RED DEVILS BECOME VICTIM 40 - Calhoun Suffers First Loss Of Season

(09/24/2005)
By Gaylen Duskey

realfang@citlink.net

The real outcome of Friday night's game won't be apparent until next Friday night.

What?

Calhoun suffered seven turnovers Friday night and seven turnovers are usually fatal in high school football. They are especially fatal if the team you are playing is ranked second in the state and is riding a 39-game winning streak.

Friday night with Calhoun turning the ball over seven times - five fumbles and two interceptions - home standing Williamstown rolled to a 42-18 victory ending Calhoun's own meager four-game winning streak.

With the large number of turnovers doing the Red Devils in the question becomes: How will Calhoun respond when it returns to action next Friday in its homecoming game against Wahama?

Should the Red Devils bounce back then the seven-turnover loss was just one of those things caused by the turnovers. Should the Red Devils roll up in a ball then the seven-turnover loss was a season-killer.

How Calhoun reacts is the question.

The question Friday night was how would Calhoun have done had it not suffered from an overly generous nature?

The first half was pretty close even though the Red Devils did shoot themselves in the foot with three turnovers.

The first turnover set up Williamstown with good field position and it capitalized when Tyler Lowers scored on a 13-yard run.

But Calhoun answered on a quick drive that included a clutch 27-yard fourth down pass from Matt Houchin to Steven Cunningham, which took the ball to the one. From there Paul Goodrich scored but a missed extra point attempt left the Red Devils behind, 7-6.

Then another turnover really hurt the Red Devils as Gregory Davis scooped up the lose ball at the Calhoun 22 and raced untouched into the end zone.

But Calhoun answered again and Houchin found Jason Cunningham for a 60-yard touchdown. Again the Calhoun extra point attempt came up fallow leaving the Red Devils behind 14-12.

But they had the chance to take the lead late in the half when they stopped a Williamstown drive forcing a Williamstown punt.

But another turnover gave the ball back to the Yellowjackets and Lowers scored again, this time from 19 yards out with: 57 remaining making it 21-12 at halftime.

Calhoun suffered from turnovers again in the third quarter losing the ball twice, allowing the Yellowjackets to score twice to make it 35-12 at the end of three quarters.

Another turnover early in the fourth quarter allowed Williamstown to score once again making it 42-12.

At this time the question was not who was going to win but how the Red Devils would react.

They reacted with fight and scored on a 62-yard run by Goodrich. Again the Red Devils failed in their conversion attempt making it 42-18.

On the ensuing kickoff the Red Devils tried and recovered an onside kick. But they were unable to make anything else happen and suffered their first loss of the season after winning four straight and rising to fifth-place in the Class A rankings.

Goodrich led the Red Devils with 139 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 24 carries.

Overall Calhoun had 249 yards total offense and eight first downs. Williamstown had 306 yards total offense and 19 first downs.