Calhoun City put the finishing touches on a Region 2-2A championship with a 50-7 rout of J.Z. George on Friday night.
Offensive coordinator M.D. Jennings found success with his unit thanks to his kids buying in to the game plan and executing their assignments.
“The kids believed in the game plan, and everyone executed,” Jennings said. “We always say it starts up front. The guys blocking up front did their job, and the backs did a great job finding the open holes and running.”
Some seniors had big nights on Friday. Kody Townsend, Jayden Griffin, Chardarius Hill, Hayden Goodson and Jawyn Tucker all found the end zone on the evening.
“The run game [was working],” Griffin said. “The line was blocking for me good at the line of scrimmage.”
Heading into the postseason after wrapping up a division championship, Griffin wants the Wildcats to not get ahead of themselves as the calendar turns to November.
“Take it one game at a time,” Griffin said.
His classmate Hayden Goodson reiterated that statement.
“We just need to keep our foot on the gas,” Goodson said. “We just need to come out and get on top [of our opponents].”
As a first year head coach, Chad White is excited that his team secured the region title on Friday night, but knows that more work is necessary if the Wildcats hope to accomplish their postseason goals.
“I’m very thankful that we had the region championship, but you can’t live in the past,” White said. “Every week presents its own challenges. We want to get into the playoffs and win the last one.”
White has helped his players stay focused this season by dividing the campaign into three segments.
“We try to tell [the players] there’s three seasons every season,” White said. “Our first season this year was those six non-division games, the second season was those region games, and the third season [will be] the playoffs. We just want to make it through those three seasons, and now we’re hitting that third season.”
This week, the Wildcats are preparing for their first postseason test in hosting the Strayhorn Mustangs at 7 p.m. on Friday.
“Strayhorn’s got some big kids and some kids that can run, so we need a really, really good week of practice,” White said.
Regardless of how far City advances this postseason, White states that he is privileged to be a part of this program.
“[I’m] just very thankful and very blessed,” White said. “We’ve got a great group of coaches and a great group of kids. Just feel very blessed to be a part of all of it.”
