CALEDONIA — The signs of growth are there.
That’s why a crud-stricken Andy Crotwell could stand near midfield in the driving rain and tell his Caledonia High School football players they are “so close.”
Two scoring drives that ended in field goals, not touchdowns. Missed opportunities to seal a gap or to fill a gap to prevent a long gain. A field goal that clanked off the left upright and deflected the wrong way.
Those were just some of the things that didn’t go Caledonia’s way Friday night in a 38-13 loss to Louisville in a Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A, Region 4 game.
But before you consider Crotwell’s comments “coach speak” from someone who only looks at the rosy side of the ledger, know that Caledonia rushed 49 times for 368 yards. Junior Zion Ford had 274 of those yards on 29 carries. And while Caledonia (4-3, 0-2 region) didn’t score in the second half, it had at least one first down on all of its drives in the final 24 minutes. The production against one of the favorites in the region came from a program that advanced to the playoffs last season for the first time since 2005.
Reaching the postseason could be even tougher this season with an improved Houston and the addition of Louisville (6-2, 2-0), but don’t think that means the progress isn’t there, or Crotwell and the Confederates are going to settle for moral victories and be satisfied that they are holding their own in arguably the toughest region in Class 4A.
“There were some things we could have done execution wise on both side of the ball that would have improved our situation,” Crotwell said. “They didn’t surprise us with anything. I just don’t know if we executed as well as we could have at times. They are so fast. They make your defense chase some things, and when it is time to play assignment football it is hard to do.
“It is one thing to do it in practice, to play assignment football and not be distracted by it. It is another thing to see it at a different speed. I don’t know that we trusted what we needed to do in a given situation to make the plays we can make. We needed to execute better offensively as we got in and toward the red zone.”
At one point, Crotwell talked to one of his defensive players who had just come off the field and encouraged him to do what he had been coached to do and not to be intimidated by the name on the front of the opponent’s jersey. Caledonia is getting closer to realizing that goal under Crotwell, who is in his fourth season as head coach. Last season, Caledonia won six games and showed a resiliency in numerous come-from-behind efforts. That tenacity helped the Confederates earn the No. 3 seed in Region 4.
This season, that same fight is there. Caledonia showed its ability to take a punch after Louisville answered two Caleb Comer field goals with a five-play touchdown drive that lasted all of 1 minute, 9 seconds and helped it take its first lead.
Some teams might have wilted under the impending wave from an eight-time state championship program. Instead, Caledonia answered with a five-play scoring drive of its own. Ford capped the possession with a 41-yard run right through the heart of the defense.
On the drive, Ford took over at quarterback for Spencer Unruh and attacked the defense off the snap. Crotwell said Caledonia took a page from West Point’s game plan against Louisville and added the wrinkle to its scheme for this week. The plan allowed Ford to use his athleticism and quickness to overcome the Wildcats’ aggressive five-man front. Caledonia also used the speed of and Jamel Thomas on sweeps against the Wildcats.
“They are going to try to outnumber you at the point of attack,” Crotwell said. “West Point had a lot of success with that set, and I felt like we did, too. I kind of made the decision after last week that we have to embrace who we are and who we are is a smash-mouth football team. We have some spread elements, and we have a guy (Unruh) who throw the ball well, and he did tonight, but I think if we are going to be successful in the region we’re in, we have to get downhill on people and really press the issue of going right at them.”
Crotwell praised the efforts of Ford, whose night’s work raised his totals to the season to 141 carries for 753 yards. His efforts against Louisville helped him improve his average rush 1 yard to 5.3 per carry.
“He is a great young man,” Crotwell said. “He has a lot going for him out here and in life. It is definitely something (incorporating West Point plan for Louisville into its scheme) we’re going to look at. Spencer brings a whole lot to the table, and he is our guy, but there is definitely a possibility we could continue to have that package or a package similar to it as an addition to what we do.”
But Louisville ultimately had too much speed and too many weapons. Sophomore quarterback Pervis Frazier scored on runs of 24 and 6 yards and connected with Demarcus Frazier on pass plays of 17 and 12 yards to help Louisville pull away. A late score came in the pouring rain with the game in hand. Caledonia was denied on the goal line as time expired.
While Caledonia struggled at times to contain Louisville’s speed, it also created chances for itself. Daniel Longmire forced a fumble and Coby Coleman recovered another fumble, but the Confederates couldn’t cash in the chances to flip the momentum.
“I think them stopping us on the turnover early in the second half was big for them,” Crotwell said. “I think if we are able to move the ball like we had at other times and get a touchdown there, I think that potentially changes the complexion of the game. They have a lot of big, fast athletes, but I thought in a lot of instances our kids met the challenge and played well.
“I know you look at the score and say, ‘How can you say that?’ But in a lot of instances we are one squeeze away on defense or one gap replacement from turning a 20- or 30-yard gain into a 2-yard gain because if you make a mistake against a team with that kind of speed, they are going to make you pay.”
With region games remaining against Kosciusko, reigning Class 4A champion Noxubee County, and Leake Central, Crotwell knows his team faces an uphill climb if it is going to finish in the top four in the region and return to the playoffs. But he said he isn’t going to focus on “big picture” things until after the season. When you’re building a program, Crotwell knows it’s better to take a more narrow approach so the Confederates will continue to shrink the gap between them and the teams at the top of the region.
“Are we better today than we were yesterday? Are we better after the current snap than we were after the last snap?” Crotwell said. “That is the way I look at it. I don’t really worry about that broader scope and have we improved from this year to that year.
“I thought our pulling improved from last week (against Houston). It was faster and it was crisper. I thought our backs hits the holes faster and with more behind them than they did last week. Those are areas of improvement. I thought from the first half to the second half Chris Clements improved. He gave us some throws in the first half and he showed growth and improvement. That is what I look for, and I think that is all you can ask the kids to do.
“I don’t think you will find better kids in the state of Mississippi than the ones you will find at Caledonia. We have kids who are resilient. They are going to come back next week and prepare the way they need to prepare. They are going to come out next Friday night and they’re going to fight like crazy to compete and give themselves a chance to win it.”
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.
