An 18-play possession, which chewed up more than seven minutes of the fourth-quarter clock, did not produce points but did put the game away for McCallie.
Nursing a four-point lead Friday night at Finley Stadium, the Blue Tornado set out on the clinching series -- they converted a fourth down and two third downs -- before turning the ball over on downs at the Woodward Academy 10-yard line with just 0.9 second remaining.
One final heave fell incomplete, giving McCallie a 17-13 decision and its 18th consecutive win.
"That last drive was pretty gutsy," coach Ralph Potter said. "At that point you're just trying to eat the clock, and I really should've kicked the field goal down there, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it."
Atlanta's Woodward Academy is a GHSA Class AAAAAA school with four players committed to Power Five college programs, including four-star running back Myles Graham, a Florida commitment and the son of former Gators back Earnest Graham.
The War Eagles (1-1) led for most of the first half, with Graham's 5-yard run putting them ahead 10-7 before a field goal made it a six-point advantage. But McCallie answered with a 50-yard touchdown pass from Jay St. Hilaire to Mathieu Herbert with 2:02 left before halftime to regain the lead.
The defense dominated from there for the three-time reigning TSSAA Division II-AAA champions, not allowing Woodward Academy any momentum in the second half. Graham was held to 65 yards on 19 carries, and the rest of the War Eagles finished with minus-9 yards rushing.
"I thought we physically dominated the game, especially in the second half," Potter said. "That's a really physical football team we played with a great running back, and I thought we did a great job.
"Their defense was really salty. They've got those guys going to Power Five schools, so they didn't have many weaknesses. But they take a lot of chances on that side, so we thought we cold take advantage and make some plays."
A 54-yard pass from St. Hilaire to Carson Gentle set up Elliott Arnold's 31-yard field goal late in the third quarter.
St. Hilaire completed 15 of 20 passes for 242 yards, and McCallie outgained Woodward Academy 288-188 in total yards. Neither team turned the ball over, and the Blue Tornado held a slight advantage in time of possession at 1:38, which was greatly helped by their clinching series.
"We're young overall," Potter said. "We've got more experience back on defense, so we feel like we're a little bit further along there, but offensively we're brand new.
"Playing someone that good, there was an opportunity to elevate his game, and I think Jay did that. We still have a long way to go, but this was very much a positive step."
Signal Mountain 23, Soddy-Daisy 7: A week after a slew of self-inflicted wounds cost them in a season-opening loss, the Eagles were much cleaner, winning the turnover battle 4-1.
Frustration certainly became focus for their highlight-reel combination of quarterback Cash Keene and receiver Blake Wolfard. Keene finished 10-of-15 passing for 223 yards, connecting with Wolfard six times for 154 yards, including the game's first score.
Keene added two short scoring runs, and that output was more than enough for a defense that did not allow the Trojans into the end zone after Lane Robinson's 5-yard run in the first quarter.
"We were much better tonight. Smarter with the ball and in situations," coach Josh Roberts said. "We had a good week of practice, and some of the frustration of last week helped get us ready for this."
Baylor 35, Ensworth 17: Caleb Hampton ran for 187 yards and two touchdowns to help the Red Raiders to a 2-0 start. After leading by four points at halftime, Baylor shut Ensworth out in the second half.
Whit Muschamp threw for two scores, including a 42-yard connection with Evan Haynie and another to Dalton Restelli, who had four catches for 74 yards.
Cleveland 6, McMinn County 3: Drew Lambert connected with D.J. Adams on a 38-yard scoring strike with 4:03 remaining to lift the Blue Raiders to the nonregion win. The game was scoreless until McMinn County's Spencer Sullins opened the fourth quarter with a 49-yard field goal before the Blue Raiders rallied late.
Lookout Valley 21, Community 14: The Yellow Jackets are 2-0 for the first time in five years despite committing five turnovers. Jaxon Quails ran for two touchdowns, and Jackson Marsh had a scoring catch in the victory over a Class 3A opponent as 1A's Lookout Valley equaled its win total of the previous three seasons combined.
Whitwell 37, Huntland 21: The Tigers improved to 2-0 thanks to a 16-0 fourth quarter. Brandon Easterly carried the ball 20 times for 144 yards and three touchdowns, and Chandler Britton added 98 rushing yards. Therion Mordecai had a fumble recovery for a score and returned an interception 36 yards to the end zone, and Wesley Nunley had nine tackles and two assists.
Franklin Road Academy 35, Silverdale Baptist 0: The Panthers dominated from start to finish, outgaining the Seahawks 465-170 in total yards. Logan Kinnard threw for 201 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a score, while Ty Clark ran 25 times for 200 yards and two touchdowns as FRA finished with 264 yards rushing and 201 passing.
Brett Rogers led Silverdale Baptist with 116 yards passing and 54 rushing.
Moore County 33, Bledsoe County 24: A 14-3 second half helped Moore County in the nonregion win as Hunter Clark totaled 237 all-purpose yards, including 157 and two touchdowns rushing. Jonathan Thomas was 5-of-9 passing for 123 yards and a touchdown.
Christian Community 30, Grace Academy 16: Carson Knecht threw for 164 yards and ran for another 148, but it was not enough for the Golden Eagles.
Other area scores:
Notre Dame 28, Hixson 5
Boyd Buchanan 39, Davidson Academy 10
Franklin County 47, Central 14
Stone Memorial 35, East Ridge 6
Tyner 39, Grundy County 6
Sequatchie County 50, Marion County 47
Chattanooga Christian 41, South Pittsburg 0
Polk County 42, Sequoyah 13
King's Academy 34, Meigs County 24
McMinn Central 42, Tellico Plains 21
Chattanooga Prep 14, Copper Basin 8
GEORGIA
Northwest Whitfield 35, Coahulla Creek 31: The Bruins (2-0) avenged last year's three-overtime loss to the Colts, but it took a late drive to get it done. Owen Brooker scored on a 9-yard run with less than a minute to play to give Northwest the final lead, minutes after Coahulla Creek's Kace Kinnamon hit Manny Dominguez for the pair's third touchdown hookup of the night.
Brooker, who also had scoring passes to Caden Ramsey and Isaiah Foster, threw for 364 yards, while Kinnamon passed for 307 and Dominguez had five catches for 96 yards. Ramsey also scored on a run and an interception return for Northwest, while Karim Bradley had a 2-yard touchdown run for the Colts (1-1) in the nonregion game.
Dade County 50, North Sand Mountain (Ala.) 13: Brody Cooper had 143 yards rushing and two touchdowns to go with 114 passing yards and a score to lead the Wolverines (1-1). Braylon Sullivan had 213 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries as Dade put up 551 yards of total offense.
Christian Heritage 21, Temple 6: Eli Thomason scored two touchdowns rushing and one receiving to help even the Lions' record at 1-1. The defense, led by lineman Daniel Geil, held Temple's Cam Vaughn, who had 270 yards rushing and six touchdowns a week ago, to less than 100 yards.
Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe 13, Murray County 7 (OT): Trevon Gott scored the eventual winning touchdown on a 5-yard pass from Dylan Blankenship, and the LFO defense stopped the Indians on downs inside the 10 to secure the nonregion win. A 12-yard run by Tyler Davis was the first score for LFO (1-1), with Trent Childers scoring for Murray County (0-2).
Armuchee 17, Gordon Lee 14: Senior quarterback Chandler Desanto passed for 175 yards and two touchdowns, with Jacob Seagraves getting 120 receiving yards and both of those scoring catches for Armuchee (2-0), which won on Grayson Perry's 40-yard field goal with 18 seconds remaining. Gordon Lee's Nate Dunfee rushed for 143 yards and a touchdown and made a touchdown catch.
Other scores:
Calhoun 31, Gardenhire (Ala.) 30
North Cobb Christian 20, Ridgeland 7
Southeast Whitfield 34, Gordon Central 21
North Murray 54, Pickens 50
Darlington 45, Sonoraville 22
Compiled by Stephen Hargis and Lindsey Young. Contact them at sports@timesfreepress.com.