CALEDONIA — Zion Ford was just trying to make something happen.
But don’t let Ford’s use of an innocuous phrase diminish the impact of the game-changing moment he delivered Friday night.
All the Caledonia High School junior running back needed to do was use his fingertips — not once, but twice.
Ford’s juggling act on a pass from quarterback Spencer Unruh went from a possible missed opportunity to a 53-yard touchdown pass in the snap of the fingers and helped push Caledonia to a 31-7 victory against Mooreville in its home opener.
“I was like, ‘I hope he sees me. I hope he sees me,’ ” said Ford, who said he didn’t need to wave to attract Unruh’s attention. “I looked back and we made eye contact and we went from there. I knew he was going to get it out to me. It was just a matter of me catching it. I tipped it a couple of times and when I got it I was like, ‘Let’s go to the house.’ ”
Ford’s tip-drill reception and the play that came before it provided a perfect snap shot of the work Caledonia did to improve to 2-0. Leading 17-0 after stopping Mooreville (0-2) on downs to end the third quarter, Caledonia took over at its 47-yard line to start the fourth quarter. Unruh had plenty of time to sit in the pocket and find a receiver over the middle. Unfortunately, like too many times in the first three quarters, the pass went through the receiver’s hands and hit his helmet and fell incomplete.
Instead of hanging their heads, the Confederates regrouped and continued to attack. Flushed from the pocket on second down, Unruh was running out of room and being pursued by three defenders. As he moved closer to the Caledonia sideline, Unruh spotted the 6-foot-1, 170-pound Ford, only he looked a lot bigger with all of that green grass behind him.
“He just had to come out of his route and there was nobody behind him,” Unruh said. “He took off and was wide open.”
Unruh didn’t recall if he had time to throw off two feet or if the pressure forced him to throw off one foot. He felt confident, though, that he had enough time to avoid contact and make a good throw. When he released the football, all he did was hope Ford could make a play.
“I saw him juggle it the whole way,” Unruh said. “I am glad he held onto it. I think it was a great play to stay with the ball, great concentration.”
Even without an ESPNU crew on hand to document the action, the play seemed to go in slow motion. Ford reached with his hands to stop the ball and it hung in the air. Unable to secure it after the initial touch, he tipped it again to keep it in front of his body. With his eyes fixed on the football, Ford snatched it with two hands, cradled it safely, and took off.
“After the first tip, I was like, ‘Let me secure it a little bit more,’ ” Ford said. “At first, it was questionable (that the ball was going to fall), but when I got the ball into my chest I just tried to make the best out of it.”
Ford smiled after the game when he said he tipped it twice for “good luck.” He said the Confederates don’t do tip drills in practice to simulate situations like that one. Instead, he said the Confederates work on catching the ball the proper way so they can make plays.
“That was a poor catch on my part, to be honest, to even have to tip it,” Ford said.
Caledonia coach Andy Crotwell didn’t see it that way. Faced with what he called a “classic scramble drill,” Crotwell said Ford made the proper read and came back to help Unruh. He admitted Caledonia hasn’t touched on the fundamentals of that situation a whole lot in preseason or the first two weeks of the regular season. That’s why he was pleased to see Unruh stretch the play to keep it alive and Ford support his teammate and provide a pick-me-up that proved to be the final blow the Confederates needed to put the Troopers away.
“Initially, Zion ran a hitch and saw the scramble and ran to green grass deep and Spencer had his eyes down field, as all good quarterbacks do, and was able to make a big play,” Crotwell said. “Given the amount of drops we had tonight, my first thought was, ‘We have another drop to address,’ but he handled a hot ball well and held onto it and did a good job wrangling it in and running to the end zone.”
The touchdown pass was Unruh’s second of the game on a night in which his statistics (12 of 26 for 147 yards) don’t look as impressive as they could have been. The Confederates dropped at last six balls that could have helped their offense find its rhythm much earlier. As it was, the Confederates sputtered through the first half and led the Class 3A Troopers only 7-0 at halftime.
But Caledonia found its footing in the second half by mixing a running game that featured Ford (19 carries, 59 yards) and passing game that alternated between an underneath game and one that stretched the defense. Unruh, who is in his second season as the starting quarterback, looked comfortable with his footing and often delivered the ball quickly out of the shotgun. He also picked his spots to run the ball and scored on runs of 7 and 18 yards.
“I think it was a little bit of nerves was part of the reason, being the first home game,” Unruh said. “But I have confidence that the guys can still make plays.”
Crotwell also likes the number of weapons at his disposal. Even though the Confederates lost workhorse running back Brandon “Buck” Henry to graduation after their first playoff season since 2005, Crotwell feels Unruh has matured under center and that the Confederates can do a number of things if they execute.
“With the exception of the drops and the miscues, this is kind of how I envisioned the offense would be, to have a couple of guys who could take the top off of it, but, for the most part, operate with a good running game and a nice rhythm, quick game to keep people honest,” Crotwell said. “When opportunities present themselves, take it over the top. We have a lot of corrections to make. We’re not where we want to be on either side of the ball, but the defense sure played well tonight.”
Ford hopes to continue to be one of those contributors. After rushing for 131 yards and three touchdowns in a 24-19 victory at Shannon in the season opener, Ford hopes he can play a variety of roles to help the Confederates build on their 2014 finish. If it means working on tip drills or staying after practice to perfect his technique catching footballs, Ford is willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen.
“If I have to tip it a couple of times, I just have to make sure I get it in,” Ford said.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 31 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 31 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
