Calhoun hangs on for win
The Yellow Jackets overcome some offensive miscues to win their season opener.
CALHOUN — In what quickly transformed into a physical, tightlycontested and primarily defensive showdown, the Calhoun Yellow Jackets pulled out a 17-14 victory against Douglass on Friday.
Quarterback Gavin Gray logged 157 passing yards and a touchdown on 13 completions to a handful of different receivers. The Calhoun defense was stout and punishing the entire game, generating tremendous amounts of pressure on the quarterback and stopping the Astros on a handful of 4th-down conversion attempts during key moments.
The Astros didn’t make it easy on the Jackets, with shifty quarterback Juan Powell accumulating 123 rushing yards and power runner Darryl McClellan Jr. tacking on 76 ground yards of his own. However, Calhoun’s defensive personnel clogged the gaps and prevented the two key
Calhoun’s Bralin Barton (right) runs across the goal line for a touchdown during the first quarter of Friday’s game.
components of the Douglass offense from breaking away.
“We knew coming in that this was a tough, physical offense,” Calhoun head coach Hal Lamb said. “We have to give so much credit to our defense. They all played so many snaps, but they kept on fighting. They got us out of a lot of trouble, and I’m very pleased with their effort.”
The Jackets’ opening drive was stalled out by a fumble that was jarred loose from running back Jonkel Tolbert near midfield. However, the offense Tim Godbee / Calhoun Times
started clicking in the closing seconds of the first quarter when a pair of personal fouls thrust them to the Douglass 23-yard line.
Gray utilized the optimal field position to spark his team by hitting wide receiver Bralin Barton in the numbers on a quick screen pass. Barton did the rest, coasting past the opposing secondary and putting Calhoun on the board 7-0 with 14 seconds remaining in the first.
The Jackets (1-0) immediately gifted the Astros six points when
Calhoun 17, Douglass 14
they fumbled a handoff on the first drive of the second half. Douglass defensive end John Rogers scooped up the loose ball and sprinted 50 yards untouched into the end zone. A missed extra point allowed the Jackets to hold onto a thin 7-6 lead.
On a drive in the opening minutes of the final quarter, Gray lofted a pass in the direction of receiver Luke Moseley, who wrestled the ball out of the defender’s hands for a 36-yard snag. The Jackets once again fed Barton on a screen, who gained 14 yards to put the team firmly in striking distance. Zack Fuller capped off the drive by slicing through the defense for an 11-yard rushing touchdown that pushed the total to 17-6.
“I’m proud of our team because we really fought through some adversity to get this win,” Lamb said. “We lost the turnover battle, and we could easily be talking about a loss right now, but we hung in there and did what we had to do.”
Calhoun will be back at home next Friday as they square off against Dalton.