Key Play
James Longmire doesn’t compete in track and field, so it’s not surprising he didn’t know the meaning of the term “closing speed” until Friday night. To a sprinter, closing speed means an athlete has a burst, reserve, or kick of energy, usually at the end of a race, to come from behind and beat another competitor. Longmire showed Friday night he has exceptional closing speed, even if he wasn’t coming from behind to edge out a sprinter. In this case, though, Longmire’s play helped save Caledonia’s Class 4A, Region 4 victory. Trailing Caledonia 28-27 with less than three minutes remaining in the game, Houston High’s Donj Barr ripped off a 13-yard gain to move his team into the Confederates’ territory. But Barr fumbled forward on the play and the football trickled inside the 30-yard line. Houston offensive lineman Brandon Samuel appeared to be the only one in the right place to make the recovery, but Longmire raced from behind and, like any good soccer player would know how to do, he positioned his body in front of Samuel and essentially boxed him out and fell on the football.
“I was thinking, ‘This guy is not up to my speed. I can get this ball,’ ” Longmire said. “All I have to do is focus and put myself in a situation I can get the ball and win a football game for my team.”
Longmire said both players were shoulder to shoulder and he used his body to shield Samuel from the ball. He said he felt Samuel grabbing for the ball when they were on the ground, but he said there was no way he was going to give it up.
“He may have had one hand on it, but I wasn’t going to let him have it,” Longmire said. “It was amazing. Our offense kept it up and our defense showed out tonight. Every point counts. Every inch counts.”
Key Drive
Leading 14-13, Caledonia held Houston to a three-and-out and took over at its 32-yard line. The Confederates then went 68 yards in 11 plays for their longest drive of the evening. Like on many of Caledonia’s possessions Friday night, Henry shouldered the bulk of the load, carrying the ball eight times for 53 yards. But the drive was important because Caledonia overcame a delay of game penalty that pushed it back to a second-and-16 from the Houston 37. Henry responded with gains of 11 and 6 yards to get the first down. Spencer Unruh then hit Cole Gullette on a 20-yard fade pattern to the left corner of the end zone. Longmire’s extra point gave Caledonia a 21-13 lead with 1 minute, 15 seconds to go in the third quarter.
“I have a supreme amount of confidence in our offensive line and our H-back, Jantzen Glasgow, our tight end (Ian Hartmann), and ‘Buck’ (Henry),” Caledonia coach Andy Crotwell said. “As far as scheme goes, when you are running the power play, you want them to scoot up because you’re washing them down. It is when they are back and deeper that they give you problems. When they started bringing them, that is kind of what we wanted.”
Unsung Hero
Sage Kangas has found a home. Crotwell admitted after the game Kangas, who played fullback last season, should have been at outside linebacker all along. Listed at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, Kangas isn’t one of Caledonia’s biggest players, but he plays with an intensity and a drive that sparks the defense. Kangas made two sensational defensive plays at key junctures to help the Confederates get off the field. The first was in the first quarter, when he flew into the backfield to stop quarterback Taylor Baskins for a 9-yard loss. Baskins attempted to use his speed to roll to the left, but Kangas’ speed enabled him to corral Baskins. The second play came in the second quarter and helped preserve a 7-6 Caledonia lead. Houston opted to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Caledonia 9 with 4:40 to play in the quarter, but Kangas held on to running back Urriah Shephard for a 5-yard loss to turn the ball back over to the Confederates.
“We should have had Sage at that spot last year,” Crotwell said. “We put him in that outside linebacker spot and it is kind of a ‘sic-em’ position. You have one or two responsibilities and, other than that, ‘sic-em’. He is consistently our highest, or one of our highest, graders. I am so proud of our defense tonight. They played well tonight. They got off blocks and tackled big boy very well, for the most part. Hopefully, they will just continue to grow and get better because most of our youth is on defense. We are hoping and counting on them to grow as the season progresses, and they have.”
Turning Point
Houston didn’t waste any time answering Caledonia’s momentum surge that helped it take a 21-13 lead. The Hilltoppers took over with 1:06 left in the third quarter and used a 15-play drive that ate up 5:47 off the clock. Houston benefited from a completed pass and a Caledonia pass interference call on third down. Caledonia hurt itself with an offsides penalty and a false start after that, which allowed Brandon Townsend to score on a 2-yard run. He also sprinted to the left for the two-point conversion that helped the Hilltoppers tie the score at 21.
Difference-Maker
The Caledonia offensive line started strong and then adjusted after Houston found an answer in the second quarter. The blocking of Cody Cliett, Carrlon Byrd, Daniel Cunningham, Tristan Nessell, and Bobby Rushing, tight end Ian Hartmann, and lead blockers Chase Pennington and Jantzen Glasgow helped pave the way for Henry out of the Power-I.
“All of the film we watched of Houston, everybody was running power on them, and running power easy,” Cliett said. “We knew that and we didn’t have to make adjustments. We just ran the ball a lot and we executed.
“It was just mental toughness. We told everybody it was going to pay off and to keep fighting. In the fourth quarter, we took that to heart and finished.”
— Adam Minichino
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 24 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 24 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
