It says a lot about a high school football program when the team goes 11-2 and all involved feel it was a disappointment. But for Calhoun following five consecutive trips to Georgia state championship games, it's easy to see why a quarterfinal-round exit would be cause for consternation.
And consider the Yellow Jackets return only eight of 22 starters and that the program is moving up to Class AAA. Is the dynastic run over? Those close to coach Hal Lamb's program laugh at the talk, and there's one major reason why: The 2014 Calhoun defense has an eerie similarity to the 2011 championship unit.
That means a linebacking corps full of players with bad intentions toward anyone venturing into their territory. Though this year's unit isn't as physically imposing as the Alex Kirby- and Hunter Knight-led Jackets of 2011, this group is more athletic. The individual parts of the five-man unit make the whole pretty special.
"Those five guys give us a chance," Lamb said. "They all are strong kids and they're all coachable. That championship group was very, very good, but I like this crowd. Hopefully they can play up to those guys' level."
The three inside linebackers - Austin Bennett (130 tackles), Tristan Fuller (115) and Jireh Wilson - will hardly scare anyone in warmups, with none weighing more than 200 pounds. But as Lamb said, put them in pads and watch out.
"Austin has really improved more than any football player we've had around here," Lamb said of the senior. "He probably weighed 175 pounds at best last year, but he made plays and he's a great reader. He's gotten bigger and stronger this offseason, and you can tell the difference. Tristan isn't the fastest guy, but he's our plugger who will stick his nose in there, and he's very strong and active.
"Jireh Wilson is as good as they come. He's a great leader and person, which he proved by leading the basketball team to the state finals last year. If you're a born leader it doesn't matter what sport you play. He's close to 200 pounds and he's a very, very smart player."
Two more seniors man the outside. Will Conley had 19 tackles for loss last year and will be joined this season by converted safety Thomas Lester, one of the fastest players on the team despite being 6-foot, 195 pounds.
"Will Conley will be a three-year starter, and he's a special, special player who is very physical and coachable," Lamb said. "And Thomas is a guy you're going to hear about. He has 4.5 speed [in the 40-yard dash], and he power-cleans over 330 pounds. He will get a lot more chances to make plays moving from safety, and we feel he's a big key."
Want more? The unit enters the season with extra motivation after last season's relatively early playoff exit.
"This year will be better because we've experienced that loss and it's a weight on our shoulders," Bennett said. "Losing in the third round last year hurt, and it showed us we had a lot to work on. It's going to be the last year for most of us, and this is our last shot to win a state championship. We plan to take advantage of it."
- Lindsey Young
CALHOUN YELLOW JACKETS
Head coach: Hal Lamb (168-31 in 15 years here; 173-46 in 17 years overall)
Last year: 11-2, 7-0 in Region 7-AA; lost to Benedictine in Class AA quarterfinals
Returning starters (O/D/K): 4/4/1
Control panel: The Jackets' strength lies on defense, where LB Austin Bennett (5-10, 190, Sr.) and LB Will Conley (6-foot, 190, Sr.) anchor a stout unit. Offensively, QB Kaelen Riley (6-4, 200, Jr.) takes over the team's spread attack and may be the most athletic quarterback in Coach Lamb's tenure.
New producers: The defense got even better when DE/TE Landon Rice (6-5, 255, Jr.), who is committed to Auburn, transferred in, while DB Baylon Spector (6-1, 180, So.) will step in at one of the team's biggest areas of need. Running back Olico Dennis (5-9, 180, So.) is expected to provide an all-the-way threat in the backfield.
Items of interest:
87 - Calhoun enters Class AAA having won its last 87 region games.
0 - The Yellow Jackets do not return a starting receiver in the spread offense.
"The whole team has a little more motivation. None od us were happy with the way last year ended, even though 11-2 is a great season. It was a little bit of everybody's fault we played that poorly in the playoff loss." - Hal Lamb
2014 SCHEDULE
(all games at 7:30 Eastern)
Aug. 29 - at Dalton
Sept. 5 - Carrollton
Sept. 12 - at Gordon Central *
Sept. 19 - North Murray *
Sept. 26 - at Ringgold *
Oct. 3 - Adairsville *
Oct. 10 - Sonoraville *
Oct. 24 - Murray County *
Oct. 31 - at Lakeview-F.O. *
Nov. 7 - at Coahulla Creek *
- Region 6-AAA game