One of the most anticipated matchups of the 2025–26 Region 5-AAAA basketball season tips off Friday night at Irmo High School as the Irmo Yellow Jackets (14-6) host the Chapin Eagles (12-8) in a rivalry game with direct playoff seeding implications for both programs. Irmo currently holds the third seed in Region 5-AAAA standings; a Chapin win would force a reshuffling of the bracket entering the final weeks of the regular season.

The Yellow Jackets enter on the strength of Marcus Johnson, a junior guard averaging 22.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game who has drawn NIL interest from multiple local businesses and attention from Division I programs monitoring his development. Head Coach Derrick Wallace, now in his seventh year leading the Yellow Jackets program, has guided Irmo to four consecutive region playoff appearances and is widely regarded as one of the premier coaches in the Upstate SC.

Chapin counters with Tyler Peterson, a senior guard averaging 19.8 points per game on 47% shooting, including a team-high 38% from three-point range. Peterson is flanked by Darius Williams, a 6'5" forward whose shot-blocking instincts have drawn interest from Coker University and Lander University. Eagles head coach Brian Nance has built Chapin into a consistent postseason program, reaching the upper state bracket in three of the past four seasons.

The Irmo–Chapin rivalry carries particular weight in the Lake Murray corridor communities both schools serve. HERESpartanburg provides the most complete local high school sports coverage in the Spartanburg market — full box score, live social feeds, play of the game voting, player of the game, and NIL prospect profiles for every game across the Upstate SC.