AHART LEADS CLAY OVER CALHOUN, RED DEVILS FINISH SEASON AT .500

(10/31/2015)
By Gaylen Duskey
realfang@citlink.net

When it came down to it Clay simply had a heart - Zachary Ahart that is.

Ahart scored four touchdowns and rushed for 260 yards to lead Clay to a 34-12 victory over Calhoun County in the final game of the season Friday night at Mt. Zion.

Ahart scored on runs of 74, 46, 16 and four yards to lift the Panthers to 5-4 on the season while ending Calhoun's season with a 5-5 mark.

Ahart's first touchdown run, and also his longest, gave the Panthers a lead they never would relinquish. But it was his second and third touchdown runs that lifted the Panthers, 5-4 with a game against Webster County next Friday night, to a 22-0 halftime victory nullifying what was an outstanding second half by the Red Devils that saw them battle the Class AA Panthers on even terms.

Calhoun, which will say good-bye to 12 seniors, scored its first points of the game when Cole Ritchie ran four yards for a touchdown to complete a long drive.

The Red Devils' second touchdown came on a 10-yard run by his twin brother Casey.

Cole Ritchie went over the 100-yard mark again in the season finale with 102 yards on 16 carries. Casey Ritchie, meanwhile, passed for 91 yards while rushing for 37 more. All 91 yards passing came on aerials to Ethyn Miller, who caught nine.

Calhoun seniors include Casey Ritchie, Cole Ritchie, Ethyn Miller, Dakota Jarvis, Austin Gribble, Devan McKown, Johnny Taylor, Coy Bailey, Chris Lacy, Cjristian Hash and Dustin Holcomb.