Derrick Davis | The Valdosta Daily TimesClinch County head coach Jim Dickerson raises a fist to celebrate a turnover in the fourth quarter of the Class A-Public state championship game against Irwin County on Friday in Ocilla.

OCILLA — Standing in the center of Indian Field, cold, wet, and out of breath, Clinch County head coach Jim Dickerson spoke about what the football team means to the community back home.

“We don’t have a lot going for us in Homerville,” Dickerson said. “Low socioeconomic area, we’re losing jobs, the economy is bad, but we’ve got the Clinch County Panthers going for us.

“That’s one thing we’ve got.”

Clinch County (12-2) held on to a 21-12 victory Friday against Irwin County (12-2) in the Class A-Public state championship game, avenging a regular-season loss and winning the seventh state title in the program’s history in the process.

It’s the second time in the past three years the Panthers and Indians have squared off in the title game, and the second time Clinch has been able to topple Irwin County on the biggest stage.

Two weeks earlier, following Clinch’s victory in the semifinal round, linebacker Tahj Williams stated his team was coming for Region 2-A rivals Irwin, and Friday in Ocilla, he backed up his talk.

“Coming over to Irwin, two weeks ago, I said I was going to do it, and that’s what we’re doing right now,” Williams said. “We’re going to party all night up on their field.”

Williams made nine tackles, the most important of which came with Clinch protecting a two-point lead with fewer than three minutes remaining.

The Indians rolled to the right looking to pass, but before they could get it off, Williams collided with the quarterback, causing the ball to pop free. The Panthers jumped on top of the loose football and took over in Irwin County territory.

“I knew that the team, we needed something big, and that’s just what I did,” Williams said. “I got the fumble, gave our team an opportunity to get on the board, and that’s just what we did with Charles McClelland.”

Clinch County quarterback Charles McClelland torched Irwin County in the state championship game two years ago, and he had another big effort Friday, finishing the contest with 116 rushing yards and two scores — the second of which came from 24 yards out to push the Panthers’ advantage to nine points with fewer than two minutes remaining.

McClelland also had a 34-yard touchdown run to cap off Clinch’s first possession of the second half. He’ll finish his high-school career with a pair of state championship rings.

“It’s just amazing,” McClelland said after the game. “I’m just so happy that we could get it. I wish we would have been able to play in the Mercedes Benz, but as long as we get the state championship ring, that’s all that matters.”

Plenty of McClelland’s teammates felt the same way when their opportunity to play in the $1.6 billion stadium was wiped away due to inclement weather in Atlanta last weekend.

But the Panthers shook off the disappointment of where they were playing, and instead focused more on who they were playing.

It may have benefited a Clinch County team that racked up 279 yards of total offense and held Irwin County to 37 yards, including just 21 on the ground on 32 rushes. The Indians entered the contest averaging more than 350 yards rushing per game.

“I think the snow storm in Atlanta last week was a blessing,” Dickerson said. “Because, we really went back and shored up some things.

“Our defensive staff worked so hard, and they even said, like Tuesday, ‘Coach, we weren’t ready to play Saturday.’ So it was a blessing to get that extra work time to get ready for this Irwin County offense.”

Defensive end John Mincey was one of the keys in stopping Irwin County’s powerful run game, and he reveled in kissing the championship trophy in his rivals’ stadium to close out his high-school career.

“That’s the best feeling, coming here and winning it on their home turf,” Mincey said. “They thought they had home field advantage, but…”

On offense, the biggest difference between Clinch’s first meeting with Irwin and the state championship game was the presence of consensus four-star athlete Trezmen Marshall.

Marshall missed the regular-season meeting between the programs in September with an injury, and the Indians were able to key in on McClelland and they picked him off twice.

Friday, Irwin also had to contend with Marshall, who finished with 133 yards rushing after getting the scoring started with a 64-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

“In high school, I’d say (Marshall)’s a 14-point difference,” Dickerson said. “Kind of the difference in the game, but this ain’t all about Trezmen.

“Trezmen is great, and I’m glad No. 7 is on our side, but No. 2, Tahj Williams played out of his mind, Duane (Moore), those guys inside, Craig Harris, Reggie Williams, I could go on and on.”

The Panthers got contributions from up and down its roster, especially from its senior class, to earn their second state championship title in the past three years.

“I’ve loved all of my classes, but I don’t know that any class has ever been more special than this senior class,” Dickerson said. “It’s very small. In fact, Charles is the only senior on this starting offense.

“We return a lot of really good guys, but this class, Charles McClelland is a great football player, but a better person. John Mincey, he’s a giant, but a gentle giant, a gentleman. It’s nothing but character with this team and this senior class.”

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