The Caledonia High School football team went into halftime of last season’s MHSAA Class 4A, Region 2 opener at Shannon ahead 10-8.
Things went downhill from there.
The Red Raiders put up 12 unanswered points in the third and again in the fourth, took advantage of a mishandled Caledonia punt and came away with a 32-10 win to send the ‘Feds to an 0-1 district record.
“It was like a totally different team after halftime,” Caledonia coach Michael Kelly said.
Kelly knows that can’t happen again Friday when his team hosts the Red Raiders (2-2) in another crucial district opener.
“It’s a whole new season for us,” Kelly said. “That’s what it’s all about in high school football. … It’s really important to get out and win and try to be 1-0.”
Doing so would give Caledonia (1-2) considerable impetus towards its goal of making the Class 4A playoffs for the second straight season. Kelly’s team went 5-5 last year before a loss at Corinth in the first round.
This year, Caledonia lost its first two games against Amory and Heritage Academy before righting the ship with a 56-15 win over Holly Springs on Sept. 18.
“You try to go out and be dominant on both sides of the ball and really in all three phases of the game each Friday night,” Kelly said. “Obviously, that’s not going to happen all the time, but I thought our kids executed well.”
Caledonia ran 60 times for a whopping 461 yards on the ground as 15 different players carried the ball, while its defense limited the Hawks to two touchdowns through the air. Kelly noted that his defense is still young and inexperienced — particularly in the defensive backfield.
“I don’t know if we’re quite playing at the level I’d like for us to play at right now,” he said. “We’re still trying to grow up a few guys on that side of the ball, especially in the secondary.”
But things are trending better for Kelly’s defense. After giving up 44 points to Amory and 28 to Heritage Academy, Caledonia’s output against Holly Springs was a definite step forward.
“I think we’re taking small steps in the right direction,” Kelly said.
Those improvements will be tested against a Shannon offense consisting of several talented playmakers, including senior running back Sentwali White. Kelly said it feels like White’s been with the Red Raiders even longer than he actually has.
“It seems like he’s been playing for them the last four years,” the coach said.
Kelly said his team will have to stop White and Shannon’s other big threats from making big plays, something on which Caledonia’s own offense is predicated. Against a strong Shannon defense that shut out Okolona last week, Caledonia’s “flex-bone” option scheme will be tested.
“They’re big, they’re aggressive, and they get to the football,” Kelly said of the Red Raiders’ defense. “We’re going to have to play very well in all phases of the game to give ourselves a chance to win.”
Following through on that plan, Kelly said, would be a “shot in the arm” for him — and hopefully for his players — to power through the remainder of the schedule.
“It’s nice after the first week of division when you see 1-0 up there beside your name,” Kelly said. “That’s what we strive for. That’s what we work for each and every day.”
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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