It was supposed to be a matchup of strength on strength. River Bluff came in with an impressive defense that held Lugoff-Elgin to 13 points and Swansea to seven.

After the first pair of contests, the Gator defense was only giving up 10 points per game and with talented defensive ends like Alonzo Singleton and Reece Lawrence, created a tough match-up for almost every team in the state. The key word here is “almost.”

The Yellow Jackets, on the other hand, put up 49 points in the win against Chapin to start the season and in the second game against Lancaster, scored a whopping 56 points. 

Irmo’s offense just made it look too easy in the match-up with River Bluff. Quarterback A.J. Brand tore up the Gator defense with long touchdown passes and made plays with his legs to either extend plays and buy receivers more time or tuck it in run for a first down or a touchdown (as he did from 33 yards out to get the scoring started in the opening quarter).

“A.J. is the best player in the state. Right now, in the early voting for MVP it would 100% be AJ,” Irmo head coach Aaron Brand said about his son and quarterback. “He’s done everything we’ve asked of him and he’s stayed injury free and he just does some good things and he continues to lead.” 

A.J. Brand has prided himself on being able to make smart decisions and make opposing defenses pick their poison. Against River Bluff, he completed 11 of his 14 passes for 154 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 42 yards on five carries with one touchdown. 

When plays break down and the pocket collapses, Brand has figured out when to try to make the throw for a first down or when to decide to tuck it away and try to run for it. It may seem like an easy element to being a dual threat QB in theory, but quarterbacks like Marcus Mariota and Carson Wentz have struggled to not only be productive and risk averse, but stay healthy long enough to form longevity with an organization because their bodies take a beating from making the wrong decisions in those circumstances. 

“I just keep my eyes downfield,” Brand, the quarterback, said. “If everybody is covered, I don’t want to force anything into the defense. If it’s open, I’ll gladly run. I’m labeled as a dual threat for a reason so that’s definitely fine with me.”

Brand makes the entire offense go. When the ball is in his hands, you can trust that he’ll find the right guy and make the right play. He’s also the team’s punter. So in fourth down situations, he’ll take the direct snap and punt well enough to help flip field position or, if he catches the opponent sleeping, can run for a first down like he did on the team’s first possession of the season against Chapin during their 49-3 season opening win. 

They also hang their hat on their elite running game. The offensive line is huge, physical and is anchored by Georgia State commit Elijah Williams at left tackle. Running behind them is big back Jaden Allen-Hendrix, a transfer from Gilbert who ran for 253 yards against Chapin and broke the 200-mark for the second time in the team’s first three games with 209 on 26 carries against River Bluff. 

At 6’2” and weighing 225 pounds, Hendrix is demonstrably bigger than any other running back you will see playing high school football in South Carolina. Not only is he big, he’s a hard-nosed, north-south runner that not only absorbs the contact from opposing defenses, but embraces it.

“I don’t know many that’s better than him in the state as far as what he does and what this team asks of him,” coach Brand said. “Not a lot of juke moves to that guy, now. They’re gonna get in front of you and you’re going to have to make a business decision at some point whether you want to tackle this man or tag off or get out of the way because he’s coming at the same intensity every time.”

Hendrix has also established himself as a suitable target for Brand to throw to as well. He led the team in catches with four against River Bluff, all on screen passes. 

In the passing game, Brand, the quarterback, has a multitude of targets. He found Caleb Alexander for a pair of touchdowns against River Bluff and Telvin Smith has shown to be a reliable target as well. But the pass catcher who has stood out the most, with his athleticism jumping off the page and with a route running ability mature beyond his years, is sophomore wide receiver Donovan Murph.

Against River Bluff, Murph scored his first touchdown when he created a lot of separation early in the route and sped down the sideline where Brand threw him a perfect ball that dropped right into his arms for a long 30-plus yard score. That play was won by Murph with that aforementioned seasoned route running.

“I work on my dry fades, staying low and getting out of my break and making sure I drive off the ball,” Murph said when walking through the technicalities of route running. That attention to detail helped set him loose on the score that gave the Yellow Jackets an early 14-0 lead. 

“We knew I was gonna get the ball,” Murph said. “I wanted to get to a spot where [Brand] could put the ball where it needed to be. So I made sure I got stacked back on top of them and made the throw easier for A.J.”

One of the players Murph has studied when it comes to the art of route running is former Atlanta Falcons legend Julio Jones.

“I watch a lot of Julio Jones,” he said. “That’s my favorite player. At his size and the way he moves, I just want to move like that. He gets out of his breaks real fast at 6’5”. That’s what I strive to be like.”

Murph channeled his inner Jones when he made a leaping catch in the end zone to punctuate the 42-0 win. It was a heavily contested catch that involved him high-pointing the ball and snagging it out of the air while also being interfered with, making it one of the more impressive contested catches you’ll ever see at the high school level. 

“It’s what we work on,” Murph said while giving credit to his coaches for the constant drilling. “Even when we’re warming up, we’re high pointing the ball and making sure we get that done. I think the repetition really helps me translate it to the game so when I see the ball in the air, A.J. put it right where it needed to be and where only I could get it so shout out to him.”

Even with all of Murph’s talent, he’s still had to prove to his quarterback that he can go out and trust him with those jump ball passing plays at any point in the game.

“When you have somebody who can make a play like that, I just love having him,” Brand said. “He told me, ‘A.J., one day just trust me’, so I was like ‘I got you’, so today, I just decided to trust him. I threw it up and he came down with it.”

For the game, Murph caught three passes for 79 yards and a pair of touchdowns. 

Between the dominant offensive line, the hard to tackle running back, the dual threat quarterback and the group of wide receivers, this Irmo offensive unit has dazzled through the first three weeks of the season (it’s also important to mention that the defense has only surrendered 15 points all year too). If you ask Brand, the quarterback, he’ll tell you that after three games, you haven’t even seen this offensive machine at it’s finest form.

“I don’t think there is a ceiling yet," he said. "I think me and my teammates are just trying to play the best football we can play. Trying to put on a show for the community, show what our coaches have instilled in us and you know, I just love everything that’s happening with my team right now.”