TIFTON — The Irwin County Indians know something about heartbreak. They fell Tuesday in the Georgia High School Association Class A public schools state football championship, 27-20, to rival Clinch County. It’s the fourth time in five seasons the Indians lost in the finals and second straight year it’s been Clinch.

But life moves on in Ocilla.

Head coach Buddy Nobles and team are taking a brief break for the holidays, then meeting back up to formulate plans for 2019. Nobles aches for his program, but isn’t wallowing in what could have been against Clinch.

“Just a rough deal,” said Nobles. The final came down to three plays, he said.

There was the kickoff Tyler Morehead recovered for Clinch seconds after the Panthers tied the game at 13 on a field goal. Then there were the two jump ball passes from Morehead to 6’7” receiver Jeremiah Johnson. Both of those went for touchdowns, turning 13-13 into 27-13 with 4:50 to play.

Irwin rallied for a touchdown, a 16-yard pass from Zach Smith to Javon Stanley at 1:36, but touched an onside kick too soon. Clinch ran out the clock.

Nobles is aware of Wednesday morning quarterbacking, second guessing of how the game played out. However, “you can’t do some things” against Clinch. The boys from the swampland deserve credit, he said.

“Someday we’ll get in that door,” Nobles said. Next season provides an excellent chance to win their first state football title since 1975.

Irwin will be losing some of its weapons. Several linemen are set to graduate, including Lochlan Cunningham, Will Burnam and Dawson Horton. Stanley, Wil Hudson, Jatory Lundy, Jaelon Bivens, Isait Alvarado, Davion Pollard and tight end Justin Wells move on as well.

Nobles said the Indians are working on finding a tight end and replacements on the line. That might not take very long. Players such as sophomore tackle Harmon Smith have already faced the fire. So, too, have the sophomore Benyard twins — Garland and Gabriel — and linebacker Kam Ward.

The Indians go even younger.

“We played four or five freshmen on varsity,” he said.

Sixty-seven high players are listed on listed on Irwin County’s roster on MaxPreps, a depth enviable for schools twice its size. All are being brought along in the high standards of the program.

“There’s nothing like coaching an Irwin County Indian,” Nobles said. “I’m very excited for 2019.”

It is an amazing pool of established talent the Indians are bringing back.

Smith, who threw for nearly 1,200 yards and 18 touchdowns in his first year as a starter, is back for his senior year. Lundy has a season to go after running for 1,600 yards and 28 touchdowns. Paulk returns 900 rushing yards and 13 total touchdowns. There is Jamorri Colson, who had eight receiving touchdowns and four more via interceptions. Eric Anderson had 325 rushing yards, fourth best on the team.

Nobles is predicting blockbuster years for his younger players.

“I think the Benyards are going to be great,” he said. “Kam Ward was a starting middle linebacker as a sophomore.” He also boosted Jyquez Marshall, Ramont Edge and Jalen Billingsley.

Though focus was sometimes on the Irwin’s offense, the defense carried itself well, allowing a stingy 9.7 points per game. In the semifinals against Pelham, Irwin took an offense that had averaged a statewide best 53 points per game and held it to six. The Indians kept every opponent in 2018 below its season average in points. They also defeated Fitzgerald for the first time since 1999.

The defense saw a boost late in the year. Pollard, feared lost for the season after suffering a knee injury during the summer, came back for the last few games. Despite a heavy brace and thick tape, he had a team high six solo tackles in the championship game.

“He represents his last name well,” Nobles said, adding he was very proud to have coach both Davion and his brother, D.J. “They get that from their mom and dad.”

Nobles became Irwin’s all-time leader in wins during the season at 54, surpassing Joe Compton’s total of 44. He did it in one fewer season than Compton and in five seasons at the helm, Nobles is averaging 11 wins a year.

Irwin is taking a rest over Christmas. Many players have scattered to other sports, where, as a Class A school, their presence is a necessity. There is a weariness. Nobles pointed out that at 14 games, his squad played nearly the equivalent of an NFL regular season, which is 16 games.

They will be back in January. Though Nobles predicts a long stretch until 2019 kicks off, summer sessions are just around the corner.