CALHOUN, Ga. – Perhaps never has giving up a touchdown drive been more beneficial for a football team than it was for Calhoun during Friday night’s 24-7 win over Blessed Trinity in their GHSA Class AAAAA semifinal.
Ahead 21-0 to start the second half, the Yellow Jackets (12-2) kicked off and had one goal: Do not let Justice Haynes break a big play. Though Haynes, who had rolled up more than 500 yards on the ground combined in the teams’ past two meetings, would score on a 2-yard run to cut the lead to 14, the drive took 14 plays and consumed eight minutes of game clock.
The Titans’ methodic offense had, in essence, run itself out of any shot at a comeback.
“That was an awesome defensive effort,” Calhoun coach Clay Stephenson said. “The guys brought the fight to them from the start. They bowed their necks and showed what they are made of.”
Calhoun’s next opponent is Warner Robins, which beat Creekside 40-15 in Friday’s other AAAAA semifinal. The lone loss this season for the 13-win Demon Deacons came in their sixth game, 29-21 at Ware County – where the Yellow Jackets won 49-42 in the second round of the playoffs.
(READ MORE: Live coverage of Friday’s BlueCross Bowl state championship games in Chattanooga)
The title game is at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11, at Georgia State University’s Center Parc Stadium, which was formerly the Atlanta Braves’ Turner Field.
Blessed Trinity (9-5) outgained familiar Region 7 foe Calhoun 250-213 in total offensive yards Friday, with Haynes getting 157 rushing yards on 34 carries, but the Jackets scored on each of their drives into the red zone.
The Titans, meanwhile, were 0-for-3 on first-half series that got inside the Calhoun 25, with one ending on a missed field-goal attempt, one on a Quin Smith interception and the third on an offensive meltdown to end the half.
Calhoun marched 64 yards on the opening drive as Christian Lewis completed all five of his passes for 35 yards, the final 4 yards going to freshman tight end Emaree Winston for a touchdown.
After Blessed Trinity’s missed kick and an exchange of punts, Calhoun took advantage of a short field and a Titans personal foul penalty to go up 14-0 when Lewis hit favorite target Cole Speer with a 5-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter.
Minutes later, after Smith’s interception at the Calhoun 21, Caden Williams – who finished with 18 carries for 70 yards – and Gage Leonard had hard runs to get the ball to the Blessed Trinity 31, where Lewis and Speer hooked up again for a 21-0 lead.
It was Lewis’ 33rd touchdown pass of the season and Speer’s 16th touchdown catch. It was also, considering the Titans’ aversion to passing on offense, a serious dagger – even more so when Blessed Trinity’s next possession reached the 20 before two penalties stalled it as the half ended.
“We were really efficient offensively in the first half,” Stephenson said. “We ran hard, our line blocked great and Christian was in control. We had to bleed it out a little bit up three scores in the second half, but we had faith in our offensive line to get it done.”
The second dagger came after the visitors’ time-consuming touchdown drive when Smith returned the ensuing kickoff to the Titans’ 24. Though the Jackets didn’t move the ball, Sergio Sanchez came on to kick a 39-yard field goal to push the lead to 17.
A sack by Ben Nation helped end the Titans’ next series, and Calhoun was able to get a pair of first downs in running off five minutes, essentially ending the game.
The Jackets will be going for the fifth state title in program history and first under Stephenson, a former assistant who took charge of the program when Hal Lamb retired in February 2019 after 21 seasons in charge.
“We’re going to the ‘ship,” a beaming Stephenson said after Friday’s win. “I’m so proud of them. They’ve been through a lot, and they never wavered – up or down, it never mattered. They always showed up to work, and it has paid off.”
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.