Calhoun tackles title-game nemesis again

Calhoun's Dustin Christian (5) dives towards the end zone in last year's Georgia Class AA championship game at the Georgia Dome.

Photo by Dan Henry.

More than envy, the emotion most often stirred when opponents look across the field and see Buford's green uniforms is doubt.

That uncertainty is the first opponent Calhoun's players and coaches must tackle if the Yellow Jackets are to end one of Georgia's most impressive playoff streaks and claim the program's first state championship in 59 years.

Buford has beaten Calhoun three consecutive years for the Class AA state title, and those same schools meet again today at the Georgia Dome with the championship at stake.

"That's been in the back of our minds all year," said Calhoun senior receiver and defensive back Clay Johnson. "It's really been hard because they are the only team this senior class has lost to in four years, and it's heartbreaking to know that they're the only team in our way.

"We've got to think of it as just another game and just another team, but that's going to be difficult."

The last time Calhoun lost to a team other than Buford was Sept. 12, 2008, when Cartersville pulled out a 10-point win. Since then, Calhoun has won 53 straight games against teams not named Buford, beating 28 different schools. The Yellow Jackets have won those games by an average of 42-12 and reached each of the last three title games with stellar 14-0 records.

But each time, they have limped back home with the lone loss of the season relegating them to a second-place finish.

"It's really unreal that we've played them four times for the state title, and it makes this game even more meaningful because they've beaten us the first three times," said Jackets senior defensive end Reed Allen. "I also believe it's made us a better football team having played them. It keeps us hungry, wanting to get back to this game and play them."

On its way to the Dome last year, Calhoun won a semifinal against a nationally ranked Columbus Carver team that included current Georgia running back signee Isaiah Crowell and Auburn defensive line starter Gabe Wright.

Calhoun isn't the first area prep sports program struggling to get over the hump against a singular tormentor.

McCallie had an 11-year run of beating rival Baylor finally snapped in 2009, during which the Blue Tornado won several times despite having less talent. Cleveland's wrestling program hasn't beaten crosstown rival Bradley Central in a dual match since 1994, and Maryville has ended Red Bank's football season in the playoffs three times in the past 10 years, including twice when the Lions entered the game 12-0.

Three years ago Ooltewah's softball team finally ended more than eight years of losing to rival Soddy-Daisy, and moments after ending the streak, a relieved Lady Owls coach Norma Nelson spoke about the frustration her program had felt, saying, "The worst part has been that even when we played better, the outcome was still the same."

Last season Ridgeland finally snapped an 18-year jinx against Dalton, and during a five-year stretch Bradley Central's boys' basketball team lost to White Station four times in state tournaments, including twice in title games. When the Bears finally beat the Spartans, it came during a regular-season holiday tournament, but they still celebrated like they had won a state crown.

"There's no doubt it can become a psychological block," Bradley coach Kent Smith said. "Our guys weren't intimidated, but you could see that sometimes they were thinking, 'When is the run coming?' or 'I hope something bad doesn't happen again.'

"You can't get caught up in the name on the front of the jersey. You just have to play the way that got you to the championship and block out the rest. That's a lot easier said than done, though."

But while Calhoun has established itself as a Peach State powerhouse by routinely beating teams with higher-profile college prospects, or in higher classifications, the Yellow Jackets haven't been able to get past the Buford hurdle. Last year the Yellow Jackets overcame a 17-point second-half deficit to force overtime before falling by a touchdown. The season before that, Calhoun hadn't scored fewer than four TDs in a game all season but came up on the short end of a 13-10 decision.

"It's really frustrating," said senior offensive tackle Tyler King. "Last year was a heartbreaker. Getting to play them again is more motivational for those of us that have played in the past."