Here’s a preview of the public final: No. 5 Clinch County at No. 2 Irwin County.
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Indian Field in Ocilla.
Records, rankings: Clinch County is 11-2, the No. 5 seed and No. 3; Irwin County is 12-1, the No. 2 seed and No. 2.
Last meeting: Irwin County won 21-7 on Sept. 15.
Things to know: Irwin County is seeking its first state title since 1975 and second overall. Clinch County is going for its third state title in eight seasons and seventh overall. The Region 2 rivals are meeting in the state final for the second time in three seasons. In 2015, Irwin County won the regular-season game 28-12 but lost in the championship game 24-7. Irwin County won the regular-season game again this season, taking advantage of four Clinch County turnovers. Steven Thomas ran for 113 yards on 13 carries in that game. He is Irwin's second-leading rusher with 716 yards on 107 carries. D.J. Lundy has run for 1,170 yards and 22 touchdowns on 195 carries. The Indians average 353 yards rushing per game. Clinch County's offense centers on Charles McClelland and Trezmen Marshall. McClelland has 931 passing yards, a team-high 1,221 rushing yards and 63 receiving yards. He scored on runs of 11 and 2 yards in a 23-20 victory over Mount Zion last week. Marshall has 154 yards passing, 841 yards rushing and one reception for 5 yards this season. Both teams average less than 100 yards per game passing (Clinch County 84.5, Irwin County 77.7).
