Juston Lewis | Special to the TimesClinch County head coach Jim Dickerson gestures during a game against McIntosh County Academy on Aug. 5 at Donald Tison Stadium.

VALDOSTA — For the past four seasons, the winner of the annual matchup between Clinch County and Irwin County has gone on to win Region 2-A.

And for the past three seasons, the winner has at least made an appearance in the semifinal round of the Class A playoffs.

Panthers head coach Jim Dickerson doesn’t expect this season to be any different as he prepares his team to travel to Ocilla on Friday for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff against the Indians.

The series between Clinch and Irwin began in 1952 and the record sits at 20-20-1. Friday will make the fourth consecutive meeting between the teams that both will rank within the Top 10 in the classification.

No. 4 Clinch (2-1) is coming off a disappointing loss against Brooks County two weeks ago, and its itching to get back onto the football field.

The defeat wasn’t disappointing because of who it came at the hands of — Brooks County is ranked No. 8 in Class 2A — but because Clinch had an opportunity to earn a victory against a tough opponent and failed to put the game away.

Dickerson said he felt like his team outplayed the Trojans in the first half, but a 14-7 lead at halftime should have been a two-score lead had the Panthers not squandered a 1st-and-goal situation from the 2-yard-line.

With the game within reach, Brooks simply excelled in the fourth quarter as Clinch began to fade.

“They made us realize that we need to get a little tougher and we need to get a little bit better conditioning, so we don’t continue to lose games in the fourth quarter,” Dickerson said.

The Panthers were scheduled to have an off week following their game against the Trojans, but once Hurricane Irma passed through the area Sunday evening, Clinch’s preparations for Irwin had to take a back seat to the clean up effort around Homerville.

Clinch County Schools cancelled classes throughout the week as many of the town’s citizens await the return of electricity.

Dickerson said he’s a bit worried about playing Friday after not having school this week, as his players are creatures of habit, but the Panthers are roaring to get back on the field two weeks after suffering their first loss of the season.

“We didn’t play last Friday night, we need to play a football game,” Dickerson said. “We certainly hope we’re ready for it, and all that kind of stuff, but all our kids signed up to play football, we’ve been off for a week, and we’re chomping at the bits. We want to play a game.”

No. 6 Irwin County also had the week off last Friday ahead of its matchup against Clinch, but the Indians went into their break on the back a big victory against the defending Class A state champions.

Coming off its only loss of the season at home against Fitzgerald, Irwin County went on the road and toppled Macon County 36-28.

The Indians trailed 14-0 at one point in the first quarter, but they finished with 355 yards rushing in the victory, including 190 yards and four touchdowns from running back D.J. Lundy.

“That’s Friday night football for you,” Dickerson said. “Anybody can beat anybody on any given Friday night, especially on the high school level. It all comes down to matchups.

“Some teams match up better against some teams than they do others, and you never know with a bunch of 16-and-17-year-olds how well they execute and do the little things like not turning the football over.

“There’s no guarantees in football, and it just shows you Irwin’s got an excellent team to beat the defending state title winners in Macon County. That’s a signature win for them, no doubt about it.”

Clinch’s defense has been stout thus far this season, holding teams to fewer than 13 points per game, and its offense is one of the few capable of keeping pace with the yardage Irwin can chew up on the ground.

The Panthers are averaging more than 318 yards rushing per game with quarterback Charles McClelland responsible for 258 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.

Clinch County’s success has also come while waiting for perhaps its best player in four-star prospect Trezman Marshall to begin his season as he recovers from a shoulder injury.

No matter what’s happening off the field, the Panthers will have to put it aside for the night to claim victory against the Indians.

“There’s been a lot bigger things going on than football, but there’s still got to be an important game played Friday night,” Dickerson said. “So, we’ve got to refocus, if only for a couple of hours, during the game Friday.”

Derrick Davis is the sports editor at the Valdosta Daily Times.