Calhoun quarterback Gavin Gray hands off to Zack Fuller during the Yellow Jackets' playoff win against Lovett last week.CALHOUN, Ga. - Sports teams at all levels are fond of setting goals with a motto or two. At Calhoun High School it's no different, though a football program with such a rich history of success has to reach high to stay fresh.
To that end, the Yellow Jackets (12-0) have a simple yet lofty motto for this season: "Make History." To fulfill that goal would mean winning another state championship, which would be the fifth in program history, with all but one under current coach Hal Lamb. It would be - and here's the historic part - the first time winning back-to-back titles.
"That's our one goal this year," senior quarterback Gavin Gray said. "We have the talent and the team to get it done, but we know we have to take care of business. They had a chance in 2015 with a great team and came up short."
The next step in making history comes Friday night when Jenkins (9-3) visits Phil Reeve Stadium for a Class AAA quarterfinal game, the first meeting between the two programs. One of the biggest challenges for the Jackets will be not looking ahead to a possible semifinal date with Peach County.
Calhoun topped Peach in last year's title game on a highly controversial ending in which a Peach touchdown was nullified by penalty. Gray and the Jackets insist there will be no looking past a hungry Jenkins team.
"It's what everybody is talking about in town," Gray admitted about the potential rematch, "but we can't afford to overlook Jenkins. We know they are a very good team with a great defense."
The Warriors, as Lamb has pointed out to his team, made the quarterfinal round a year ago and are in the best three-year run in program history with 30 wins. The defense Gray mentioned has allowed an average of 10 points a game while posting four shutouts.
"They were very, very athletic," Lamb said. "They don't do anything fancy, but what they do, they do well. Their defense is their strength, and they are very aggressive."
Jenkins has registered nearly 100 tackles for loss this year, with linebacker Akelo Stone leading the way with 19 and defensive end Taurus Simmons next with 16. Lineman Joah Cash has seven of the team's 38 sacks, while safety Ronald Cooper leads the Warriors with three interceptions.
"Their defensive end, Simmons, is really good, and they have a couple of linebackers who can run and tackle in space," Lamb said. "Offensively, their tailback (Jeremy Smith) is committed to Marshall."
Smith leads a run-heavy offense with 1,100 yards, while the emergence of quarterback Treshawn Brown has helped propel the playoff run. He passed for 154 yards in last week's 16-9 win over Pike County, including an 84-yard touchdown strike to Jamaal Smith.
Stopping the run, though, is Calhoun's specialty. Paced by Collin Baggett, Eric McKnight and Clemson commitments Davis Allen and Brannon Spector, the Jackets held Lovett to 19 yards on the ground in last week's 21-6 win.
Offensively, the Jackets rely on the accurate right arm of Gray, who has 2,272 yards and 23 touchdowns this season, and his abundance of playmakers on the outside. Spector leads the team with 670 receiving yards, while Luke Moseley is tops with 43 catches and nine touchdown receptions.
Senior running back Zack Fuller, fresh off a 100-yard game, has 961 yards and 25 touchdowns behind an offensive front that has played its best ball late in the season.
"We feel good about the way we're playing right now, though offensively we've got to finish drives a bit better," Lamb said. "This team is very focused on what it needs to do."
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.