Staff File Photo by Allison Kwesell/Chattanooga Times Free Press
Calhoun High’s Dustin Christian gains yardage against Buford.CALHOUN, Ga. – Video has been studied, the game plan finalized, the speeches made. Coach Hal Lamb thinks he has prepared his 14-0 Calhoun High School football team as well as he can to try to break Buford’s three-year domination of the GHSA Class AA championship.
Still, losing in the last two finals to the Wolves has provided the Yellow Jackets with a sizable psychological hurdle to overcome in today’s 4:30 game in the Georgia Dome.
“It’s a big one, just knowing the past two times we’ve gone to the Dome they’ve beaten us,” senior quarterback Landon Curtis said. “It’s a lot to overcome, but I believe we will.”
While Calhoun has plenty of motivation, Buford (13-1) has all the best hardware with seven state titles. That tradition alone is enough to instill doubt in an opponent before the first snap. While Lamb believes his team is as mentally prepared as it can be, he does admit the Buford tradition is impressive and any team can’t help but notice it.
“I don’t think it’s that big a mental hurdle,” Lamb said. “We definitely want to win the game; it’s just that we have to go through Buford every year to do it. We’ll just go out there and give it our best and see what happens.