Fourth Down Play Key To McCallie’s Third Straight Title

McCallie offensive coordinator Joel Bradford had a plan for Thursday evening’s DII-AAA BlueCross Bowl. He hardly slept the night before as he went over it time and again. He picked at it and critiqued it on the short drive from McCallie campus to Finley Stadium.

 

All the way up until kickoff with Montgomery Bell Academy he tweaked it some here and there until he was happy the plan to secure a third consecutive state title was sound.

 

So when a fourth down and 8 popped up midway through the third quarter in game the Blue Tornado led by a single score despite dominating the play from almost every angle, Bradford did not hesitate.

 

“I looked down the sideline at him, and he had that look in his eye, so I knew we were going for it,” said head coach Ralph Potter of the play which for all practical matters was the decisive play of the night.

 

Up a scant 14-7 despite more than doubling MBA’s yardage total, the Big Blue came to the fourth down crossroads needing eight full yards at the Big Red 37.

And had McCallie not missed two field goals and had a fumble which set up MBA’s only score late in the first half, Bradford might not have even considered going for it.

 

“Our plan was to be aggressive, no doubt. The way things had gone up to that point, I just felt like this was the time to be aggressive. MBA had been super aggressive on attacking the QB, and we had something that wasn’t really on film which we had been saving for the right moment. It was the right moment,” Bradford said of the play.

 

McCallie quarterback William Riddle rolled to his right with the snap and had wide receiver Kenzy Paul in tow, pitching it to him on the speed option just as he was hit and Paul finished the 11-yard run for the first down. Three plays later, Damian Scott’s 12-yard run put the Big Blue up 21-7.

 

“Yeah, I thought that play was a dagger to their heart. They were in the game, and things just seemed to be setting up for them, but when we converted that, and finally got that two score cushion, all just seemed right,” said Riddle of the drive.

 

And right it was as McCallie completed its third straight title run in 28-7 style joining the fabled Cleveland team which won three straight titles in the mid 90s.

 

“Just a great night for McCallie and a great night for Chattanooga,” Potter said amidst the celebration. “There was a lot of pressure being the home town team, but honestly, I just didn’t want to have to go into that locker room and talk to them if we lost. There were a lot of big plays and key plays, but that drive in the third quarter was huge.”

 

That drive was set up after MBA roughed the punter on a fourth-and-5 near midfield to hand McCallie a first down. A four-yard gain, a sack and an incomplete pass set up another fourth down, and Bradford wasn’t going to leave it in anyone else’s hands but his boys.

 

“We have so much trust in Coach Bradford, and as soon as the play came into the huddle, then it was about trusting the guys up front, and trusting the read by Riddle. Coach Bradford just has a way of getting the ball to right person at the right time. He’s an amazing offensive coordinator,” said Paul of the moment.

 

It was one of several moments for the 6-1, 190-pound senior. Paul intercepted a pass from MBA quarterback Marcel Reed on the Big Red’s second drive and then scored on a 30-yard strike from Riddle on the first play of the second quarter to make it 14-0.

 

“I visualized that play as soon as I got the pick. You get the pick, you should get the TD, and as soon as we came out in the set, I knew I was going to be open,” said Paul, who caught two passes for 37 yards.

 

Paul was just one of several who had their moments.

 

Wide receiver Xavier Gaillardetz caught five balls for 117 yards, including a quick hitter across the middle which he took 46 yards for McCallie’s first score.

 

Gaillardetz may have been the most talented player on the field, just as he has been much of the year. The native Canadian missed all last year when his high school season in Virginia was cancelled due to Covid before transferring in. He led the city in receiving, but still has not found his way on anyone’s recruiting radar, in part because of his lost season.

 

“Those things are out of my control. I just play and enjoy the game. Everything will work out in the end,” he smiled as he headed off.

 

Things certainly worked out for McCallie last night. From a harassing defense that kept the uber talented Reed on the run all night, to a slashing run game led Tario Price’s 114 yards, it was all Big Blue.

 

“I didn’t lose sleep because I was nervous about the game plan. I was confident in what we were going to do, but there’s still that part where you hope you don’t mess things up for the kids. That’s what you battle sometimes, because there’s so much pressure in the moment, but this was our last game, and we weren’t going to leave anything behind,” Bradford admitted.

 

And anything behind was the perfect fourth down call that Bradford had saved in his pocket for just such an occasion.        

 

(Contact James Beach via email at 1134james@gmail.com or Twitter @beachnut1134)