By Gaylen Duskey
realfang@citlink.net
Calhoun not only got the monkey off its back Friday night. It killed it.
Clay County has been a monkey the size of King Kong on the back of the Red
Devils for years and the question heading into the game was "has Calhoun
ever won at Clay?"
Nobody knew if that were the case. Maybe the Red Devils won at Clay back in
the '50. Maybe the '40s.
It is now a moot point.
Calhoun got the monkey off its back in a big way with a 50-7 trouncing of
the Panthers.
The game was about as close as the final score indicated - not
close at all.
Calhoun's Paul Goodrich had 206 yards rushing and five touchdowns and the
Red Devils' defense held Clay to a meager 63 yards total offense in the
lopsided victory.
Goodrich scored on runs of 29, 17, 3, 3 and 1. He also had a two-point
conversion run. On the season he has 14 touchdowns.
The Red Devils also scored on an 18-yard, Matt Houchin to Steve Cunningham
pass and on a 14-yard run by Eddie Burrows.
Calhoun jumped on top 7-0 when Goodrich scored from three yards out to cap a
short drive that was set up by Steven Cunningham's 38-yard punt return to
the Clay 21.
The Devils went ahead 14-0 on Goodrich's one-yard run moments later on a
touchdown drive that was set up by Justin Whipkey's fumble recovery deep in
Clay territory.
Clay responded with what proved to be its only offense of the night on the
next drive as it moved quickly down the field and scored on Mike Kearns'
24-yard run. He also kicked the extra point making it 14-7.
But that was the
high water mark for Clay and Kearns, who had more than 300 yards rushing
last Friday night against Valley of Fayette.
Calhoun scored again, this time on Goodrich's 17-yard run making it 21-7 at
the half. The 21 first half points were the most the Red Devils have scored
against Clay in several years.
But as lopsided as the first half was for the Red Devils the second half was
even more lopsided.
Calhoun tallied again midway through the third quarter on a 29-yard run by
Goodrich.
The next time the Red Devils got the ball they scored again, this time with
Goodrich doing the honors from a yard out. He ran the extra point in to make
it 35-7 going into the fourth period.
Calhoun scored as soon as it got the ball back when Houchin and Cunningham,
who had a great game with two interceptions and several excellent returns,
from 18 yards.
Mike Sullivan's kick made it 42-7 and brought in the
reserves.
But Calhoun was not done as the second unit offense took the ball down and
punched one in against the Panthers. This time it was on a 14-yard run by
Burrows.
Caleb Ball's two-point conversion run set the final score.
With the win Calhoun goes to 4-0 on the season and will likely move up from
the eighth-place spot it currently occupies in the WVSSAC Class A rankings.
With the loss 17th-ranked Class AA Clay drops to 2-2.
Calhoun heads to Williamstown this week to face the second-ranked Class A
Yellowjackets who are currently riding a 40-game regular season winning
streak.
Williamstown, 3-0, was idle this week.
Clay will try to rebound at Herbert Hoover.
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