Calhoun quarterback Taylor Lamb runs the ball.
CALHOUN, Ga. – The thought had crept into Donnell Anthony’s mind, and he didn’t like it one bit. The Calhoun High School senior cornerback was staring at a possible unthinkable ending to his high school football career. After fumbling two kickoffs earlier, he did not want to go out that way.
With Lamar County deep in Calhoun territory in the final seconds of play and trailing by seven points in the Georgia Class AA semifinal game, Anthony made two consecutive game-saving plays. His interception in the end zone on the final play sealed a 21-14 Calhoun win and the program’s fifth straight trip to the Georgia Dome.
“It’s my senior year and I wasn’t going to give up on my team, because they would not give up on me,” said Anthony, whose fumbles, though recovered by teammates, were part of a second half of numerous unusual mistakes for the Yellow Jackets. “I wasn’t going to give up on those plays, because I knew something was coming.”
The upstart Trojans had the ball twice in Calhoun territory in the final quarter, but the Jackets’ defense, much maligned in the early part of the season, arose each time.
“Our defense saved us,” Calhoun coach Hal Lamb said. “It was one of those games where if anything could go wrong it did. You have to give a lot of credit to our kids. From slipping down to fumbling snaps to fumbling kickoffs, they still managed to find a way.”