CALEDONIA — The Caledonia High School football team will be at a distinct disadvantage Friday night when it hosts Amory after losing eight practices and a game when the school went to virtual learning because of COVID-19.
On the other hand, the Panthers opened their season with a 35-14 loss to Itawamba Agricultural, an indication that they won’t be repeating their 9-2 record and first-round Class 3A playoff win from 2020.
“I guess first game of the year you don’t know what to expect,” Caledonia coach Michael Kelly said at Wednesday’s practice. “I’m just grateful for the opportunity, that our kids get a chance to compete.”
The Cavaliers lost a big game on their schedule, as they moved their opener against New Hope to Thursday to separate it from the rest of last week’s MHSAA opening games. Waiting a week to take the field has the Cavaliers eager to go, and Kelly is excited to see what this year’s team can do.
One thing he does not want to see is a repeat of the Cavaliers’ defensive performance in last year’s game at Amory, a 44-33 Panthers win. Quarterback Hunter Jones threw for 326 yards and five touchdowns, 169 yards and 2 touchdowns to Braxton Griffin and 107 yards and a touchdown to Jay Hampton.
“Defensively, I’m just looking not to give up as many big plays as we did last year,” Kelly said. “I think this is the game last year where we gave up 14 plays of 20 or more yards. Obviously, that can’t happen.”
Griffin is back, but Jones is gone, leaving the Panthers to break in a new quarterback. But they have other weapons that concern Kelly.
“They have a very dynamic tailback up there, (Charleston) French,” Kelly said. “He comes from good stock, good genes. He’s able to take it to the house from anywhere on the field. They’ve got two explosive receivers. They’ve got a young quarterback, but he’s growing up.”
Kelly said the Panthers present issues on the other side of the ball as well.
“Defensively, they have a lot of team speed,” he said. “They’re very opportunistic. They try to blitz, stunt and try to hit you in the backfield and cause negative plays, which we can’t have. We need to overcome their team speed on defense, and then I think we’ll be OK.”
The option offense risks negative plays, but it also can take advantage of an overly aggressive defense. In recent years, the Cavaliers have been able to score points against the Panthers. In addition to 33 in last year’s loss, Caledonia put up 35 in a victory in 2019 and 34 in a loss in 2018.
“I hope offensively we’re able to score some points,” Kelly said. “For us to do that, we’ve got to execute and be very detailed. Obviously, with us running the option game, we can’t beat ourselves.”
Won’t the time lost to COVID-19 make it tougher to execute well during the first game of the season?
“Missing eight practices I know definitely has hurt us, but our kids are resilient, and I think they’re ready to play,” said Kelly, who believes his team is in its best overall physical shape during his four years on the sideline. “They’ve been out here so much practicing, every now and then you’ve got to go compete and hit somebody else.”
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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 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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Football players wait their turn to go through drills during practice Wednesday at Caledonia High School. The Cavaliers open their season Friday at home against Amory. Tom Rysinski/Dispatch Staff
Caledonia High School football players scramble to get in position for the next snap during practice Wednesday on the turf field behind the school's field house. Tom Rysinski/Dispatch Staff
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