Calhoun begins posteason at home
Jackets host Monroe Area in first round at The Reeve
After as close to a perfect Friday as they could’ve had against LFO last week, the Calhoun Yellow Jackets start their annual postseason run this week when they host Monroe Area in the first round of the Class AAA State Playoffs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Phil Reeve Stadium.
The Jackets ( 8- 2) finished off the regular season with a dominant 48-0 victory over the visiting Warriors as they clinched their 16th straight region title, locked down the No. 1 seed for the playoffs, got a chance to fine tune and build good momentum heading into the postseason and also played almost the entire roster in the blowout win.
Calhoun coach Hal Lamb said his team did exactly what they needed to do to go into the playoffs with confidence and momentum.
“When the region play- in format came out, we knew it was important to get that No. 1 seed in the subregion so we would be able to play a lesser opponent in the last week of the regular season and be fresh for the playoffs,“said Lamb. “And on top of that, it was pretty awesome to win No. 16 in a row. The kids were excited to do that, and we were also able to get the younger kids in after building the big lead in the first half.“
The first challenge ahead of Calhoun to start their playoff run is Monroe Area ( 3- 7) who limp into the playoffs winning just two of their final eight games and three overall to finish as the No. 4 team in the six-team Region 8- AAA. Lamb said while most outsiders look at the first-round matchup as a big mismatch, his team will take their opponent very seriously.
“(Monroe Area) is very athletic, and their size is comparable to ours,“said Lamb. “They run well on both sides of the ball. Their record isn’t very good, but they play in a good region and have also dealt with some injuries this year. They are very capable of coming in here and competing so we’ve got to be ready.“
The Hurricanes enter Friday’s matchup coming off a 24-14 loss to Franklin County in their final regular-season contest. They are a run-first team with only three passing touchdowns total this season. They have run for 1,927 yards as a team led by sophomore Chandler Byron who has 984 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns on the season. Quarterback Hunter Mitchell also has the ability to gain yards on the ground as he has run for 500 yards himself.
Monroe Area’s defense has several guys that can make plays as well with five players recording 60 or more tackles so far led by senior safety/ outside linebacker Tim Cox with 100 total tackles and senior Caleb Tallant with 90.
The Jackets will continue their use of a two-quarterback system heading into the playoffs, using both senior Baylon Spector and sophomore Gavin Gray, as it has proven beneficial in the past few months. Spector should be fresh as he didn’t play last Friday to rest and be ready for the playoffs according to Lamb.
Calhoun’s defense also appears to be playing their best football at the right time with two shutouts in their last three games while allowing more than seven points only one time in their past six games. Bailey Lester, Davis Allen, Owen Williams and Ryan Williams are among the leading tacklers and playmakers on that side of the ball.
Another advantage for Calhoun on Friday is playing in front of their home crowd at The Reeve, where they haven’t lost a playoff game since 2007. Lamb said his team feeds off the energy and atmosphere at home, and they know the importance of locking down home-field advantage.