CALHOUN, Ga. – At first glance there doesn’t appear to be anything special about the guys on the other end of Taylor Lamb’s passes. There are no stars in the Calhoun receiving corps; none of the top four breaks 4.6 in the 40-yard dash and it’s likely there are no Division I college futures among the group.
Looks can often be deceiving, and in this case they’re downright deceitful. Just ask the Appling County coaching staff, which believed its superior athletes in the secondary could cover Calhoun’s motley crew one on one in last week’s Class AA semifinal. Down 30 points at the half following 330 passing yards, it was a decision the Pirates regretted.
Mighty Buford won’t be so naive in Friday’s championship game at the Georgia Dome. The Wolves will change coverages and packages and do everything they can to slow a high-powered Calhoun passing attack that has been nearly unstoppable in the playoffs. The Yellow Jackets have scored 39, 43, 45 and 51 points, the great majority coming prior to halftime.
“Our coaches draw up really good plays for us, and they know if we do what we’re supposed to do we’re going to find holes in the defense,” said senior receiver Clay Johnson, one of four wideouts that have combined for over 200 receptions this year. “All we’ve got to do is catch the ball and get what we can get. I don’t know that a defense can stop us if we execute.”
Buford, however, has had success slowing the Calhoun spread in the past three championship game victories. The Wolves focused their coverage on star receivers Da’Rick Rogers in 2009 and J.T. Palmer last year and forced the Jackets to look elsewhere.