CALHOUN, Ga. - It may have been the most painful 137 seconds in recent Calhoun High School football history.
The host Yellow Jackets, despite some early mistakes, entered the final five minutes of Friday night's GHSA Class AAAAA quarterfinal against Coffee in near total control. However, while holding a 17-13 lead, a special teams mistake by Calhoun led to a quick touchdown for the Trojans - and a little more than two minutes later, they scored again to pull off a 27-17 win at Phil Reeve Stadium.
"We wanted to be in the game in the fourth quarter and we got there, but we couldn't finish it," Calhoun coach Clay Stephenson said. "It's always tough to end it this way, but it doesn't take away from what these guys did to get us here. It's always toughest for the seniors to have to look them in the eye after their final game."
The Trojans' opening drive ended with a field goal, and the visitors' lead became 10-0 a little more than a minute later after Anthony McQueen scooped up a Christian Lewis fumble and raced 35 yards for a touchdown.
Calhoun (9-4) responded with a 64-yard drive, with Lewis connecting with Will Seamons for a 32-yard touchdown on a perfectly executed screen pass with 3:12 to play in the first quarter. Defense dominated the final 15 minutes of the half, with each team getting a field goal as Coffee held a 13-10 lead at halftime.
Coffee (10-2), the No. 3 seed from Region 1, will play a semifinal next week at Cartersville, the runner-up out of Region 7, where Calhoun was the No. 3 seed. The Purple Hurricanes beat Ware County 34-31 on Friday to improve to 11-1.
The Trojans dominated the third quarter, holding Calhoun to two first downs and having each of their possessions move inside the Yellow Jackets' 35. However, the first ended on downs and the second on a missed 51-yard field-goal attempt that hit the crossbar.
Calhoun finally got things going in the fourth quarter, getting four straight completions from Lewis to produce a 70-yard go-ahead touchdown drive. After starting the march with a 26-yard completion to Seamons, Lewis ended it with a 30-yard touchdown strike to Cole Speer and the Jackets led 17-13 with 7:07 to play.
The ensuing Coffee drive was hindered by two penalties, forcing a punt from the 48. That kick, however, was a low line drive that bounced and hit a Calhoun blocker, with the Trojans recovering at the Jackets' 19. Two plays later, Trejan Landers took a reverse around left end for a 17-yard touchdown and a shocking 20-17 lead.
Calhoun, hit with two penalties of its own, was forced to punt from its 24, and the Trojans, momentum squarely in hand, needed only four plays before Maurice Turner scored on a 35-yard run to seal the win.
"Our kids played extremely hard," Stephenson said. "I'm so proud of every kid who played tonight. I am very proud of the seniors for leading us through the pandemic and keeping this team together. Give credit to Coffee. They are not flashy, but they are good at what they do and made fewer mistakes."
Turner, the team's leading receiver during the regular season, had his third consecutive 100-yard rushing game with 165 yards, 147 coming in the second half. The Trojans held Calhoun's 1,500-yard rusher Jerrian Hames to just 38 yards on 15 carries. Lewis was 18-of-29 for 194 yards, with 91 going to Seamons in six catches.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.