“Jim Brown will give you that leg and then take it away from you. Jim Taylor would give you that leg and then ram it through your chest.”
— Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi, comparing the running style of former LSU and Green Bay Packers’ running back Jim Taylor to Cleveland Browns’ running back Jim Brown
FULTON — Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame sportswriter Rick Cleveland penned a recent column on former LSU and Green Bay Packers’ running back Jim Taylor in which coach Vince Lombardi compared Taylor’s running style with the great Cleveland Browns’ running back Jim Brown.
Lombardi’s quote is listed above. In the same article, LSU teammate Durwood Graham was quoted as saying, “Jim Taylor attacked the tackler before the tackler attacked him.”
That was pretty much the case Friday night, as Itawamba Agricultural High School running back Ike Chandler gave Caledonia a taste of both running styles in a 48-34 Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 4A, Region 2 game.
Chandler had 24 carries for 322 yards rushing and five touchdowns to help IAHS (7-4, 3-2 region) clinch third place in the region and a spot in the playoff.
Chandler, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound junior, ran over and around defenders to pace the Indians’ 447-yards offensive effort.
Chandler entered the game averaging 8.8 yards per carry and 167.8 yards per game, but he picked up 13.4 yards every time he touched the ball against the Confederates (3-7, 1-4). He failed to gain positive yardage only once, and 15 of his 24 carries went for 10 yards or more. He had a long of 60 yards on a first-half touchdown run. He lost 60 additional yards when his teammates were flagged for holding on runs of 37 and 23 yards.
The remainder of the backfield rushed for 42 yards.
The final result was closer than indicated, as Caledonia trailed 20-14 at halftime and 27-21 entering the fourth quarter.
Caledonia, which was coming off back-to-back one-point losses to Pontotoc and Amory, committed three fumbles and had a blocked field goal attempt set up three IAHS touchdowns and thwarted one Caledonia scoring opportunity from the IAHS 12-yard line.
“They were back-breakers for sure,” said Caledonia coach Michael Kelly, who reversed the fortunes of a program that went 0-10 in 2017. “It was a one-possession game at the time, and you can’t spot the opponents points like that if you want to win the game.”
Trailing 27-21, Caledonia forced a three-and-out to take possession at its 20. On the first play from scrimmage, Davion Sistrunk collected a fumble and motored 20 yards for the score that made it a two-possession game. The kick made it 34-21 with 10 minutes, 30 seconds to play.
A face mask penalty on the ensuing kickoff gave Caledonia possession at its 36, but a second-straight first-down fumble set the Indians up with a first down at the Confederates’ 36. Chandler had carries of 20 and 16 yards to add to the cushion. The kick made it 41-21 with 9:40 remaining.
Caledonia responded with a 10-play, 73-yard drive. Freshman running back Darquez Williams capped the drive with a 9-yard touchdown run. Wes Rollins’ kick cut the deficit to 41-28 with 4:47 to play.
Thirty-one seconds later, Chandler scored on a 3-yard. A 45-yard completion from Jaxon Orr to Sistrunk set up the Indians’ final score.
A touchdown pass from Brandon Edmondson to Darrius Triplett with 1:37 left accounted for the final margin.
Itawamba set the tone with a 33-yard return on the opening kickoff. Chandler had gains 19 and 23 yards for the first score 43 seconds into the game.
The first of four Caledonia fumbles set IAHS up with a first down at the Caledonia 27 on its initial possession minutes later, but the Indians’ scoring opportunity fizzled at the 28 thanks to a holding penalty followed by two incomplete passes.
Caledonia then mounted an 11-play, 72-yard march on the ground. JaDarius Gore’s 6-yard touchdown plunge and Rollins’ kick tied it at 7 with 1:43 left in the first quarter.
Less than a minute later, Chandler bolted 60 yards to help break the tie.
Caledonia’s next possession ended with a three-and-out. IAHS responded with an eight-play, 70-yard drive — 42 of which were credited to Chandler — before Orr scored on a 14-yard keeper to make it 20-7 with 7:27 left in the second quarter.
Two plays later, Edmondson hooked up with Anthony Triplett for a 51-yard pass-run touchdown. Rollins’ kick cut the deficit to six.
The Confederates lost an opportunity to take the lead after recovering the ensuing onside kick at the IAHS 41. After reaching the Indians’ 23, Channing Caygle recovered a fumble after a 5-yard tackle-for-loss at the 28.
IAHS failed to move the ball on its next possession. A 10-yard punt went out of bounds at the Indians’ 37 to give the Confederates a final scoring opportunity in the half. They reached the IAHS 16, but three incompletions and an intentional grounding call that resulted in a 15-yard penalty and loss of a down turned the ball back to the Indians.
Caledonia lost yet another chance to take the lead on its opening drive of the second half. Eight-straight running plays, two on which Williams gained 25 and 20 yards, moved the ball to the Indians’ 12, but Caygle blocked a field goal attempt to give IAHS a first down at its 28.
IAHS increased its lead thanks to a six-play, 72-yard drive that featured five of the six plays going for 14 yards or more. Chandler had 64 of the 72 yards, the last 16 of which gave him his third touchdown.
Caledonia crawled back to 27-21 on Edmondson’s 2-yard plunge, but the turnovers in the fourth quarter proved to be too much to overcome.
Despite losing and failing to reach the playoffs, Kelly had nothing but praise for his squad.
“I couldn’t be more proud of this team and especially of our nine seniors who have laid the foundation for better things to come in the future, and they can walk out of here with their heads held high,” Kelly said. “Who would have ever thought that with all the coaching changes in the last four years and all the adversity these kids have gone through that we would have won three games and, except for a break here or there in the last three games, were so close to a 6-4 overall record.
“We had a good year overall, but I promised the returning players that it’s not going to be this way again because the future looks bright in Caledonia. We’re going to put a winner on the field — not because of me or the coaches, but because those folks in the stands are starving for a winner and we, as a team, are going to give it to them.”
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