McCallie's football team continued its impressive start to the season by taking apart perennial Ohio power St. Xavier in a 34-11 home win Friday night.
The Blue Tornado, 3-0 and ranked No. 1 in TSSAA Division II-AAA, have outscored their opponents by an average of 43-15, and they were again dominant on both sides of the ball, outgaining the Bombers (2-1) in total yards by more than double, 392-184.
Senior quarterback Jay St-Hilaire was 10-of-17 passing for 163 yards and three touchdowns, Ja'Von McMahan ran for 141 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, and Keeyshawn Tabateau totaled 94 yards and two scores.
The Bombers had outscored their first two opponents 54-8, but the Blue Tornado limited them to just 1-of-11 on third-down conversions and got a sack from Eythan Serrano and a tackle for loss from Carson Gentle, as well as a fumble recovery by De'Shun Tipton that set up a score.
Leading 14-3 at halftime, McCallie began to pull away in the third quarter as St-Hilaire connected with Tabateau on a 33-yard scoring strike, followed by a 42-yard touchdown run from Tabateau on the next possession.
(READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Friday night's Chattanooga-area prep football games)
Hixson 21, Ooltewah 16: Michael Kendricks accounted for all three Hixson touchdowns, running for two and scoring another on a reception, as the Wildcats held on for the nonregion win. Kendricks finished with 172 total yards, including 143 on the ground, while Chase Barnard threw for 61 yards.
Ronald Suttles and LaWuan Hughley each had an interception for the Hixson defense, with Hughley's coming in the end zone to stop a potential scoring drive. Richard Burney led the Wildcats with five solo tackles, one for loss and two sacks, and Chase Packer recovered two fumbles.
Signal Mountain 27, Sequoyah 21: The Eagles opened their Region 3-4A schedule with a nailbiting and emotional win. After losing junior quarterback Cash Keene to a serious shoulder injury late in the first half, Signal Mountain (2-1) went deep into its playbook, moving running back Garrett Wilson to quarterback.
Wilson responded with 206 rushing yards on 32 carries to lead an offense that did not attempt a pass in the second half.
"Two words: ultimate competitor," Signal Mountain coach Josh Roberts said of Wilson, who scored three of his team's four touchdowns.
Said Wilson: "When Cash went down, it was tough. But we had to pick it up. The offensive line was great tonight."
Jack Parry added Signal Mountain's other touchdown, but the outcome, and potentially the season, was still in doubt until safety Bo Cooper broke up Sequoyah's fourth-down pass at the goal line with two minutes remaining.
Chattanooga Christian 49, Knoxville Grace 23: DaRell Brown had 26 carries for 260 yards and five scores to lead the Chargers (2-1) as they won their Division II-AA East Region opener on the road. Gavin Berger was 10-of-17 passing for 185 yards and two touchdowns, both to Dre Martin, who had seven catches for 127 yards.
East Hamilton 41, Franklin County 34: Trey Crawford threw for 284 yards and four touchdowns and also ran for a score. Each of those touchdown passes went to Vanzale Hinton, who totaled 186 yards on five catches, while Kireese Willis had seven catches for 98 yards and returned a kickoff for a score. The Chargers rolled up 562 total yards, averaging 9.5 yards per play.
Whitwell 35, Jo Byrns 8: Brandon Easterly ran for three touchdowns, including a 65-yard sprint that was part of a 15-point third quarter that sealed the nonregion win for the Tigers. Wyatt Davis had a 43-yard scoring run in the third, and Bennett McDougal added a short touchdown run as Whitwell (3-0) outgained Jo Byrns 205-68 on the ground.
Marion County 37, Central 15: Brody Leonard ran 18 times for 170 yards and two touchdowns as the Warriors (3-0) built a 28-3 halftime lead and rolled to the nonregion win. Caden Jones threw for 113 yards and two scores for the Purple Pounders (0-3).
South Pittsburg 67, Copper Basin 0: Class 1A's top-ranked Pirates (3-0) compiled 454 total yards, including 336 on the ground, to win their Region 3 opener. JaMychal Buckner led the way with 140 yards and a touchdown on just six carries, and Jamarion Farrior added 77 yards on two carries, scoring on both.
Kamden Wellington was 9-of-12 passing for 118 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for two more scores, and the Pirates held the Cougars to 18 total yards.
Knoxville Webb 41, Silverdale Baptist 7: Jack Wagner threw for 190 yards and four touchdowns, and Jalen Hill ran for 125 yards and a score to help the Spartans build a 41-0 halftime lead and cruise to the DII-AA East win. Webb outgained the Seahawks 370-79 in total yards.
Loudon 28, Soddy-Daisy 0: A 14-point third quarter helped Loudon put the Region 3-4A win away. Loudon outgained the Trojans 270-73 in total yards.
Franklin Christian 35, Grace Academy 7: Despite running 29 more offensive plays, the Golden Eagles were outgained 269-185 in total yards. Boone Perry scored for Grace on a 12-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Other area scores:
Bledsoe County 27, Sale Creek 0
Brainerd 12, Chattanooga Prep 6
Boyd Buchanan 30, Christian Academy of Knoxville 8
Grundy County 42, Lookout Valley 6
Howard 46, Republic 0
Knoxville Central 14, Rhea County 7
Lakeway Christian 49, Notre Dame 27
McMinn Central 26, Polk County 21
McMinn County 47, Tyner 14
Meigs County 12, Kingston 0
Red Bank 27, East Ridge 6
Sequatchie County 27, Watertown 21
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com.