“We’ve got a long way to go."”

Turning around struggling football programs was a reputation Aaron Brand proudly earned while in North Carolina.

He now looks to return the Irmo High School team back to prominence. 

After Monday’s 16-7 scrimmage loss to Lancaster in the Midlands Honda Monday Night Football Classic at Fairfield Central High School, Brand acknowledged it won’t be a quick fix.

“We’ve got a long way to go,” Brand said. “We knew it would be tough coming in. We expected to play a little bit better than what we did. We’ve just got a long way to go and we’re up for the challlenge. But we had no idea that we had this far to go, but we do.”

Irmo’s lone score came in the first quarter on an 8-yard touchdown pass by Dylan Williams to Jaden Kinard.

The Bruins answered with 17 unanswered points. The first came on a 32-yard touchdown pass that tied the game, a 32-yard field goal in the second quarter and a 46-yard scoring run by Sean Truesdale with 2:58 left in the scrimmage.

A 27-yard touchdown run by Naahzeikiel Mays was nullifed by a holding call. It was one of several penalties and mistakes which left Brand frustrated, but not undaunted in his team goals.

“It’s a state championship,” Brand said. “I wouldn’t have come here for anything else. The day I stop shooting for a state championship is the day I sit down and go play with (my daughter) fulltime.”

Irmo will close out the preseason Friday at Sumter High School in a scrimmage against Lakewood.