Calhoun's Cole Jackson (28) runs for a first down.
ATLANTA — In his dreams Bryson Bushong saw himself making a game-winning play as Calhoun High School won a state championship football game. Never did the junior think it would come on defense.
Bushong's open-field tackle of dangerous Washington County quarterback A.J. Gray with two minutes remaining in Friday's GHSA Class AAA championship game clinched Calhoun's second state title in four years. The 27-20 win, filled with big plays and momentum swings, came down to one final WACO drive and featured the uber-talented Gray.
The Georgia Tech recruit led the Golden Hawks from their own 15 to the 48 in the game's waning minutes, but on fourth down the fresh legs of Bushong caught Gray from behind just as he was about to get a first down. It was the first tackle of the season for the team's third-string running back.
"Coach Hob (defensive coordinator George Hoblitzell) told me before the game that he might need me to go out and spy on the quarterback and make a big play happen," Bushong said with a smile as he was getting congratulatory claps on the back. "I went out there and did what I could ... and I guess it worked. When I saw him escape the pocket, I told myself, 'He's mine.'"
The Yellow Jackets (15-0) concentrated heavily on containing Gray, and they did that after a first quarter in which he racked up 100 total yards. He ended with 151 yards rushing on 29 carries after averaging more than 300 yards per game in the playoffs. The Jackets dared Gray to pass, and though he threw for 142 yards, continual scrambling took its toll late.
"We didn't drop our linebackers into coverage a whole lot," winning coach Hal Lamb said. "We had a couple of linebackers spying him pretty much each play. On the last stop we put in a fresh guy at Mike linebacker who had never played that position until this week. Gray hurt us with his arm in the first half, but we wanted him to throw it because he's so good with his legs.
"I told the kids at halftime that if we could get them to the fourth quarter that I thought they were tired. We sped our tempo up offensively, and we wore them down."
Gray, with help from running back Ethan Ray, moved the Hawks at will early, with scoring drives of 90 and 76 yards on their first two possessions. At the same time, though, Calhoun's offense was just as efficient behind junior quarterback Kaelen Riley (225 total yards) and the hard running of senior Cole Jackson.
After those two hooked up on an 8-yard scoring pass to tie the game at 7, Jackson and backup Olico Dennis led a brief four-play drive that covered 58 yards to tie it again at 14 midway through the second quarter, with Dennis scoring from 19 yards out. WACO, with Gray completing three third-down passes, drove to the Calhoun 5 but had to settle for a field goal for a 17-14 halftime lead.
Despite taking the lead, several Hawks were already showing signs of fatigue. The Jackets took notice.
"This defense just scrapped and fought all game," junior defensive end Landon Rice said. "It's a 48-minute war and we just finished it. We wore them down; they were tired and we could see it. We knew it going into halftime they were getting tired.
"A.J. Gray is a great player, but we kept hitting him and hitting him, and we finally wore him down."
Calhoun took its first lead after Jireh Wilson blocked a punt early in the third quarter, leading to a 39-yard drive capped by Riley's 17-yard run. The point-after kick was missed, however, and the Jackets led by just three. That would prove costly as Gray led the Hawks right back down the field, reaching the Calhoun 10 before Wilson caught him for a 1-yard loss. Wesley Ruberia tied the game with a 29-yard field goal.
WACO, after forcing a punt from the Calhoun 1, begam at the 33 and was set to regain the lead when Will Conley forced a fumble.
Photo Gallery
Calhoun vs. Washington County: GHSA Class AAA Championship
Calhoun battled Washington County in the Georgia Dome on Dec. 12 for the GHSA Class AAA championship trophy.
The game finally turned early in the final period when, after a Jackson 27-yard run got the Jackets into WACO territory, Riley was flushed out of the pocket and heaved a long pass that defender Gray grabbed diving out of bounds. As the Hawks celebrated, the official ruled the ball hat hit the ground.
Four plays later, on third-and-16, the Jackets called a play destined to be talked about for decades.
The resulting double-reverse 40-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Baylon Spector to Carson Brown -- intended to be a throwback to Riley -- put Calhoun up seven with 9:42 remaining and sent the Jackets' sideline into a massive celebration.
"It was an awesome read by Baylon Spector," Riley said. "The play was supposed to go to me, but the corner picked it up and he immediately looked downfield and saw Carson. It was just a great football play."
Gray twice got the ball back, but the first drive gained only 19 yards and the second ended the game with Bushong's memorable tackle. Riley, after taking a knee on the game's final play, took a moment to sum up what had just happened.
"This means absolutely everything," he said, turning to the large Calhoun crowd awash in celebration. "We were down at the half and we came out and kept fighting and came back. Our defense just came up huge, the offense played great the whole game and we get to bring a state championship back to Calhoun.
"Man, just look at that crowd -- this is what it's all about right here."
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296.