and they are a great team,” Lindsey said.

Like Irwin, the Hurricanes will also come into the contest with a 1-0 record after having defeated Jefferson County two weeks ago, 23-6, in Louisville.

“That was a big win for them, year-in and year-out Jefferson County has one of the top teams in the state,” said Lindsey.

Strickland indicated he may be concerned about the two-week layoff between games.

“We are looking forward to getting back on to the field,” said Strickland. “After having to wait for two weeks, we want to be moving on.”

The two weeks have also caused an even greater fever pitch in Fitzgerald for the annual encounter with the Indians, Strickland said.

“We have had two weeks to build it up with our team, and with our community,” the new Fitzgerald head coach said. “It has been awhile for it to let fester.”

He added, “Coach Lindsey has done an outstanding job with Irwin. We are expecting a whale of a football game.”

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