Photos courtesy of Patty Haught
By Gaylen Duskey
realfang@citlink.net
Gut check. It's a jockular term for facing an adverse situation. How does that team (or person) handle that adversity? It's the "gut check."
Friday night Calhoun faced a whole game full of gut check situations en route to a 29-6 victory at Doddridge County.
The Red Devils faced the adversity of too many personal fouls -- 11 for 99 yards including at least two that were highly questionable. There was the adversity of turnovers as Calhoun fumbled, and lost the ball, four times.
There was the adversity of two Doddridge drives deep into Calhoun territory with the game still very much on the line.
There was the adversity of playing the game without two or three players who play a lot. Then there was the adversity of having all-state running back Randy Fluharty injured early in the third quarter.
#7 Randy Fluharty runs the ball while #71 Jacob Haught blocks
With all those problems Calhoun had several gut checks during the game. It overcame them all.
The biggest gut check of all was how the team would react with Fluharty on the sidelines with his shoulder pads off physically unable to continue after taking a helmet to his hip.
The Red Devils responded quite well.
First his younger brother Darrenger stepped up.
Darrenger Fluharty #38 runs the ball
while chased by a host of Bulldogs
Darrenger had 118 yards rushing on 13 carries. He also had two touchdown -- both after Randy was sidelined.
Daniel Sims, who went into Randy's spot at tailback, had 78 yards on five carries including a spectacular 65-yard run.
Zach Moore kicks a field goal
Zach Moore ran with the ball more and came away with 31 second half rushing yards and a touchdown. He also added his first field goal of the year hitting from about 30 yards out.
The offense did not falter without Randy who had a game high 152 yards on 17 carries including a 12-yard touchdown run on his first carry of the game. It was not the offensive dynamo it has been thus far with Randy, but it was good enough to put the Bulldogs away.
Then there were the penalties. They hurt, especially two questionable ones late in the second quarter that kept a Doddridge drive alive that did not stop until it reached the Calhoun four.
The Red Devils were clinging to a 10-6 lead and had stopped the Bulldogs at their own 35 yard line.
The snap to the Doddridge punter bounced back to him. He picked it up and ran two or three yards before getting his scrambling punt off.
Unfortunately a Calhoun player ran into him. It was a questionable call that unfortunately went against the Red Devils.
Later on that drive Calhoun appeared to have Doddridge stopped again only to be whistled for pass interference -- both players were legally going for the ball -- that again kept the drive alive.
The Bulldogs got all the way to the four yard line where it was first and goal. Four players later Calhoun had the ball back at the four and a Doddridge drive for the lead had been thwarted.
Calhoun's defense also stepped up big in the second half when Justin Gerwig, who was a state qualifier in cross country last year, intercepted the ball at the Red Devils' two.
That was the last Doddridge scoring threat as Calhoun took control and slowly pulled away the rest of the second half.
With the win Calhoun goes to 3-0 and should be ranked in the top 10 when the WVSSAC ratings come out next week.
The Red Devils have a rating 7.33 heading into Friday's homecoming game against pass happy Parkersburg Catholic (2-0), a 35-0 winner over St. Marys. Doddridge drops to 0-3.
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