Calhoun handles Colts with ease
— After a week off and then two fewer days of practice than normal earlier this week due to school being canceled because of Hurricane Irma, it would’ve been understandable if Calhoun came out of the gates a little rusty on Friday night at Coahulla Creek. They did the exact opposite, however.
The Jackets scored at an incredible pace, leading 35-0 after the first quarter and 56-0 at the half before coasting to a 62-6 win in the Region 6-AAA crossover matchup.
Calhoun coach Hal Lamb said his team came out and handled the game exactly like they needed to.
“I thought we came out and didn’t mess around and handled things the way we wanted to,” said Lamb. “We came out and took care of business. It feels good to have a game like this every once in a while where everything goes your way. The kids played well tonight and handled the situation the best way we could have.”
Calhoun (3-1) scored on five of six offensive possessions in the first half and added three interception returns for touchdowns to take complete control of the game before Coahulla Creek knew what happened.
The Jackets got two touchdown passes from Gavin Gray, both to Luke Moseley, of the 38 and 18-yard variety. Gray finished 2-for-3 with two touchdown passes in limited action.
On the ground, Calhoun had three different players reach the end zone. Zack Fuller scored on a 40-yard TD run, Jonkell Tolbert had an eightyard touchdown scamper and Payton Morrow ran one in from six yards out. Fuller finished with 79 yards on four carries to lead the rushing totals, and Morrow finished with 40 yards on three carries.
Three Calhoun defenders got the rare opportunity to get into the end zone as Morrow, James Prater and Aaron Hayes all recorded pick-sixes in the first half. Morrow returned his 41 yards, Prater snagged his pick with one hand and ran it back in from 18 yards out and Hayes played center field at safety and caught the errant pass before running it back 42 yards. The Jackets added their fourth interception of the night in the third quarter when Carson Speer dropped into coverage and picked off a pass on an attempted trick play by the Colts (0-4).
“I don’t remember us ever having that many interception returns for touchdowns in a game,” said Lamb. “But those guys did their job, reacted well to the play and went up and made the catch. That’s a big bonus for the defense whenever they get in the end zone.”
The second half went by quickly with a running clock due to the 56-point lead coming out of the locker room. Coahulla Creek put together their best drive of the night on their final possession of the game and finally punched in a score with 16.2 seconds left in the game on a twoyard touchdown run by Michael King.
Calhoun dealt one more blow, however, as Cedric Lacey took the ensuing kickoff and sprinted 84 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the game.
The Jackets are back home next Friday for another 6-AAA crossover matchup when they host North Murray.