CALHOUN CITY — From the opening quarter, Calhoun City set the tone and never gave West Lowndes a chance to recover. Behind an efficient passing attack led by Harland Pittman and a dominant rushing performance from Demarious Pittman, the Wildcats cruised to a 40-0 victory over the Panthers on Friday night.

West Lowndes won the toss and deferred to the second half, opting for an onside kick to start the game. The ball slipped through a Calhoun City returner’s hands and was recovered by the Panthers, but the possession ended in a quick three and out.

The Wildcats wasted no time striking back. A quick run from Demarious Pittman moved the chains before a shovel pass to Jaylon Jackson broke the Panthers’ containment and pushed Calhoun City deep into West Lowndes territory. On the next play, Carson Lawrence found Jackson on a short curl route for the first touchdown of the night. Harland Pittman powered in the two-point rush to make it 8-0 midway through the opening quarter.

West Lowndes showed early flashes on its next possession, with Alex Colbert picking up a few solid runs, but a false start turned a manageable third down into a passing situation, and the throw fell incomplete. Calhoun City took over with good field position but faced a quick three-and-out as Antonio Brown and Kylan Ellis combined for key tackles to keep the game within reach.

Late in the first quarter, the Wildcat offense began to find its rhythm. Demarious Pittman broke off consecutive gains to push Calhoun City inside the red zone before the clock expired. Early in the second quarter, a botched snap nearly derailed the drive, but Harland Pittman adjusted and found Trell Dorrough in the corner of the end zone for another score. Dorrough followed with a hard-nosed two-point run to extend the lead to 16-0.

“It was going to be a really physical game,” Calhoun City head coach M.D. Jennings said. “We had to win the battles in the trenches, and I am extremely pleased with how these guys performed.”

The Wildcats’ momentum only grew from there. After forcing another West Lowndes punt, Calhoun City pieced together a methodical drive highlighted by back-to-back first downs from Pittman and Jaquavion Jennings. A deep pass down the sideline from Lawrence found Dorrough for a 24-yard touchdown and another two-point conversion to stretch the lead even further.

West Lowndes’ next series ended in disaster when a fumble on a short run was scooped up by Za Gary, who returned it for a Calhoun City touchdown. Lawrence ran in the conversion to make it 32-0 midway through the second quarter.

The Panthers tried to respond through the air as quarterback Jaylen Ellis looked downfield for Tyrome Scales, but the Wildcats’ secondary stepped up again. Makevion Gray intercepted the deep pass and returned it into West Lowndes territory before an illegal block brought it back. Even so, Calhoun City made the possession count. A strong run from Jamarius Hill set up a one-yard touchdown pass from Harland Pittman to Bryson West. Pittman then connected with Dorrough on the two-point conversion to make it 40-0 just before halftime.

West Lowndes regrouped after the break and put together its best drive of the night to open the third quarter. Ellis led the way, converting a fourth down with a short pass to Christopher Elder before breaking loose on a 12-yard run to reach Wildcat territory. A 23-yard completion to Scales moved the Panthers inside the 20, but three straight plays went nowhere. A false start and a fumbled snap on fourth down ended the drive.

Calhoun City took over and methodically moved the ball back into West Lowndes territory as Dereon Mays and Demarious Pittman traded carries behind a strong offensive line.

Early in the fourth, West Lowndes forced a fumble near midfield that was recovered by Jaraquist Cunningham, giving the Panthers a spark. On the next play, Ellis tried to find Scales deep downfield, but the throw was intercepted by Hill. Calhoun City ran out the clock from there, sealing a commanding win at home.

“The playoffs start next week, so we got to come out and be ready to play,” West Lowndes head coach Anthony King said. “Hopefully we can give these guys a better game at North State. I tell my guys, ‘A brand new season starts next week.’”

For West Lowndes, the night was a test against one of the state’s top teams. The Panthers answered with grit up front and sharper execution on defense as they look to regroup and continue improving down the stretch.

Calhoun City improved to 8-1 and clinched the 1A Region 3 championship, while West Lowndes will head into the playoffs.

Calhoun City 40, West Lowndes 0

Calhoun City (8–1)       8 32 0 0 — 40

West Lowndes (4–4)           0 0 0 0 — 0

First Quarter

CC — Jackson 31-yard pass from Lawrence (two-point conversion good)

Second Quarter

CC — Dorrough 10-yard pass from H. Pittman (two-point conversion good)

CC — Dorrough 24-yard pass from Lawrence (two-point conversion good)

CC — Gary fumble return (two-point conversion good)

CC — West 1-yard pass from H. Pittman (two-point conversion good)

Third Quarter

No scoring

Fourth Quarter

No scoring