Irmo is known well for its obnoxious student body. most teams are very intimidated for the atmosphere and vibe the fans give off.

Irmo in 2010 was definitely not better than NHS, you're mistaken very much so.

That is not what im saying at all. Northwestern Last year was amazing. im saying they have a large intimidating crowd, Irmo last year could not even compare to NW last year.

The reason Irmo lost is simple. For 80 minutes on Saturday night, Wando had the better TEAM. Irmo's fans? Irrelevant to the outcome. The officiating? Mediocre BOTH WAYS, but irrelevant.
Wando's kids played consistently harder, more committed, and arguably more technical soccer for the vast majority of the game, even when absorbing pressure. Irmo played from behind for virtually the whole match, and that's extraordinarily difficult to do in 90-degree heat and the crucible of competition ... not to mention artificially high expectations.
FWIW, my biggest problem with Irmo's student/fans was the highly disrespectful way they treated the Class AAA kids, chanting during the previous game's awards ceremony. I expect adolescents to use profanity -- heck (sadly) that's now the societal norm. But at least respect the EVENT enough to let the Eastside/Mytle Beach kids receive their due uninterrupted.

Irmo does that every year because they think they are top class. Remember last year, the fans came in during the AAA game and began taunting JL Manns players and fans. It makes the school look bad.

it seems irmo is soccers cousin eddie from the old vacation movies.

All of this said, I have a great deal of respect for all of the players and parents I know from Irmo.

Well its all over and done with and like the Braves, Irmo always has a great season, bigtime national ranking, but just cant get 'er dun in the finals (at least lately)....Is it possible they get too up for the big games and lose some real game focus?
Anyway.......the most pressing question...is which school had the coolest female fans.........?

Any recent Irmo player has the reputation of Irmo's past to live up to. That's a huge burden.

Irmo used to win state titles like fat kids ate cake. Kids remember that. Boys that grow up in the Irmo community have relatives, older brothers, friends, etc. that won state titles and will look down on the current players if they don't win state titles. No school in South Carolina can recreate the pressure to succeed that an Irmo boy's soccer player goes through given the history of the program over the last 30 years.

Irmo's student section at boys soccer games can be horribly rude. Are they that rude when they travel outside of Columbia? It's an honest question. I don't know. Were they as rude 20 years ago, in the early 90s, when the dynasty was beginning its heyday, or did success go to the heads of the fans more than the players?

The rudest fans I have ever heard/seen in 20 years were at a Wando High boys game (given it was nearly a decade ago). But I have seen the Wando boys play outside of Mount Pleasant/Charleston and the fans were a class act.

Irmo has the best coach in the game, and their players train in a pressure cooker that demands performance.

Kudos to coach Savitz for maintaining a quality program for three decades.

They don't have to win state titles to be a quality team, and I hate that the (student) fans ruin what the boys have accomplished...

Former,

I concur with your thoughts about Irmo's illustrious past teams. With all the successes and accomplishments of Savitz and those teams, it is always hard to continue to fulfill those same successes. Some of that 'rudeness' and arrogance that you speak of may come from all that Irmo hype. It is fun to see the energy of the fans. (NW fans were that way in past years.) And a lot of it is totally OK, and great for soccer. But the blatant rudeness & disrespect by any team or its fans needs to stop. Just play the game you know how and how you have been taught and the 'Big Wins' will come as a result. It looks a whole lot more like fun when you win that way. And isn't that what it should all be about anyway???

Interesting comments.
I really don't buy the historical context/pressure theory. In my estimation, the sheer number of schools capable of winning a state championship has increased, as soccer has grown in popularity among kids, and more competent coaches enter the arena. The 2011 state title may have more actual "value" than a 2002 state title ... though I'm sure max effort was delivered in both instances. There are just more teams capable of delivering max effort on a given night.
Savitz is clearly a great coach who, no doubt, will add to his state title total before he retires. To do so, he may need to evolve/adjust ever-so-slightly to meet with changing times. For example, he should at least consider enhancing his strength-of-schedule to get his team ready for the state tournament. Undefeated regular seasons and winning percentages are irrelevant once a team enters the pressure cooker of a single-elimination tournament. Wando's coaching staff knew who could handle that kind of pressure, and played them extra minutes. I sensed that Irmo's staff DIDN'T know who COULDN'T handle the pressure, and played a few kids too much.
Similarly, I felt that Wando enjoyed and took advantage of some significant physical match-up advantages. Wando's first and third goals were clearly the result of power and/or speed mismatches that SHOULD have been scouted and foreseen. Indeed, Wando's third goal came after the Wando coach moved a kid forward to take advantage of a speed mismatch, and the kid made several potential scoring runs before netting the game-winner.
These are all surmises and theories. The facts remain. Irmo is STILL the measuring stick by which programs in our state can and should be evaluated. And Wando is the 2011 Class AAAA state champion, thanks to a well-played and well-coached victory over a great program.
Congratulations to BOTH sides for providing the showcase game the sport deserves.

Yes, I agree that more quality teams are in the mix than in the past. Look at BL winning 2A last year and Gilbert playing for it this year. And the 4A final could have easily been Mann v. Beaufort, 2 quality teams, and that woulda been a great final too. After seeing Beaufort play in early season I thought they may make it all the way to finals. They played a tough schedule and were very good as a result at end of season, and very good in playoffs. I did not see the 4A final, but sounds like Wando was more ready and seasoned for the big game.

Some observations after watching EASTSIDE capture the AAA state title on Saturday.

* I thought the on-rush of irmo (that is for Manchester) students was very unsportsmanlike and didn't allow the Eastside team and fans a proper celebration. That being said I thought Coach Scott Halkett took advantage of the unfortunate situation and had a mass circle huddle behind the goal toward the main entrance. Awesome feeling to celebrate with the faithful blue/gold Eagles!

* I felt like Eastside was the better team and actually a couple of goals better than Myrtle Beach. MB seemed to hit a wall after the first half hour and were ball chasing the entire final 40 minutes. Good team, but you just have to wonder about who they play down on the coast.

* There seemed to be an occurrence at halftime of the AAA game behind the home stands. A bunch of Columbia police showed up and made a horde of irmo students dump out their cups and disband their party. Unfortunate but it seemed to go pretty smooth.

* I stayed on the home side for the AAAA game. Simply put, Wando was better than irmo on this night. I do think the level of competition helped Wando and the quick start was all the Warriors needed to get a foothold on irmo. Once again I thought irmo was out coached and for some reason it seemed like their interests lied elsewhere. I didn't witness any poor sportsmanship from irmo mainly because the team (and fans) was taken out of the game so early. Wando impressed with the speed of play and the precise passing game. Again, I think that goes back to the caliber of teams they played all year long. The out of state teams that have beaten Wando must be very good! I thought #19 took over the game and #17, #20, and #21 were all over the place. Only player that I thought looked above level for irmo was #7. He is a fireballer and if the rest of that team played with his passion then perhaps a state title would be brought home by irmo. The goalkeeper had a nightmarish first half and a couple of the "players" are more athletes than soccer players (strange twist for a school that size with the soccer background). I thought Lunceford had a much better game this go around in the finals than last year but still don't understand why irmo shifted him up top for such long periods of time. That played right into the ball controlling midfield talents of Wando and left a gap from the top of the box to midfield of nothing but black jerseys that played 1-2 touch all night.

* Good season for everyone that made it to the weekend. That was some good soccer and more importantly it looked like most teams were healthy at the final whistle with no major injuries.

* Again, congrats to Eastside which made its fourth straight AAA Semifinals and second trip to State in the past four years. Finally, CHAMPIONS!

Coaches are free to make their decisions but disrupting the spine of the team by pulling your center mid to play as a striker when his strongest asset is designing plays based on what he sees in front of him baffles me. Having said that, all players must be like soldiers and do what they are asked to do . . . like it or not.

This game v. Wando in 2009 Lower State displays Irmo quickness/speed that they have been famous for in past championships. I know other teams have picked up their coaching/skills/speed to get to Irmo's level, but maybe a factor is that excessive Irmo hype that gets them out of their game focus on championship Saturday.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GroL10582Eg&NR=1

South Carolina soccer fans,

Everyone always talks about increasing the interest of soccer in both SC and the United States. Irmo's fan base is outstanding. It might make parents made and other teams upset.. but they are the best fans in the state! They may be rude, disrespectful and immature, but the fact is this fans appreciate the game more than any other school in state. It is a simple fact. It really is fans like Irmo's that will expand the game to their kids and generations to come. This obnoxious and annoying kids are actually a fine spectacle to observe during soccer games. Just check out this video of a poor Chelsea fan in a sea of the greatest fans in the world, Kopites, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP5J9qD73rQ. At least Irmo is not to this level yet.

Sorry but you are blowing smoke to make yourself feel better about this! No true fans who "appreciate the game more than any other school in state" is rude to a team that won the Championship game before them.

They may be obnoxious but they are faithful. I was at the games on Friday night and most of the day on Saturday and both day's crowds didn't seem to come near the crowd that came out to support Irmo. I realize from reading these threads that most of the people in attendance were NOT fans of Irmo and only wanted to witness yet another upset. SCHSL will miss Irmo if they fall from grace. $6500+fans x 8= a whole lot of something for high school soccer in South Carolina.

The Chief, what idealistic world do you live in? So Carolina fans should respect Clemson every single year in football because Clemson has won more games and has a national championship? Wrong! Also, Irmo has won a ton of state championships; so any parent, player, or fan that has been rude to a Irmo soccer player, according to you, does not appreciate the game. You are simply wrong.

I am talking about the way Irmo acted when Eastside was getting the awards for winning the game before them, not respecting Wando, alhough the disrespect shown to them during intros was not somthing to be proud of either(and could be fodder for other post but not my point here). I am not expecting Irmo to give any real grace to Wando but to come in and act rude (which is what they did from the posts and complaints I have seen) shows a lack of appreciation of the game. Contrast it with how Wando and Mauldin acted the night before! You know they were ready to battle but they waited until Hilton Head and Fort Mill got their mooment before they came into the stands and from what I saw they were in no way trying to disrupt the ceremony.

I was there and rather unbiased. But the chanting in unison of "Wando Sucks", and then the "Bulls***" chants when things didn't go their way made the Irmo student body and fanbase as a whole appear to be a bunch of spoiled brats.

But the caveat was later in the game when a Wando player was cramping up near the Irmo student section, and the taunting and berating of said player was in VERY poor taste.

I think everyone in the stadium who was unbiased, like myself, became a Wando fan over the course of the match.

Irmo is led by one of the utmost professional staffs in the state. Savitz is a true professional and leader in every sense of the word. I know the argument can be made that 'well they are just 16, 17, 18 yr old kids', and you can't control their normal adolescent conduct. But that kind of conduct is defintely not normal. No other state high school teams display that conduct, to that degree. I don't know if the parents care about those displays of rudeness and disrespect, but they should definitely be concerned. I am for all that wonderful energy and excitement and brashness that the Irmo players/fans display, but there is a line that should not be crossed. I know it may not happen, but lets hope that the Irmo boys who take the field for next season will indeed reflect a higher degree of professionalism during each game they play. If you development all the essential skills and abilities and style of play required to be successful, then just display all that on the field. I know that as a team, win or lose, you will feel better inside about the fact that you gave it all you had. And given the fact that you already have the best HS coach in the state, just use your abilities (and not your mouths and attitudes) to bring you to victory.

I agree that Coach Savitz is very good, maybe even "the best HS coach in the state." His record speaks for itself.
That said, you could make the case that Coach Tisdale "outcoached" him on Saturday, to the extent that the adjustments Tisdale made during the match were more positive and impactful than those made by Savitz.

Backscreen,

That may very well be that Tisdale coached a better game and I know Wando is an exceptional team. I am mainly stressing now that it appears that given Irmo's abilities/skills throughout the season, coupled with an excellent coach, that Irmo needs to not let 'that over-the-top' attitude hinder their focus on the field of play.

We are absolutely on the same page! For what it's worth, I have tremendous respect for the Irmo "program" -- with the single exception of the sideline and student-body antics.

Elaborate on "sideline"... are you speaking of the players, coaches, etc? Overall I do not see any outstanding instances (more than displayed by any other team) of bad sportsmanship from the starting 11 or Savitz. Just making sure I have a clear understanding of your post.

AND THESE ARE NOT NECESSARILY IRMO-ONLY ISSUES!

1) Numerous assistants outside of anything vaguely resembling a technical area, working the referee and near-side AR. If you're going to have 8-9 assistants, they should be retained within a "technical area" close to the actual bench; not covering the middle 60-70 yards of the pitch. If this is not currently an SCHSL rule, it SHOULD BE!
This is doubly relevant in the context of uniform colors. If the opponent is wearing all-black, and several Irmo assistants are wearing all-black, why are we surprised when a Wando kid "passes" to an Irmo assistant standing within 25 years of the byline? That happened in the Lower State game last year.
2) Comments from Irmo-attired staff (trainer? managers?) directed at opposing players.
3) I thought Coach Savitz was remarkably composed on Saturday, given his obvious disappointment on behalf of his seniors. I know he made an effort to shake most of the Wando kids' hands when he didn't have to.

Hope that clarifies.

In reference to #1:
I agree that coaches (across the board) should stay within their own "technical" area. The problem... officials don't enforce the "technical" area. This is mostly due to the 2 man system and not having anyone "assigned" to deal with sideline issues. That being said, the 4A State match had 5 officials and still noone enforced the area. An easy solution could've been for the 4th official to bring the center over and warn/card the coach that was causing the problem. Then if it persisted a red could have followed. I can't blame a coach for doing something he has not been corrected on ALL season. I see this happening from 1A - 4A on both the boys and girls side. Until there is any enforcement we can't expect coaches to follow the "rule"

I remember playing against Irmo and the coaches yelling at me and my other teammates, very classy they are, haha!!

Agreed in principle. But is there a chance -- just a chance, mind you -- that one benefit of having 8 assistants during a game is PRECISELY that you can string them out along your side of the field in an attempt to gain competitive advantage.

I absolutely agree that an unenforced rule is no rule at all. In which case, a very senior coach should be taking the lead in policing his own sideline and encouraging others to do likewise.

I agree with early posts that Irmo should schedule more difficult non-region match ups. Palmetto Cup right in their backyard, why aren't they attending? Wando had a much harder overall schedule which I feel prepared the team and the coaching staff better.

Regarding schedules and scheduling, our high school coach told me that he has input on only about 2 of his matches each year. The vast majority of his matches are set each year by the athletic directors of the region (region 8, 4A).

If I understood the coach correctly, then he doesn't have a whole lot of leeway towards making a tougher schedule for his boys. Does anybody know if this type thing occurs anywhere else, or is it just region 8? (again, if I heard him right)

Sounds about right. My last 7 or 8 years at Fort D, we met as area coaches(usually in West Ashley--kind of midway except for Beaufort folks) with much of the schedule already pre-determind--we just made sure dates were OK and tried to pick up a few scrimmages. In region 7 we played our region teams home and away and we played region 8 teams once.
We had room for a couple of games and many of us tried to pick up B.E.and perhaps A.M.

Yes the Palmetto Cup is a top notch tournament with great competition but it also falls in the middle of a pretty long season. Perhaps Coach Savitz thinks it better serves his team to rest over spring break before the final stretch of the season and playoffs as opposed to playing a number of games in a small period of time. Just a thought. Its not like Irmo hasn't played teams such as Northwestern, Norman North, and others in the Lake Murray Challenge. Yes teams develop over the course of a season but I don't think Irmo tries to hide from competition during the season.