DALTON, Ga. – The final stats won’t go down as a game to remember for Kaelen Riley, but the Calhoun High School junior first-time starting quarterback was all smiles Friday night as he exited venerable Harmon Field.
Riley and the Yellow Jackets overcame a nightmarish first half to score the game’s final 21 points in a 21-14 win over Dalton. Calhoun (1-0) scored touchdowns on its first three second-half possessions, and a defense pushed on its heels early made the lead hold up with a late stand.
“I can’t explain the first half, but I really think our defense kept us in the game until we got the offense untracked,” said Calhoun coach Hal Lamb, whose team was held to 8 total yards in the first half with help from three center/quarterback issues. “We could have easily been down 28 or 35. We made some adjustments offensively and played a lot better in the second half.”
Riley, who was minus-47 yards rushing in the first half as three errant snaps lost 54 yards, completed five of seven passes on an 88-yard drive to start the second half.
“We had some problems in the first half because the Dalton guys were yelling, ‘Shift!’ and my center thought it was me wanting the snap, but we got it together in the second half,” Riley said. “This is a really good team we beat tonight, and we never could have pulled it out if not for the defense.”