| By Gaylen Duskey
realfang@citlink.net
I was in a store the other day and saw some Christmas items on the shelves.
And you know what that means, right?
If you said a jolly fat guy in a red suit and eight tiny reindeer are getting ready to land on your roof, well, then you're probably a little ahead of things.
No, what Christmas items on the shelves means that its time for the kiddies to go back to school and for the high school football season to get under way.
Here in Calhoun we're kind of partial to guys in red suits - fat and jolly and otherwise - when it comes to football.
We love our Red Devils and have for the past 80-or-so years and every year we look for that magic season.
Kind of like during the heyday of Wayne Underwood when there were many wins with few losses.
That's a real possibility this year under first-year head coach Doyle Hupp.
How good?
If we win games we should win then 8-2 is a real possibility.
With a couple of upsets it could be 10-0. If we're upset a time or two then 6-4 is a real possibility.
So let's ignore upsets and just go on who we should beat and who should beat us.
1. Gilmer: I really like former Calhoun coach Bucky Stewart who has taken over the helm of the Titans. And I like that he has a couple of former Calhoun players - Matt Walker and Jason Cunningham - as assistant coaches. I'd love to see the Titans do well - after game one. My guess if Calhoun struggles in this one then it will be a long, long season. An easy W.
2. Ritchie: Every year I read where Ritchie is going to be "better this year" and every year I don't see it. Maybe Ritchie will be better. But better enough to overcome being not very good last year? I don't think so. It should be an easy W.
3. Doddridge: For some weird reason Doddridge seems to give Calhoun troubles. This year the Bulldogs have to come to Mount Zion and in Mount Zion Doddridge isn't as tough. Another W.
4. Parkersburg Catholic: This is one of those "upset" teams lurking out there. The numbers are up for the Crusaders and Calhoun has to travel to Parkersburg for a Saturday game at Stadium Field. Calhoun has more talent but Parkersburg Catholic doesn't always pay attention to that. This is a very important game for the Red Devils. Let's avoid the upset and put up another W.
5. Williamstown: The most talented team on the Red Devils' schedule. Period. Sorry to anyone who thinks otherwise (St. Marys) but the Yellowjackets are the team to beat in the LKC. If Calhoun is 4-0 at this time without too many injuries and with the game being played at Mount Zion . Well, who knows? But odds are this is the most likely L.
6. South Harrison: I hate that this is a homecoming game. For homecoming games you play Walton - at least we always did when I was in school - so that the players could be in the homecoming spirit and not have to worry about playing somebody tough. But South Harrison can be tough - they have to be tougher than the team the Red Devils crushed last year in Lost Creek - and dangerous. Possibly an "upset" team because it is homecoming. Should be a W.
7. Roane: Roane just doesn't invoke the same venom that Spencer did. Maybe it is because Roane is Spencer AND Walton. Not sure. Roane always seems to have a bunch of talent and that makes them one of those "upset" teams. Not this year since the game is in Mount Zion. Should be a W.
8. Wirt: There is nothing Wirt would like more than to beat (Zach) Moore since he was a Calhouner, then a Wirtarian and is now a Calhouner again. Won't happen. Mark up a W.
9. Braxton: Braxton is not good and they are playing in Mount Zion. If Calhoun isn't decimated by injuries at this time this is another W.
10. St. Marys: Golly Wally these guys want to be Williamstown so bad they can taste it. They are not but they are the second best team Calhoun plays. They have a lot of speed (so fast the referees can't see them hold on sweep plays) and they have some pretty good size. This is a game when Calhoun is the "upset" team. Hope the right Devils - Red, not Purple - win this one. But we'll go with the L so there won't be all that locker room "overrated" folderol that happened last year.
That would make Calhoun 8-2 and put it in the playoffs yet again - probably somewhere around the middle of the pack.
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