| By Gaylen Duskey
realfang@citlink.net
During World War II there was a plan called Operation "Market-Garden" which called for Allied Forces to parachute into Europe and secure bridges crossing the rivers between the coast and Germany.
Unfortunately the Allied Forces were not able to secure the final bridge and the quick end to the war was lost.
That failed strategy was the basis for a movie titled "A Bridge Too Far."
Friday night the fate of the free world was not riding on a football game but interceptions suffered by Calhoun - probably the sixth interception - was "an interception too many" as Braxton County rallied for a 12-8 victory over the Red Devils.
Oh, sure, two-second half touchdowns by the sixth-ranked Class AA Eagles (8-1) were enough to offset the 62-yard scamper by Justin Price for Calhoun (4-5) but the real killer was the interceptions - six of them.
The six interceptions meant that six Calhoun drives were killed.
Those six drives - had any one of them been successful - could have spelled the difference. Had any drive succeeded the Red Devils would have won.
Alas that was not the case.
Instead the sixth one ended the Red Devils' last-ditch drive that had moved into Braxton territory. After the final interception Braxton quarterback Josh White took a knee - game over.
Calhoun played the talented Eagles head-to-head all night long on both sides of the ball.
Defensively the Red Devils, save for Patrick O'Malley's 81-yard run for the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter, pretty well held the Eagles in check.
Braxton's other score came on Andrew Tanner's 11-yard run in the third quarter.
Even the Red Devils' at times suspect pass defense rose to the occasion holding the Eagles to 28 passing yards. The Red Devils also had interceptions by Chad Conley, Jake Perkins and Price.
Offensively the Red Devils blew some holes in the Braxton defense, not mammoth holes but big enough to gain yards. But the interceptions - all six of them - killed the offense in the final analysis.
Calhoun, now 4-5, will test its mettle this coming Friday night when it travels to St. Marys for the season finale.
ACTION SCENES FROM LAST NIGHT'S GAME
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