Peach County defense clamps down on Calhoun for routine win (updated Saturday, 12:45 p.m.)
Peach County’s defense has been getting better throughout most of the season, especially the defensive line.
Calhoun can attest to that.
The Trojans’ defensive front kept Calhoun quarterback Gavin Gray under pressure all night – and sent him to the sidelines a few times – and clamped down on the run game to key a 22-7 win in a GHSA Class 3A semifinal game.
The Trojans will play Cedar Grove on dec. 11 at 1 p.m. in the championship.
The game was fairly similar to last year’s meeting, a 10-6 Calhoun win in the championship, minus any controversy.
But the Trojans had enough offense to get on top and stay there. A 31-yard field goal by Brandon Cervantes with eight seconds left in the third quarter made it a two-possession game
Peach County took the lead after Jamir Best blocked a Calhoun punt, QB Jaydon Gibson going in from the 6. But Gray tied it early in the second quarter on a sneak.
The Yellow Jackets almost had the lead on Brannon Spector’s pick 6 – repeating what he did in last year’s game – but it was nullified by a penalty, and the Jackets stalled after that.
A fumbled Calhoun punt snap preceded an iffy personal foul penalty to help keep a Peach County drive alive, and the Trojans took advantage with a 31-yard touchdown pass from Gibson to Justin Harris with 3:51 left in the half.
The Trojans dumped Gray five times in the first half and held the Yellow Jackets to negative rushing yardage. Starting running back Zack Fuller went out late in the first half with a concussion.
The second half wasn’t much different, Peach County’s defensive front – Cedric Hillsman, Best, Bryson Dent, Jaqualin McGhee, Quintell Jones, Josh Dickson, and Bryce McQuire - continuing to control the line of scrimmage.
Calhoun ended up with minus-15 rushing yards, and the Trojans finished with seven sacks.
The Trojans sealed it with Harris’s second touchdown, a pick 6 in the final half-minute.
It was the Yellow Jackets’ lowest point total since losing 58-6 to Cartersville early last season. The last single-digit playoff performance was in a 12-7 loss to Blessed Trinity in the 2015 semifinal.