CALHOUN FALLS TO COFFEE
Yellow Jackets’ playoff run ends in quarterfinals
The Calhoun Yellow Jackets’ playoff run came to an end on Friday night as they dropped a competitive, physical battle to Coffee 27-17 at Phil Reeve Stadium. Calhoun head coach Clay Stephenson was saddened with the ending of the season but happy with his team’s performance this season.
“I’m proud of this group,” Stephenson said. “These seniors led us a long way. They led us through the pandemic this summer. They came together, and they were united the whole season. I told them right there, ‘Let’s walk off the field united,’ and I felt like they did that.”
Both Stephenson and his players can hold their heads high after a successful 7-3 regular season, two wins in the GHSA state playoffs and an appearance in the quarterfinals, which is the biggest stage Stephenson has been on in his short head-coaching career.
The game itself was a tight, defensive game, and the momentum looked to be on Calhoun’s side, as they were up 17-13 with 5:27 left in regulation and forced a punt from Coffee. Unfortunately for the Jackets, the kick bounced off a Calhoun player and was re
covered by the Trojans’ Tayshaun Pope on the Jackets’ 19-yard line.
The Coffee offense took advantage of the short field two plays later, as Trejan Landers scored a 17-yard rushing touchdown with 4:42 to go in the game. Coffee’s Maurice Turner, who finished with 168 yards rushing and a touchdown, put the game on ice with 2:25 remaining,
as the explosive Turner ran 35-yards to the end zone to make it 27-17, which was the aforementioned final score. Stephenson gave his thoughts on the game.
“The kids played hard,” Stephenson said. “We were up against a really good football team. All we ask is to get a chance in the fourth quarter, and we had it. We just couldn’t get it done.”
The Jackets had a lot to be proud of in the game, including a solid defensive effort for most of the night against a tough Coffee team. The Trojans also put together a notable defensive effort of their own, highlighted by neutralizing Calhoun star running back Jerrian Hames.
Calhoun quarterback Christian Lewis managed to pass for 194 yards against the Trojans on 15-of-31 passing with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Lewis’ second touchdown pass, with 7:07 left in the fourth, was arguably his best throw of the night, as he felt Coffee’s pass rush, stepped up in the pocket and threw a beautiful pass over the middle to Cole Speer near the goal line, and Speer ran it in for a 30-yard score.
Lewis threw his first touchdown pass to Will Seamons (32-yards on the screen play) in the first quarter, when the Jackets’ were down 10-0, thanks to a 49-yard field goal by Coffee’s Noah Saylor on the opening drive and a fumble-return touchdown by Anthony McQueen.
Even though the season comes to a close, the Jackets can keep their heads up after overcoming adversity and making their fans proud with the successful season they have had in their first year in AAAAA.