AIKEN - Aiken Hornets coach Carey Johnson had a quick response Friday night when asked the main affliction of his team this season.

"Turnovers. That's it - all year long," Johnson said.

It was an obvious answer after Aiken's performance on homecoming at Hagood Stadium.

The Hornets turned the ball over four times, three of which led to first-half scores for the Irmo Yellow Jackets, who rolled to a 24-6 victory.

Aiken muffed a punt return and lost two fumbles in the first 20 minutes, which led to a 17-0 halftime deficit that would never be threatened.

"You can't beat any football team like that, especially a good one like (Irmo)," Johnson said. "We killed ourselves, killed ourselves."

For Irmo (7-1, 2-0 Region 4-AAAA), which won its seventh consecutive game since dropping the season opener, tailback Mustafa Greene took advantage of Aiken's miscues, eating up the yards and the clock.

The sophomore carried 37 times for 161 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Leander Barney only completed two passes, but each went for a touchdown.

"(The turnovers) were big, and I thought we did a really good job running the ball and eating the clock," Irmo coach Bob Hanna said. "Mustafa's a sophomore but a really great football player. We're glad he plays for us, and we're glad we've got him for two more years."

Aiken (3-5, 1-1) also continued to struggle defensively. The Hornets allowed 245 rushing yards and have now given up an average of more than 25 points per game.

"Everybody made mistakes. We came out with our heads down," said Aiken running back Jeremy Robinson, who led the Hornets with 61 rushing yards and 30 receiving. "It's very disappointing."

With the win, Irmo set itself atop Region 4-AAAA. The Jackets have been held under 20 points just once this season.

"We thought (South Aiken and Aiken) would be our two toughest games, so to get through those is big for us," Hanna said. "I think the region has really come up."

Following Aiken's first-quarter punt return miscue, Barney hit Nathan Dorton on a 14-yard touchdown pass.

Aiken ended a good-looking drive on the ensuing possession with another lost fumble, and Irmo capitalized with a 15-play, 72-yard drive. Tanner Douglas' 27-yard field goal made it 10-0 early in the second quarter.

Following another Aiken lost fumble midway through the second, Irmo only needed to drive 40 yards en route to Greene's 1-yard score with 1:16 left, making it 17-0.

Greene rushed 21 times for 88 yards in the first half.

The Yellow Jackets built a 24-0 lead through three quarters before Aiken's Cortez Abney scored on a 2-yard run with 9:13 left for the Hornets' only touchdown.

Reach Steve Sanders at (706) 823-3216 or steven.l.sanders@augustachronicle.com