GREENWOOD — Andy Crotwell would have organized one big hug if it was possible.
But it’s nearly impossible to get 28 people together in one space, even if they are all seniors. That’s why the Caledonia High School football coach went from player to player to acknowledge the oldest players and to thank them for their contributions to the team’s second trip to the playoffs in three years.
For a team without a lot of tradition on the gridiron, fourth-seeded Caledonia nearly pulled one of the biggest upsets in the state Friday night before falling to top-seeded Greenwood 34-28 in the first round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 4A playoffs at Bulldogs Stadium.
Greenwood (8-3), the Region 3 champion, used a 15-yard touchdown run from Rico Owen (24 carries, 198 yards, two touchdowns) with 3 minutes, 10 seconds remaining to take the lead for the final time on a back-and-forth evening.
“They gave everything they had,” Crotwell said. “They fought their tails off. I am so proud of their effort. We were very, very close. We just didn’t quite get there.”
Caledonia (5-6), which defeated Leake Central 49-35 last week to earn the fourth and final playoff spot out of Region 4, used a 37-yard kick return by Jamel Thomas to start at the Greenwood 44-yard line with 3:03 to play. Following a 3-yard gain on first down, quarterback Spencer Unruh read the linebackers and took off to his right. Unruh jumped to avoid a tackler, but he lost the ball for the Confederates’ only turnover of the evening. Without any timeouts, Caledonia didn’t have any options left after Transleon Tribblett gained 8 yards on third down to seal the deal.
“I felt like we were in a position to control the clock and run it down and go in and score and not leave them anything left,” Crotwell said. “It just didn’t work out that way. It is football, and it is funny-shaped ball and it bounces strange ways sometimes, and it did on us tonight.
“But our kids played hard and you can’t fault anybody’s effort.”
Caledonia senior Kody White, who is the son of defensive coordinator Brian White, felt the same way. As a member of a senior class that was a part of 19 victories in the past four seasons, the winningest class to come through the program since at least the 1970s, according to Crotwell, White said both teams played as hard as they could. He said the Confederates came in with confidence even though he acknowledged not many people outside of Caledonia gave them a chance of winning the game.
“It was a knock-down, drag-out from the start of the game, just a slobber-knocker,” White said. “We knew coming in it was going to be a rough game. I don’t know what they thought, but, like you said earlier, I think we put the fear of death in them. We both earned each other’s respect as the game went on. We kept playing harder and harder as they game went through.”
Caledonia balanced a short passing game and strong running by Unruh and Zion Ford (11 carries, 75 yards) to keep Greenwood on its heels. The Bulldogs returned the favor when they had the ball thanks to Owen and Tribblett, a senior quarterback, who had 13 carries for 106 yards. While Greenwood rushed for 310 yards, Tribblett’s ability to mix in passes helped keep Caledonia’s defense off balance just enough.
But Owen was the standout. The senior, whose nickname is “nasty,” said he enjoys contact and the one-on-one challenges of taking defenders on. He showed a knack for absorbing contact and eluding tacklers all night, proving Crotwell was correct earlier this week when he said Owen runs “angry.”
“I run with a purpose because I want to be the best,” Owen said. “I come out every game to show I am a great person and a great athlete and to play hard every game.”
Owen said he earned the nickname “nasty” as a sophomore after he earned his first start in a playoff game against Ripley. He smiled when told Crotwell said he runs “angry” and that he liked that nickname, too.
“I bring contact first. I like trying to defeat the man in front of you and trying to get positive yards afterward,” Owen said.
Greenwood coach Clinton Gatewood praised the offensive line for their work clearing space for Owen and Tribblett. He said that unit, which is made up of sophomores and juniors, has accepted the challenge of helping Owen rush for 2,000 yards this season. In fact, Gatewood said the offensive linemen have encouraged the coaches to call fewer pass plays so they can get down and dirty — maybe even a little nasty — to help Owen.
As well as Owen and the offensive line clicked at times, though, Greenwood needed every yard because Caledonia answered every score with a big play.
“We have a good offense. They have a good offense. Neither one could really stop the other,” Gatewood said. “The quarterback has a great release. We knew we weren’t going to pressure him, so we had to try to play man-up, and they have great receivers, No. 2, No. 20, and No. 23. We knew we had to get a stop in the fourth quarter because it was back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. We knew if we could get a stop and go up a touchdown we could control the clock. It happened like that. We are just blessed to come out of here with a win tonight.”
Caledonia took the lead for the last time thanks to an improbable 17-play, 99-yard. The march nearly never happened because the kickoff eluded Ford, who retreated to the end zone before falling on the football before a swarm of Bulldogs arrived. Ford helped the Confederate work out of the hole with a 14-yard run on first down, but he had to be helped off the field with what appeared to be a right knee injury. He didn’t return. Caledonia didn’t miss a beat. Unruh continued to use Robert Hamilton (seven catches, 54 yards) and Thomas (six for 88) in the passing game. He also picked his spots and managed the read-pass option attack perfectly. Thomas had one of the big gainers — a 24-yard run on third down — before Unruh connected with Hamilton on 6-yard pass on fourth down on the first play of the fourth quarter. A 9-yard gain by Thomas set the stage for Unruh’s 1-yard plunge that capped a drive that lasted 8:35.
Crotwell said it was difficult losing Ford, but he praised Thomas and all of his players for coming together and playing their roles and supporting each other, which is what he said they did all season.
“That put us in a bind a little bit because Jamel is not as familiar with our formations and the passing game from that spot,” Crotwell said. “That limited us and hurt us. It was definitely some big-time adversity to have to overcome. Zion has been a guy who is athletic, but he has such an expansive knowledge of what we want out of that position. It was hard to fill without him there.
“Jamel ran the ball hard and did a good job for the limited number of reps he has had there. He is a great football player, and he has a bright future ahead of him in football. He is another one I am very proud of. I am proud of all of these guys.”
Greenwood had a touchdown called back due to a block in the back penalty on its next possession. Caledonia held on fourth down at the 50 and regained possession with 5:33 to play. Unfortunately, the Confederates couldn’t sustain a drive and were forced to punt. They appeared to catch a break after a failed pass attempt out of a rugby style punt formation by Unruh was called off due to illegal participation by the Confederates. Forced to punt again, Greenwood capitalized and used a 40-yard kick return to move into position for what proved to be the game-winning score.
“They are a great team,” Owen said. “We had a lot of calls that went against us, but we kept fighting. The difference was the defense. They stepped up at the last minute and brought it on in for us.”
White had equal praise for the Bulldogs on an evening in which both teams traded blows like heavyweights. While White would have loved to have helped deliver the knockout shot, he said the Confederates could hold their heads high for playing so hard and so well.
“It is a heart-breaker. It hurts really bad to know most of the team is seniors and most of us will never play again and even though we made it to the playoffs it ended so soon,” White said.
Crotwell felt the same way, especially about the seniors who helped solidify the program’s reputation for never giving up.
“These seniors have meant a lot to our program,” Crotwell said. “We’re going to miss them. They will always be a part of us and what we do, just in a different role. I can’t say enough good things about them. They are a good group of men that has so worked hard to push this program.
“We all have a role to play and theirs will just change. It will be one of support and example,” Crotwell said. “We will be able to point to them for several years and say, ‘This group set the standard,’ and they built on the shoulders of the three classes I had before them. They have pushed us forward in big ways. Hopefully, we can continue that.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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