Jackets will play for AAA title in GHSA
DECATUR, Ga. — This underdog thing suits the Calhoun High School football team just fine.
On the road for the second consecutive week, the Yellow Jackets used another dominating defensive performance and an offense that made key plays when needed as they beat top-ranked Cedar Grove 14-6 Friday night in a GHSA Class AAA semifinal at Buck Godfrey Stadium.
“It was obviously a great win for our football team, and not many people believed we could win here,” said Calhoun coach Hal Lamb, whose team ended Cedar Grove’s winning streak at 23 games. “We believed it. We had a good plan, and our team believed in it. These kids laid all on the line tonight, and we get to play for it all next week.”
Calhoun (13-1) will face Peach County, a 28-23 winner over Greater Atlanta Christian, in the championship game at 1 p.m. next Friday at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Facing a team that averaged more than 40 points in three playoff wins, the Jackets allowed only 170 total yards to the Saints (13-1) and used Bralin Barton’s three interceptions to thwart Cedar Grove’s passing game. They also knocked out leading rusher Darrell Neal with a hard hit in the first quarter and used a different defensive look.
“We had to double-team No. 2 (junior wide receiver Jadon Haselwood) because he’s really explosive,” Lamb said of the University of Georgia recruit, who was held to two catches for 17 yards. “By doing that we were a man down on the run side, and we needed to play really well to shut them down.”
Calhoun’s special teams made the game’s first big play, with Collin Baggett blocking a punt late in the first quarter to set up the Jackets at the Cedar Grove
17. On third down, quarterback Gavin Gray hit tight end Davis Allen with a short pass after looking off the other way, and the 6-foot-5 junior followed a convoy into the end zone from 6 yards out.
Calhoun had a chance to add to its 7-0 lead early in the second quarter after Barton picked off Xavier Dennis at the
22. However, on third down Gray’s pass into the end zone was intercepted by Malik Johnson.
The Saints put together their best drive of the night late in the first half, using an 18-yard pass from Dennis to Trevon Richardson and a 29-yard keeper by Dennis to move into Calhoun territory. The Jackets tightened, though, and on fourth-and-7 from the 11, a pass from Dennis into the right corner of the end zone fell incomplete.
Calhoun, held to 121 yards in the first half by an aggressive defense that tackled soundly, went to the air on its first drive after the break. Gray completed a 25-yard pass to Brannon Spector on third-and-8 from the 10, and two plays later the two hooked up again on a play-action 60-yard touchdown pass. It was 14-0 with 4:59 to play in the third quarter.
“We thought we had some opportunities deep if we could give Gavin enough time,” Lamb said. “That was a big play, and it gave us some room.”
The teams traded interceptions late in the quarter, with Cedar Grove picking Gray off when his receiver fell down on a slant pattern at the Calhoun 27. The Saints took advantage, scoring when Dennis fumbled into the end zone from the 1, with lineman Reshad Chaney recovering.
Cedar Grove ran only two offensive plays the rest of the game. Calhoun ran off five minutes before punting with eight minutes to play, then Barton picked off his third pass of the night at the Calhoun 4 two plays later.
“I just wanted to make a play for my teammates,” the junior said. “We needed a big stop, and I wasn’t going to let them get behind me.”
The Jackets’ offense, as Gray was a perfect 3-for-3 on third downs, ate up the rest of the clock. The quarterback, who passed for 209 yards, took a knee at midfield to run off the final seconds.
“That was important because we did not want to kick it back to them,” Lamb said of the final clock-eating drive. We would have liked to have scored more points, but 14 was enough. I’m very excited about this team and very proud of them.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@ timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296.