By Gaylen Duskey
realfang@citlink.net
Calhoun's long and winless "learning" season came to a merciful end Friday night with a 40-19 loss at home against Clay.
Clay, a Class AA school, has a larger enrollment, more player depth and greater experience than the 0-10 Red Devils and Friday night's game was nothing more than an encapsulation of the 2013 season as Calhoun played what was essentially a junior varsity team against varsity opponents.
While Calhoun was honoring its three senior football players - Logan Moore, Mason Sheldon and David Overbay - across the field Clay had three times that many. While Calhoun was rallying its 23 troops for battle the Panthers were dressing about twice that many.
And in the end when the game was on the line that superior experience and greater depth took its toll as the 3-6 Panthers broke open a relatively close game and pushed it out to a 40-13 lead before the Red Devils scored against the Panther junior varsity to set the final score.
The first half was fought on very even terms as a long 81-yard run by Clay quarterback Tyler Stewart and a short-field score following a Calhoun fumble were the difference in the 21-7 halftime score.
Stewart's run early in the game could have taken the spirit out of the Red Devils as on the first two plays from scrimmage Calhoun forced Clay to lose yardage only to have the third play go all the way as Stewart raced up the middle virtually untouched.
After that Clay got another score when Calhoun turned the ball over deep in its own territory, and then committed a couple of personal fouls to set up Jordan Lucas' eight-year scoring.
Interestingly, however, instead of turning the other cheek the Red Devils came out slugging and when Mason Sheldon made a circus catch in the end zone on a 27-yard pass from Logan Moore it was a game.
The Panthers got its only sustained drive touchdown near halftime when its sent huge offensive tackle Zachary White into the backfield and allowed him to score on a three yard run.
Calhoun outplayed the Panthers early in the second half by stopping them on defense and taking the ball and grinding out a touchdown - a four-yard run by Logan Moore - on offense.
But that was the high water mark for the young Red Devils as Clay used its experience and depth to pull away after that.
First Lucas hit Zachary Ahart with a 60-yard halfback option pass to make it 28-13 at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter Richard Ahart scored on a 17 yard run before Steven Cole applied the coup de gras with a 50-yard pass interception touchdown for the Panthers.
Late in the final period Calhoun got on the board one last time as Casey Ritchie scored on a 17-yard run to set the final score.
Logan Moore led Calhoun with 62 yards on 18 carries. He was backed by Casey Ritchie with 59 yards on three carries. Seth Moore added 24 yards while Kirkland Allen had 15, Cole Ritchie 10 and Nick Murphy six.
Defensively several Red Devils had outstanding games including Seth Moore, who had a team high 12 tackles, Coy Bailey, who had nine tackles and Jazz Holcomb with seven.
Ethyn Miller also played well defensively with an interception and a fumble recovery.
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