McCALLIE 64, POPE JOHN PAUL II 14Star: McCallie tailback Alex Trotter went off against the Knights, rushing 10 times for 177 yards and three touchdowns and taking a Javon Craig screen pass 53 yards for a score — all in the first half.Up next: McCallie (9-2) will play at No. 2 seed Montgomery Bell Academy (8-2). Pope John Paul II ends the season 3-8.
Pope John Paul II opened its Division II-AA playoff game at McCallie with a successful onside-kick recovery.
Things went downhill from there for the Knights.
Behind an outstanding performance by tailback Alex Trotter, the Blue Tornado (9-2) rolled to a 64-14 win to advance to the quarterfinals of the playoffs and a rematch next week at Montgomery Bell Academy. The win was the Blue Tornado’s biggest win since a 68-0 defeat of St. Andrews in 1950.
“I thought defensively we played much better than we have been and with more consistency,” McCallie coach Ralph Potter said. “That’s going to be the key going forward into next week.”