McCallie's John Hardy celebrates a turnover during the Blue Tornado's victory against Ensworth in the second round of the TSSAA Division II-AAA state playoffs last week. McCallie (10-1) visits undefeated Memphis University School tonight in the semifinals.The process is comparable to watching a boa constrictor slowly squeeze the life out of its prey. McCallie's defense has been absolutely suffocating this prep football season, breaking the will of opposing offenses along the way to reaching tonight's semifinal round in the TSSAA Division II-AAA state playoffs.
With nine senior starters on defense, the Blue Tornado (10-1) have allowed paltry averages of 2.1 yards per carry, about 58 rushing yards per game and 145 yards of total offense per game.
"You can't replace experience," McCallie coach Ralph Potter said. "I would say at least six of the guys on that side of the ball are in their second year as a starter, so that kind of continuity has allowed us to expand on what we had been doing.
"If you're going to make a run in the playoffs, I believe it's almost necessary to have seniors because they understand that any game can be your last. There's a certain urgency to the way they prepare and play. They know the opportunity they've got and don't want to waste it."
McCallie linebacker Kristopher Bowman tackles Baylor's Noah Martin during McCallie's 21-6 home win on Oct. 12. Just two opponents have scored more than 14 points this season against the Blue Tornado, who visit Memphis University School tonight in the semifinals of the Division II-AAA state playoffs.McCallie's season began with a dominant shutout and includes a road win against Brentwood Academy on Oct. 5. That night the Blue Tornado snapped a 14-game losing streak to the Eagles, with Dane Beard returning his clutch fourth-quarter interception for the winning touchdown.
The 3-3-5 unit's dominance begins up front with 6-foot-5, 265-pound John Hardy, Cam Stewart (6-3, 325) and Dre Taylor (6-0, 300), and it includes linebackers Kristopher Bowman, Quindarius Dunnigan and Antto Toivio plus the shut-down secondary of Beard, Brandon Benn, Caleb Jones, Stone Roebuck and Kameron Watson.
That group has given up more than 14 points in a game just twice this season. Last week McCallie held Ensworth, which features two four-star college prospects, to 111 total yards and forced five turnovers, including interceptions by Beard, Roebuck and Toivio.
"It all starts with our line," explained Benn, who has broken up nine passes this season. "They're like the foundation of a house, and fortunately our foundation is super solid with those guys. That makes things a lot easier for the rest of us because mentally we can just focus on doing our job because we know our front is going to shut down just about every run.
"There's a point in just about every game where our whole team is swarming so much that you'll hear the other team start to argue with each other about not blocking. You can tell they're frustrated, and that's when we start clapping on our way back to the huddle and letting each other know that we've got them. Once we sense the other guys losing their excitement, their juice, we start getting after them even harder to take all the momentum."
In a league dominated by offenses predicated on running the ball, tonight's semifinal opponent, Memphis University School (10-0), will present a unique challenge. The Owls have averaged 40 points per game this season thanks in large part to the combination of quarterback Shy Sellers, a state champion 400-meter sprinter who also has a strong arm, and four-star receiver Maurice Hampton, who has committed to LSU and is a Mr. Football finalist.
"They're not like any offense we've seen so far this season," said Potter, whose team is looking to reach the title game for the first time in 12 years. "We will definitely need to play one of our best games as a team because they have the capability of putting a defense in a tough position. But one thing I know it that our guys will be ready for the challenge."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.