Calhoun coasts past Canes in first-round victory
Jackets offense shows explosiveness, defense dominant and opportunistic
The Calhoun Yellow Jackets showcased its explosive aerial attack, power run game and stingy pass defense as the team coasted to a 42-0 victory over the Monroe Area Hurricanes in the first round of the Class AAA State Playoffs on Friday night.
The swarming gold and black secondary gave the Hurricane quarterbacks trouble all night. Defensive back Brannon Spector swung the early momentum in the Yellow Jackets (9-2) favor by intercepting an errant pass from Monroe Area (3-8) passer Hunter Mitchell at midfield on the game’s opening drive.
Gavin Gray turned in another sharp performance as Calhoun’s primary quarterback. He looked to exploit the soft Monroe Area coverage after the turnover, throwing a quick screen to Bryson Davis. Davis looked prime to lose a handful of yards on the play, but sliced by a wave of defenders and sprinted 41 yards down the sideline for the touchdown.
On the next possession, Calhoun’s offense advanced the ball deep into scoring position before being stymied inside the 10 yard line on third down. The Jackets then turned to Baylon Spector, who responded with a powerful threeyard plunge to move the chains.
The Yellow Jackets capitalized on the new set of downs quickly, with Gray hitting Bailey Lester in the endzone with a nifty four-yard passing touchdown when the defense sold out to stop the run fake to Baylon Spector.
Ryan Randall was the next defensive back to step up for the Jackets, picking off a overthrown ball near midfield. He quickly converted the costly turnover into points, cutting through would-be tacklers en route to a 50-yard return score and securing a 21-0 lead as the first quarter concluded.
“I thought our defense was just ready from the get-go and we came prepared,“Calhoun head coach Hal Lamb said. “Overall, our defense was outstanding tonight, and I was really pleased with their performance.“
Gray picked up right where he left off in the second quarter, throwing a dart to wide receiver Malik Lawrence on a wide-open post route that completely freed him from the Monroe Area defense for an easy 30-yard touchdown.
The Yellow Jacket starting signal- caller completed 10 of his 14 passes for 155 yards before ceding second half work to sophomore quarterback Payton Morrow due to the large lead at the break. Morrow displayed noticeable athleticism on a few explosive second half plays.
Monroe Area managed to keep wide receiver Luke Jones out of the endzone, but he did have a few highlight-worthy grabs and totaled 51 yards on the night.
“I was really impressed with Gavin tonight,“Lamb said. “He stood in there and took some shots, but hung in there and played really well.“
Calhoun didn’t have to lean heavily on the ground game against the Hurricanes, but when called upon, the running back corps responded.
Jess Ralston received most of the early work for the Jackets, turning his five carries into 27 yards. Baylon Spector continued to flash his forceful running style, punching in a 1-yard touchdown before halftime.
Calhoun running back Zack Fuller added perhaps the most electric rush of the night, taking the handoff and toting the ball 50 yards to the end zone while being seemingly untouched by the defense. The impressive run punctuated the game’s final 42-0 score in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Yellow Jackets sophomore defensive back Aaron Hayes snatched another Hurricane pass out of the air for an interception, further cementing the Calhoun victory.
Monroe Area posted negative nine rushing yards in the first half, but Chandler Byron tacked on 24 rushing yards with some productive late runs.
“I thought we executed on both sides of the ball,“Lamb said. “We obviously have some things to work before the next round, but I was really happy with our effort tonight and I hope we keep improving.“
The win clinches the 16th consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearance for Calhoun. They will host Jackson in the second round next Friday.