Calhoun, Peach County focus on tonight's game, not last year's controversy

Peach County's Mallard Thomas, with ball, is tackled by Calhoun's Brannon Spector during the 2017 GHSA Class AAA final last Dec. 8 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, where Calhoun won 10-6. The teams meet again tonight in a state semifinal.
Peach County's Mallard Thomas, with ball, is tackled by Calhoun's Brannon Spector during the 2017 GHSA Class AAA final last Dec. 8 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, where Calhoun won 10-6. The teams meet again tonight in a state semifinal.
photo Calhoun running back Zack Fuller carries the ball downfield after avoiding a tackle attempt by Peach County's Jaquez Jackson during the 2017 GHSA Class AAA state final last Dec. 8 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

CALHOUN, Ga. - Chad Campbell and Hal Lamb have said all the right things to their football teams.

That changes very little about the drama - Lamb has a better name for it - surrounding their GHSA Class AAA semifinal.

Campbell's Peach County Trojans (11-2) and Lamb's Calhoun Yellow Jackets (13-0) renew acquaintances at 7:30 tonight at the latter's Phil Reeve Stadium. What will be just the third meeting between the two powerhouse programs comes a year after a referee's highly controversial call negated a would-be go-ahead Peach County touchdown in the final two minutes of what turned out to be a 10-6 Calhoun win in the AAA championship game.

What followed - including meetings with the Georgia High School Association and the state legislature in hopes of getting the final 90 seconds replayed, as well as the purchase of state championship rings for the Trojans - has ramped up emotions for the rematch.

Peach County players, obviously, feel slighted. Calhoun players, seen as villains by many around the state despite having nothing to do with the call, are anxious to justify the title even if Lamb insists tonight's game is all about this year.

"We're business as usual," said Lamb, who also coached the Jackets to state titles in 2011 and 2014. "We haven't talked much about last year's game at all. I told our players that the team that doesn't listen to all the hoopla and shenanigans is likely to win. It's a football game and nothing more."

Calhoun players, coaches and fans were bombarded by negative posts on social media - with some originating beyond the borders of the United States - after last year's game. Senior defensive back Brannon Spector admits the criticism was hard to ignore, though he said it shouldn't be a factor tonight.

"Sure, it did bother us because it wasn't really anything to do with us," said Spector, who has committed to Clemson. "I don't see why anyone would get mad at Calhoun. We just played the football game. We don't really pay attention to the emotions. Just play the game and don't get caught up in all the other stuff."

Campbell, who coached the Trojans to the AAA title in 2009 and has led them to double-digit wins in seven of nine seasons since then, has joined Lamb in downplaying any residual effect last year's controversy could have tonight.

"Last year is last year," Campbell said in an interview this week with email newsletter Georgia High School Football Daily. "This is a new team with the same aspirations, and that is to win a state championship. The opponent just happens to be Calhoun. This year's team can't dwell on the past."

The game itself, Lamb said, should be similar to last year's defense-dominated contest in which the only touchdown was Spector's 46-yard interception return just before halftime. The Trojans have a balanced offense that has produced 2,214 yards rushing and 1,902 passing this season, even after replacing most of the players who produced last year's yardage.

Junior quarterback Jaydon Gibson has completed 72 percent of his passes, most on quick-hitting routes designed to put the ball in the hands of playmakers such as Terkel Jefferson (40 catches, 535 yards), Millard Thomas (28, 357) and Noah Whittington (the receiver involved in last year's telling play). Running backs Kapien Everett and Tijah Woolfolk have a combined 1,133 rushing yards, with Whittington adding 435.

Despite replacing eight starters from last year's defense, Peach has allowed an average of just more than 12 points per game and is coming off a dominating performance in last week's 28-3 win against Atlanta's Westminster. Linebacker Sergio Allen, who has committed to Clemson, leads the Trojans in tackles, while Cedric Hillsman and Donavon Mabry have combined for 31 tackles for loss.

"They are as good or even better on defense," Lamb said. "We didn't score much last year, just (offensive) three points, so that concerns me the most. Offensively, they are big and strong up front. They are also solid in the kicking game."

Calhoun counters with its own balanced offense, led by senior quarterback Gavin Gray, who has thrown for 2,415 yards and 25 touchdowns. Zack Fuller, who rushed for 157 yards in last week's 24-12 win against Savannah's Jenkins, has more than 1,000 yards on the ground and 26 touchdowns this season, and a deep receiving unit is led by Spector (44 catches, 704 yards) and Luke Moseley (46, 573).

The Jackets' senior-laden defense is strong at each level and is paced in making stops by linebackers Davis Allen, who leads the team with 106 tackles, Collin Baggett and Eric McKnight. The secondary, led by Spector and Bralin Barton, is arguably the team's biggest strength.

Calhoun also will have the majority of a likely capacity crowd - tickets were close to selling out by midweek - behind it. Many are comparing the game's hype to the Jackets' 2010 matchup with Carver-Columbus, which featured highly touted running back Isaiah Crowell, who's now with the New York Jets and in his fifth NFL season.

Spector remembers it well.

"I was actually a ball boy during that game," he said. "It was crazy seeing how many fans we had and how many they brought. It's going to be an electric atmosphere. I seem to think it will be an awful lot like that."

According to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association's website, the Jackets' first meeting with Peach County came in the second round of the 2015 state playoffs - a 20-14 overtime win for Calhoun.

Pierce County (13-0) visits Cedar Grove (12-1) in tonight's other AAA semifinal, with the winner meeting either Calhoun or Peach County for the title at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

The GHSA football finals for all seven classifications were scheduled for next Friday and Saturday at Mercedes-Benz, but because Atlanta United FC will host the MLS Cup final there next Saturday, those games will move to Dec. 11-12, a Tuesday and Wednesday.

GHSA officials put such a backup plan in place before the season.

The AAA final is set for 1 p.m. on Dec. 11.

Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.

Upcoming Events