CALVARY DAY
11-2, Region 3, No. 4 overall seed
Calvary Day did not disappoint in its first trip to the state semifinals in school history. The Cavaliers took down top-ranked and defending champ Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy 35-34 in overtime. Calvary Day running back Robert Heyward, who rushed 24 times for 122 yards, opened the overtime period with a touchdown run before defensive end Michael Strong came up with the clinching defensive stop when Chargers’ quarterback Jordan Long attempted to run for a potential game-winning two-point conversion.
Heyward has seven 100-yard performances in 2013, including three in a row. Senior quarterback Michael Peterson has thrown 12 touchdown passes in three playoff games, including four against Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy. Senior running back Derek Kirkland hauled in four of those scoring strikes in the first two rounds, but Peterson spread the wealth last Friday. Jordan Walker had a pair of touchdown catches while Milan Richard and Khaliq Hughes also found the endzone through the air.
Last Friday’s thriller saw Calvary Day score at least 30 points for an 11th straight game. The Cavaliers outgunned First Presbyterian Day 42-35 in the first round then took care of Prince Avenue Christian 33-14. While the postseason has provided extreme suspense for the Calvary Day faithful, none of the team’s eight regular-season wins came by fewer than 26 points.
On the defensive side of the ball, Calvary Day has limited nine of its last 11 opponents to 14 points or fewer. Head coach Mark Stroud has made some stellar defensive adjustments. In the second round, for example, Prince Avenue Christian converted six of seven third downs in the first half and scored all 14 of its points prior to the intermission. The Wolverines mustered a grand total of one first down in the second half.
AQUINAS
13-0, Region 7, No. 3 overall seed
Aquinas also waited until the last second to book its ticket to the state championship for the first time ever. The Fightin’ Irish scored a touchdown and converted the extra point with 19 seconds left to edge Mt. Pisgah 17-16. Playing at home, Mt. Pisgah pulled ahead 16-10 with fewer than six minutes remaining in the game but failed to convert the extra point following its go-ahead touchdown. Aquinas promptly marched down the field on a 15-play, 65-yard drive that culminated with a five-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Liam Welch to senior running back John Morris with 16 seconds left. Junior kicker Justin Thompson booted through the pivotal extra point for the winning margin.
In his first season as head coach, 26-year-old James Leonard is the grandson of Denny Leonard-who was Aquinas’ first head coach in 1957. This generation’s Leonard has a stellar offense on his hands. Junior running back Ruben Garnett has been dealing with an Achilles’ injury, but he gained all 58 yards during the Irish’s first semifinal scoring drive and he tallied 28 of the 65 yards en route to the winning touchdown. Garnett, generally the focal point of the offense, has rushed for more than 20 touchdowns this season. Aquinas likes to keep the ball on the ground, but Welch tossed five touchdown passes in a 42-14 first-round blowout of Savannah Christian. A bend-but-don’t-break defense is led by Garnett in the secondary and Griffin Scott at linebacker.
The Fightin’ Irish are no strangers to close games, which could come in handy when heading into a state championship. They edged Mt. Paran 35-32 in the quarterfinals and two of their regular-season contests were decided by a field goal or less (19-16 over George Walton Academy on Sept. 6 and 33-32 over First Presbyterian Day on Nov. 8).
THE MATCHUP…
A high-quality encounter can be expected, with Calvary Day and Aquinas bringing a combined 24-game winning streak into the state championship. Calvary Day has won 11 in a row since losing its first two games of the season and Aquinas is undefeated. This clash features two of the classification’s most high-powered offenses. Calvary Day has scored at least 30 points in 11 straight games. Aquinas had scored at least 31 points in seven consecutive outings prior to facing Mt. Pisgah. The Fightin’ Irish rarely give up big plays, but they are susceptible to long scoring drives-which Calvary Day can produce with Heyward and Kirkland. Aquinas certainly won’t mind if special teams become a factor in a game anticipated to be extremely competitive. Leonard called Thompson the best kicker in the state after last week’s win. Thompson kicked a 44-yard field goal just before halftime in the win over Mt. Pisgah.
Loading ...
