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Chattanoga: Tornado streak reaches 11

By: Kelley Smiddie
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Staff Photo by Dan Henry
McCallie School running back Daniel McClure (24) leaps over his teammates as Baylor School defender Tye Youngblood (78) attempts to get a hold on him during the first half of play. The Blue Tornados played the Red Raiders at Finley Stadium Friday evening.

McCallie’s Jay Fullam has been a key contributor on offense throughout his senior football season at McCallie, but defense is where the Vanderbilt-bound safety has made his claim. He finally fully validated his position Friday at Finley Stadium.

A fearless Baylor squad was swapping pop for pop on both sides of the ball in the teams’ Division II-AA East/Middle high school game before Fullam stepped in front of the intended receiver of a Matthew Oellerich pass early in the second half. Twenty-six yards later, Fullam hit the end zone and that got the Blue Tornado headed toward a 24-3 victory and their 11th consecutive in the rivalry series.

“I don’t think I’ve ever done that before,” Fullam said of returning an interception for a touchdown. “I’m just happy any time we get a turnover, whether it’s me or not.”

The Red Raiders were hanging in, down 10-3 at the time Fullam played a little cat-and-mouse, so to speak, with freshman Oellerich, who was pressed into duty because of a disciplinary issue with Baylor’s regular starting quarterback, Charlie Wilson. Fullam — the cat — won.

“All week we worked on defending that exact play,” Fullam said of something coach Rick Whitt picked up on. “I came over the top of him and made the play, and that got us up a little when we needed it. All I had to do was execute it just like we went over it.”

With quarterback Keenon Rush directing, McCallie (4-3, 2-1) had a 7-1 edge in first downs in the first quarter and increased its lead to 10-0 when John Brock made a 25-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter. Baylor (2-4, 0-3) then answered with a drive that ended with Tanner Taylor’s 27-yard field goal.

“Our defense made some stops in the first quarter that I think got our confidence up,” Whitt said. “They started moving the ball on us in the second quarter. They kept working until they found something.”

Even after the play by Fullam, the Red Raiders stayed with their offensive game plan of giving the ball repeatedly to tailback Sam Williams. They took the kickoff after the TD and marched from their 28 to the Blue Tornado 12. McCallie turned them back their on fourth down — the 15th play of the drive.

James Cupo halted another second-half Baylor possession with a diving interception.

“Their quarterback was able to move them a little bit,” Whitt said. “He really just made that one big error.”

The Blue Tornado countered Williams with a workhorse of their own. Williams and McCallie’s Joey Skogen each topped the 100-yard mark in rushing. The Blue Tornado’s defense then saw to it that Williams would have to work a lot more times for a few less yards.

“We challenged the kids,” Whitt said. “The offensive line did a good job and Keenon did a good job reading the option. We got a lot out of a little counter play with John Brock and Fullam.”

McCallie had a chance to kick another short field goal late in the first half but, after studying several options during timeouts called by both teams, tried a run on fourth-and-short. Baylor stuffed it.

The Blue Tornado also kept Baylor bottled up with what Whitt called “sky kickoffs,” which forced up backs to make fair catches. His intention was to keep the ball out of the hands of Williams and Brett Murray, the deep returners.

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