CALHOUN, Ga. – Raw talent has exuded from Kaelen Riley his entire life. Friday night, in the 42-10 dismantling of 10th-ranked Adairsville, the Calhoun High School junior became a polished quarterback.
Riley completed 14 of 23 passes for 215 yards and three touchdowns while adding 100 yards and two scores on 25 carries as the Yellow Jackets (6-0, 3-0 Region 6-AAA) claimed another victim at a standing-room-only Phil Reeve Stadium.
“Kaelen was in complete control tonight,” Calhoun coach Hal Lamb said. “He threw the ball well and he ran the ball well, and he was very poised out there. Our third- and fourth-down conversion rate was off the chart. There’s no doubt the sky’s the limit for this football team. We’ve got a long way to go, but I like the direction this team is headed.”
Calhoun racked up 544 yards of total offense, including a season-best 329 on the ground. However, a message-sending opening drive was all about Riley. On third-and-14 from his own 26, the strong-armed quarterback was chased out of the pocket yet hit Cole Jackson for a 22-yard gain. The drive appeared to have stalled after Riley fumbled a snap and was called for intentional grounding.
On third down he hit Jackson for 10 yards, but that left the Jackets in a fourth-and-18. No worries as Riley hit a streaking Carson Brown in the end zone for a 7-0 lead.