NASHVILLE - The McCallie Blue Tornado traveled to Nashville to take on the state’s number one team on Friday in what turned out to be an instant classic Division II-AAA State Semifinal matchup. The Blue Tornado came up just short in a 28-27 loss to the Big Red.
Temperatures sat in the low 30’s all evening, but the frigid weather wasn’t enough to convince the fans of either team not to show up and create an electric atmosphere. The back and forth affair created a call and response of thunderous cheers from the visiting McCallie side of the field, to the home MBA fans, and then back again.
The first eruption came from the MBA side, when star dual-threat quarterback Marcel Reed threw the first of his four touchdown passes, connecting with Blake Ragsdale across the middle midway through the first quarter. Following the early 79 yard drive from the Big Red, defenses stiffened and the game’s next two drives resulted in punts.
Looking for the answer, McCallie showed their offensive versatility by mixing pass and run to begin their second possession as the second quarter began. Having converted two third downs on the drive, head coach Ralph Potter went with an aggressive play call and put the ball in the hands of his quarterback on fourth and three in the red zone. 6’4”, 220-pound Jay St. Hilaire didn’t disappoint, tucking the ball and gliding around the left edge to score untouched from ten yards out and even the score at 14 a piece.
On MBA’s ensuing possession, McCallie’s defensive front forced Marcel Reed to roll out of the pocket and heave an off-balance pass into double coverage where it was intercepted by defensive-back Carson Lawrence. The Big Red momentum from their opening touchdown had all but abandoned them, and the McCallie offense trotted back onto the field with an opportunity to take the lead.
Instead, MBA’s defense came up with run stops on second and third down, forcing McCallie’s punt unit to take the field for the second time. Prior to the snap, however, McCallie burned their first timeout, and when they lined up again for the punt, MBA took a timeout of their own. Having had an extra few minutes to think about it, Ralph Potter decided to once again show confidence in his offense by sending them back onto the field for a fourth and three at their own 39-yard-line. Potter’s gamble paid off when St. Helaire handed the ball to tail back Ja’Von McMahan who bursted through the hole and raced 61 yards for the score.
With only a 1:50 remaining in the half, Marcel Reed wasted no time slinging the ball around looking for a response to McCallie’s big play. Following a 17-yard completion to Claiborne Richards, Reed uncorked a 35-yard dart to Ty Burd, who was all alone in the endzone after running an excellent post route.
Through the first half, each team had taken the best punch from their opponent, and responded by delivering one of their own in a game that had the early makings of an evenly-matched shootout.
MBA head coach Marty Euverard’s half-time message seemed to have resonated with his squad, as they came out of the tunnel buzzing. His defense forced a McCallie three-and-out, and his offense followed it up with a dazzling touchdown drive filled with athletic improvisation from Reed, and well-designed misdirection in the passing game. The drive culminated with a roll-out and a throw-back to Hutton Durrett who scored from 10 yards out with no defenders in sight.
Nearing the close of the third quarter, Reed continued to shine, delivering his fourth touchdown pass of the day to a wide open Claiborne Richards from 45 yards. Reed finished with 223 passing yards, four touchdowns, and 93 yards on the ground in a stellar performance.
Down 14, and with the energy positioned squarely on the MBA sideline, Jay St. Hilaire put on his superman cape and led a marvelous drive of his own. The big play came from Nolan Sergeant, who left his feet to make a spectacular catch, maintaining possession through a big hit to set his team up with a first and goal. St. Hilaire punched it in for his second rushing score of the night, and the Blue Tornado had new life.
Next to take center stage was the McCallie defense. Throughout the entire fourth quarter, they shut down MBA’s passing game, and came up with critical third down stops time after time. The most important stop came with around 5 minutes left in the game, where they forced a punt and gave their offense the ball at their own 11 with a chance for a long drive and a game-tying score.
“What a great fourth quarter,” said Ralph Potter. “What a great effort. I thought they did very very well.”
After a holding call, McCallie was pinned inside their own 10 with a second down and 24. Fortunately for the Blue Tornado, all night there seemed to be no obstacle too great for Jay St. Hilaire and his receiving corps. St. Hilaire dropped a deep bomb right into the bucket, hitting Enrique Jaimes LeClaire in stride for a 50-yard pickup. A couple third down conversions later, McCallie was facing a fourth-and-goal from the 14 with 45 seconds on the clock. The MBA crowd was standing and cheering frantically, hoping for a stop that would send their team to the State Championship, but again, seemingly no obstacle could stand in the way of St. Hilaire tonight. He delivered a laser over the middle to a sliding Andrei Delinois in the end zone for what appeared to be a game-tying score.
The dejected Big Red crowd of crimson overcoats and wool hats soon found themselves biting their nails as Ralph Potter kept his offense on the field to attempt a game winning 2-point conversion. There wasn’t an occupied seat in the entire stadium, as fans from both sides were on their feet watching as Jay St. Hilaire delivered his final pass of the game. The pass was batted down and as the ball hit the ground, so did the hearts of the packed McCallie bleachers and sideline. Crimson Jerseys spilled over from the sideline, and bedlam ensued as MBA sealed the victory with a kneel down and claimed a ticket to the State Title game after a thrilling 1-point victory.
“We knew that we had to score points,” said Potter. “We’ve kind of been aggressive like that historically. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.” Potter said.
MBA will move on to face Baylor in the DII-AAA State Championship at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga on Thursday December first. The Red Raiders advanced with a win over Brentwood Academy, 44-39.
Summary
McCallie: 0 14 0 13 27
MBA: 7 7 14 0 28
MBA - Blake Ragsdale pass from Marcel Reed for 9 yards (Liam Hacket kick) (7:17 First)
McCallie - Jay St. Hilaire runs 10 yards (Elliott Arnold kick) (5:16 Second)
McCallie - Ja’Von McMahan runs 61 yards (Elliott Arnold kick) (1:50 Second)
MBA - Ty Burd pass from Marcel Reed for 35 yards (Liam Hacket kick) (0:36 Second)
MBA - Hutton Durrett pass from Marcel Reed from 10 yards (Liam Hacket kick) (7:05 Third)
McCallie: Jay St. Hilaire runs 3 yards (Elliott Arnold kick) (11:20 Fourth)
McCallie: Andrei Delinois pass from Jay St. Hilaire for 14 yards (2 point conversion no good) (0:45)
McCallie Stats MBA
19 First Downs 17
35-172 Rushing 20-106
202 Passing 223
374 Total 329
21-32-0 Passes 14-25-1
1-0 Fumbles 1-0
2-15 Penalties 4-30
3-38.7 Punts 4-44.3
Individual Stats:
Rushing: Jay St. Hilaire 20-76, Ja’Von McMahan 2-64, Tario Price 13-32 (McCallie); Marel Reed 12-93, Jonathan Moore 5-16, Ty Burd 1-(-3) (MBA)
Passing: Jay St. Hilaire 21-32 202 yards (McCallie); Marcel Reed 14-25 223 yards (MBA)
Receiving: Enrique Jaimes LeClaire 5-84, Mathieu Herbert 4-46, Nolan Sergeant 5-34, Andrei Delinois 3-20, Carson Gentle 2-11, Drew Hamilton 2-7 (McCallie); Claiborne Richards 6-114, Ty Burd 2-52, Hutton Durrett 3-19, Keen Zoller 1-16, Jonathan Moore 1-13, Blake Ragsdale 1-9 (MBA)
Records: MBA 12-0, McCallie 10-3