Another slow start finally doomed Calhoun City.
For a second consecutive week in the Class 2A playoffs the Wildcats faced an early deficit, but against Baldwyn the comeback was not enough. The Bearcats defeated Calhoun City 30-16 in the third round and will face East Webster in the North Half championship.
“I thought our kids played hard. We faced a big challenge,” Calhoun City coach Perry Liles said. “In the first half we were making the common mistakes that we’ve talked about.”
Calhoun City (10-4) won the coin toss and, as Liles normally does, deferred to the second half and kicked off to the Bearcats. Baldwyn (12-2) ran the ball on all eight plays of its opening possession and methodically marched 52 yards. Jalon Clark’s 10-yard touchdown run capped the drive and gave Baldwyn the lead for good in the first half.
Calhoun City called 10 straight running plays of its own on the first drive to gain 64 yards. But the Wildcats faced a fourth down on Baldwyn’s 20-yard-line, and quarterback JoJo Gray’s pass fell incomplete. Disaster then struck on Calhoun City’s next possession.
After forcing a three-and-out, Calhoun City began its second drive with a fumble at midfield. Armontie Price recovered Jesse Nabors’ fumble and raced 52 yards for a touchdown that gave Baldwyn a 14-0 lead with :49 remaining in the first quarter.
The Wildcats, though, continued to have success running the football and responded with points on the next drive. Calhoun City this time used nine rushing plays, and Gray finished a 60-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run. Brieton Sykes added the two-point conversion and the Wildcats trailed by just six points after overcoming the initial mistakes.
Calhoun City briefly took the lead late in the third quarter following a botched punt attempt. The Wildcats faced fourth-and-three at Baldwyn’s 46-yard line, and Jaalen Thomas attempted a quick kick from the halfback position. However, Thomas bobbled the snap but then ran 12 yards for a first down. Jyair Pierce scored one play later on a 34-yard run.
“We battled back to take the lead and they made a great play down here on third down that just turned the tide,” Liles said.
The play Liles was referring to occurred early in the fourth quarter. Calhoun City led 16-14 and Baldwyn had a third-and-five at its own 15-yard line. Quarterback Duke Upshaw then gained 30 yards on a designed run.
“We had them in the backfield on third down and (Upshaw) makes a long run for the first down,” Liles said. “We’re just trying to win the football game and that was a big play for them.”
Before Baldwyn scored the go-ahead touchdown the Bearcats had actually kicked a field goal to a take a 17-16 lead with 7:55 remaining in the game. But a roughing the kicker penalty on Calhoun City gave Baldywn a first down and Marquavious Patterson scored on the very next play. The two-point conversion gave Baldwyn a 23-16 lead that the Bearcats would not relinquish.
“I didn’t see the call. I don’t know if we roughed or not. He made it, so if we roughed him it must have been after the kick,” Liles said. “That really could have turned our way. It’s hard to take points of the board and that was sort of a good thing for us.”
Baldwyn scored its final touchdown on Patterson’s 1-yard run with 2:16 in the fourth quarter.
Calhoun City graduates a talented class of seniors, including four of its leading rushers this season in Nabors, Pierce, Sykes and Thomas. Sykes finished the game with 126 yards rushing on 21 carries, and previously was named Region 2-2A Player of the Year.
The group led the Wildcats to three region championships in four years, and an appearance in the state championship game in 2014.
“This was a great group of guys. We went this far this year really after kind of starting over. They did a good job leading us to that,” Liles said. “I was very proud of our guys and I think the Calhoun City Wildcat football program has been well-represented.”