Calhoun City dominated every phase of its first-round playoff game on Friday, defeating the Strayhorn Mustangs 63-0.
“We’re fortunate. All three phases clicked pretty well, and [we] came out healthy,” head coach Chad White said. “That’s a big thing this time of year: staying healthy.”
Even with temperatures dropping, White and his staff plan to continue their normal practice routine in preparation for a strong opponent in South Delta this Friday night. South Delta is the No. 2 seed out of Region 4-2A but finished the regular season 10-1 with its lone loss coming to eventual-division-champion Pelahatchie.
“It’s going to be cold this week, but we’re going to be business as usual,” White said. “Got a big opponent this week. They’re really big up front. They remind me a lot up front of East Webster.”
Along with size in the trenches, South Delta’s offense features two 1,000-yard rushers, one of which is their quarterback who has also passed for over 800 yards. To combat this dual-threat backfield, White plans on making sure his defense is in the right place at the right time this week at practice.
“We’ve got to focus this week, defensively, on being aligned,” White said. “If you line up wrong, half the battle is lost. Offensively, we’re [going] to try to take advantage of some things that they’re giving us, but they’re a really, really good opponent.”
Despite strong performances from numerous individuals on Friday night, White believes that his players don’t get caught up in their individual numbers but emphasize helping the team as a whole make plays.
“What I’m proud of our kids, as far as defensively, they don’t get caught up on numbers of tackles that they got,” White said. “We have several people every week that they may not have made the tackle, but it may have been a kid that took on two blockers and protected that other guy to come make the tackle.”
Kickoff between Calhoun City and South Delta is slated for 7 p.m. at D.L. Harrison Field.