I was having a conversation with someone recently and he brought up the question, "How much longer is Irmo going to boast about being great, when they can't even win a state championship?" I've thought about it and I am starting to think the same way. Last year's loss in the State Championship game was embarrassing and Wando took advantage of Irmo's many mistakes. I know Irmo is still powerful, but I know that team goals aren't JUST winning the Lower/Upper State Championship. I was just wondering when Irmo's bite will be more than their bark and when they will finally end the season with a State Title?
Nothing against Irmo. Just having a conversation about the great game and teams around the state.
This ultimately depends on one's definition of "greatness." To me, the measure of greatness AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL is sustained excellence over a long period of time; i.e., through multiple cycles of kids.
Irmo obviously has a great program, regardless of the trophy count. So does Wando, which hadn't won a state championship for many years before last season's breakthrough.
The reality is, whoever GETS TO the Class AAAA title this year will likely have to get through Irmo and Wando.
That I can say the same thing in most years is a much better measurement of greatness than the outcome of a single game.
I agree with most of what you say. You can pretty much call them a "Power House" and I don't think many would argue. The only thing is they have that "BUT" statement in their recent history. They've been able to make it to multiple Title Games, BUT they haven't won it in years. I think that Irmo is great. When I think of success, I think of the same things as you, but to casual fans, all they care about is "Did they win state?". The player/team development and history that Irmo has created has been incredible. Also, having National implications on these games is awesome! I don't really question what Irmo is and what they have done. I am mainly just wondering, when are they going to finish and cap off a season the way their development & success merits?
But the real question is, what is greatness? Let alone, who is boasting? You have to admit that Irmo has been a powerhouse team since the late 70's. When was the last time that Irmo didn't make it to at least the quarterfinals? A great coach is one that can take any talent and produce a team that competes year in and year out. You have this with Phil Savitz at Irmo. Any argument against this would be a flawed argument. The numbers don't lie, Phil has a winning percentage that is among the top coaches ever in the United States high school ranks. If I remember right, he is either ranked 2nd or 3rd for his career winning percentage, in the nation. I really do get tired of hearing the bad attitudes on here about Irmo. They have had a lot of years of excellent teams, and by saying that they have not been a powerhouse over the last 5 to 6 years would be a crazy statement. Anybody buying into that argument is just deluding themselves or has such a narrow-minded viewpoint that I really don't even want to hear it. If Irmo actually does win this year, I would strongly bet that it would be Phil's last game, and the end to a great career as a coach and mentor.
I think this will be Savitz last year regardless but I, like everyone else expects for some sort of run from Irmo towards the State Championship. Hopefully they finally do put it together in the final because if anyone deserves to go out on top it most definately is Phil Savitz.
Coach Savitz has been amazing, I agree. Greatness can only be defined by each individual person I guess. I just don't want to see what happened last year, repeat itself. I was able to see Irmo a few times during the regular season, then during the playoffs. First few games looked good. Then they looked "ok" and the playoff game I saw before they played for Upper State, they looked shaky at best. I went into the State Championship game already giving Wando the better chance to win. In past years, they play strong during the regular season. Then once play-offs come around, they take it to another level. Last year, I don't really know what happened, but if you are correct and this is Coach Savitz's last season, I just hope they can finish off strong and seal his "GREAT" coaching career with a Title.
The flip side of the discussion is simply this: On THAT day, Wando played better. We sometimes forget that high school teams -- no matter how good -- are comprised of 14-18-year-olds. They feel pressure. They are inherently inconsistent. They make mistakes, and soccer matches are often decided by mistakes.
Wando had the edge in play for most of the match, but still was barely clinging to a one-goal margin until the game's final minutes. Had Irmo evened the score at 2-2, the game probably goes the other way.
A match like that hardly defines -- or denies -- greatness.
After watching Irmo win No 600 for Phil and my team taking an 0-11 drumming where some Select player (starter) is still making incredible moves against basically a bad JV team as time expires to pad the stat book, a few words come to mind when looking for a definition of greatness. Class, compassion, integrity and others. I will never get to be called a great coach by wins and losses or state championships. There are other things such as these that make a great coach. I think that Phil has these and more to go along with the wins. But there are alot of coaches out there that have them as well and do not have the wins or state championships. Are they no less great?