The last time Calhoun had traveled to the Savannah area for a postseason football game, it didn't turn out so well.
Friday night in Hinesville, the Yellow Jackets flushed that memory.
Calhoun used a dominating defensive performance and an efficient passing game led by junior quarterback Gavin Gray to beat Liberty County 31-7 in the GHSA Class AAA quarterfinals. The previous trip near the Georgia coast resulted in a 35-14 loss to Benedictine in the 2013 Class AA quarters.
The Jackets (12-1) will travel to top-ranked Cedar Grove (13-0), last year's AAA state champion, for a semifinal next Friday.
"It was a great win for us," Calhoun coach Hal Lamb said during a postgame radio interview. "Defensively we made them one-dimensional, and they didn't like throwing the ball."
Liberty County (9-4) had averaged more than 40 points per game during a seven-game winning streak coming into Friday's matchup. The Calhoun defense, however, held the Panthers to 134 total yards, with 74 coming on Liberty County's lone touchdown. Running back Kris Coleman, a 1,700-yard rusher after 12 games, was held under the 30-yard mark by a swarming Calhoun defense.
Gray and the Jackets' offense took what the Panthers gave them, mostly screens and short passes. Gray completed 32 of 38 of his attempts for 274 yards and three touchdowns as the short passing attack and solid downfield blocking wore the Panthers out.
Calhoun managed the win despite leading rusher Zack Fuller missing most of the game after getting injured in the first quarter. With Fuller in for the Jackets' first drive, they marched 80 yards in 10 plays to take a 7-0 lead. Gray was 6-for-6 on the drive, with the final 15 yards covered on a pass to tight end Zeke Nance.
Later in the quarter, Liberty County quarterback Dionte Bowens threw a screen pass that went 74 yards for a touchdown. The extra point tied it, and that was the last time the Panthers threatened.
As the quarter wound down and with Fuller out, the Jackets used a third-down, 57-yard screen pass from Gray to Bralin Barton to get into field-goal range, where Elmer Gutierrez put Calhoun ahead 10-7 as the half ended.
After forcing the Panthers to go three-and-out to start the second half, the Jackets drove 66 yards for another score. Gray was 6-for-6 on the drive, with the touchdown going to Drew Rutledge for 20 yards as Gray faked a pass one way and went back to the wide-open Rutledge on the other side to set up a 17-7 lead.
Calhoun forced another three-and-out from the Panthers as the third quarter ended. The Jackets put the game away with an 81-yard drive that featured a 17-yard pass to Nate Bonner on third down and ended with Jonkell Tolbert's 2-yard run to set up a 24-7 lead.
"They had that early touchdown pass, but they didn't move the ball after that," Lamb said. "Offensively, we didn't know how well we could run the ball against them because they have a great defensive line. Gavin had to play well tonight, and he did. He made some great throws, and Jonkell played well after we had to put him in for Zack.
"I was concerned about the long trip, but the guys responded and took care of business."
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296.