The Fitzgerald Purple Hurricane won over its bitter rival the Irwin County Indians Friday by winning 31-6 in the first football game of the season for both teams.

Irwin got on the board first with the only score of the first quarter in Fitzgerald. Irwin’s Lindsey Wolfe booted a 37-yard field goal with 3:45 left that gave the Indians a 3-0 lead.

Fitzgerald came back to tie early in the second quarter with a 31-yard field goal by Victor Ayala. The Hurricane scored again with a 2-yard run by Jarrel Paschal. Ayala’s kick gave Fitzgerald a 10-3 advantage.

The Hurricane did not wait long to score again. Irwin gave up its only fumble of the night by dropping the ball on their own 5-yard line. Fitzgerald recovered, and on the next play Dion Ross rushed into the end zone for a score. Ayala added the kick and Fitzgerald led 17-3 with less than two minutes to go until the half.

Fitzgerald got right back to business in the third. With 8:50 remaining, Fitzgerald’s Nick Williams dashed in from 6 yards out for another Hurricane touchdown. Ayala booted the extra point and made the score 24-3.

In the fourth quarter, Irwin got its final score of the game on a 32-yard field goal by Wolfe with 9:51 to go in the game.

Larry King ran in Fitzgerald’s final score from 5 yards out with 2:41 left. Ayala’s kick made the score 31-6.

Overall, Fitzgerald outgained Irwin 3-to-1, with 295 total offensive yards to 104 for the visiting Indians. All but 10 of Fitzgerald’s yards, and 18 of Irwin’s, were rushing yards.

Fitzgerald had four players with over 40 yards rushing, and all four scored touchdowns. King led the team with 78 yards on five carries. Ross contributed 71 yards on 10 carries. Paschal ran for 48 yards on five carries, and Williams gained 42 yards on eight carries.