B.J. Harris scores four touchdowns as Blue Tornado roll 42-14

If the opening two weeks of the season are any indication, the only defense for the McCallie School offense may be an act of Mother Nature.

One week after a violent thunderstorm prematurely closed out the Blue Tornado’s 21-0 halftime lead at Chattanooga Christian, the game called at that point, McCallie beat Madison (Alabama) Academy 42-14 Friday night at home in Spears Stadium.

As with last week’s win, sophomore running back B.J. Harris got the show started with an 11-yard scoring run with 7:52 left in the opening quarter. By halftime he’d crossed the goal line four times and piled up 116 rushing yards. Yet that rushing total didn’t top junior quarterback DeAngelo Hardy’s 134 rushing yards to that point and his 175 passing yards, including a 30-yard TD pass to fellow junior Thompson Byrd, who couldn’t have found a better way to celebrate his 17th birthday.

“I’m going to go eat dinner with my parents now,” Byrd said. “This was pretty special.”

The game stats were certainly special for Blue Tornado fans. McCallie more than doubled the Mustangs in total yards (526 to 228), and the numbers even more uneven on the ground, where the winners held a 332-73 edge.

“Last year we had a bunch of sophomores on offense and juniors on defense,” said McCallie coach Ralph Potter. “This

“This year they’re all a year older and understand what we want to do a little more.” – MCCALLIE COACH RALPH POTTER

year they’re all a year older and understand what we want to do a little more.”

That’s especially true of Hardy, who finished with 156 rushing yards, 186 passing yards, one rushing TD and one passing TD.

“I know my reads better, I’m throwing the ball better,” Hardy said.

Added Potter: “(Hardy) understands the offense better, but he’s just a quality individual, a quality competitor. It’s not common to find that.”

It’s also not common to find a sophomore running back as polished as Harris, which might explain why he’s already the focus of a number of Southeastern Conference schools. Having already scored five touchdowns in six quarters of football this year, he may need a bigger mailbox to handle all the recruiting mail.

“We all worked hard in the summer,” Harris said. “We basically have the same offense as last year, and we’re clicking well.”

McCallie hosts Division II-AAA rival Montgomery Bell Academy next Friday.

Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.