CHS Cavaliers End Season at Thompson

By JOHN KUYKENDALL
Turnovers and mishaps helped bring the Callaway Cavalier football season to and end in the second round of the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class AA state playoffs in Thompson on Friday, Nov. 21 by a score of 28-19.
The Cavaliers had three fumbles, an interception and three bad snaps and all of those ended potential scoring drives. It was that kind of night for the Cavaliers as the team drew first blood but couldn’t hold onto the lead.
Lady Luck frowned on Callaway on the team’s opening drive. Senior Jeremiah Dunn took the opening kickoff at the Callaway 15-yard line and returned it to the 36-yard line to start the game.
On first and 10, Dunn broke loose and out ran the Thompson Bulldog defense all the way to the Bulldog 24-yard line. On the next play, Callaway’s drive ended when the Bulldogs stripped the football and recovered the fumble.
The Cavalier defense quickly returned the favor and forced a Bulldog fumble at Bulldog 33-yard line. The Cavaliers took advantage of the hard running senior quarterback Blake Harrington and nine plays later he scored on a 1-yard run with 2:26 remaining to play in the first quarter. Senior kicker Jayden Bailey split the uprights on the extra point attempt and the Cavaliers were leading by a score of 7-0.
The Bulldogs fired back on the return kickoff. Starting from their own 35-yard line Thompson began a drive. and scored with 11:07 left to play in the first half on a 13-yard run to tie the score at 7-7.
It appeared as if the Cavalier offense might get going again on the return kickoff after junior Kaiden James took the return kick at the Callaway 20-yard line and returned it all the way to the Bulldog 44-yard line giving the Cavaliers good field position. Lady Luck snapped her fingers again for the Bulldogs as the Cavaliers turned the football over on a high snap and the ball went sailing all the way back to the Callaway 16-yard line.
The Callaway defense bowed its neck and forced a fumble and James picked up the football and raced 89-yards to score with 4:21 left to play in the first half. The Cavaliers didn’t convert on the extra point attempt, but had regained the lead by a score of 13-7.
The Cavaliers attempted an onside kick that was recovered by the Bulldogs on their own 42-yard line. With the excellent field position, the Bulldogs found the end zone with 1:04 left to play in the first half to take a slim `4-13 lead.
The first half ended with that score standing.
Callaway senior Jeffery Ellis and senior Josiah Garrett went to work on defense on the opening drive of the third quarter by the Bulldogs coming through with back-to-back tackles for a loss. Garret had an incredible night on defense collecting four tackles for losses on the night.
After the defense forced a turnover the Cavaliers had the football on their own 1-yard line and eventually had to punt the football away.
It was not until early in the fourth quarter that either team would find the end zone again. The Cavaliers put together a solid drive and took the football all the way down to the Bulldog 9-yard line and disaster struck again. This time the Cavaliers fumbled the football away on the 5-yard line and Thompson recovered. On the first snap, a Bulldog back broke loose on a 95-yard touchdown run and scored with 10:05 left to play in the game to give Thompson a 21-13 lead.
The Cavaliers bounced back on the return kickoff and drove all the way to the Bulldog 7-yard line and, yes, another fumble ended the scoring drive and the Bulldogs took advantage of the turnover and drove down the field in six plays to score and increased the lead to 28-13 with 4:43 left to play in the game.
Enters sophomore backup quarterback A.J. Williams who completed passes to Dunn, James and Ellis, and used his legs to help put together a 85-yard drive which he capped with an 14-yard strike to James with 2:32 left to play in the game. The Cavaliers went for two on the extra point attempt and a bad snap ended the hopes of finding the end zone. However, the Thomson lead had been cut to 28-19 and the game eventually ended with that score standing.
The Cavaliers end the season with an overall record of 8-4.
Next season, the Cavaliers will be competing in Class 3A after the GHSA realignment.