Tattnall Square drops Calvary Day to reach semifinals

Rick Tomberlin could sense something special about the Calvary Day program shortly after he came out of retirement to coach the Cavaliers back in March.

“They were hard workers,” he said. “And they were unified.”

That combination of dedication and chemistry carried the Cavaliers to the GHSA Class 1A quarterfinals Friday. But they came up what Tomberlin described as a “few big plays” short in a 28-14 loss to Tattnall Square.

Calvary (10-1) had a field goal blocked in the first half and missed an opportunity to tie the game after driving deep into Tattnall territory late in the second half. The Cavaliers’ stout defense, meanwhile, gave up two long — and uncharacteristic — touchdown plays.

“Tattnall’s a good team and a big play team,” Tomberlin said. “They made those (Friday), and we didn’t.”

Calvary rushed for 281 yards behind halfbacks Jalen Leary (93 yards) and Nolan Smith (91 yards), but Tattnall’s defense adjusted as the game progressed — the long bursts became short gains. Tomberlin called pass plays on what were the two most significant downs of the game for Calvary, a third-and-7 and four-and-7 from Tattnall’s 18-yard line with less than three minutes to go. The third-down play resulted in an incomplete pass before quarterback Thomas Carver was sacked for a loss on fourth down.

“I was so sure we were going to score and tie the game there,” said senior Thomas Wells, who made an acrobatic catch for a 34-yard gain early in the drive. “We gave it everything we had.”

The Cavaliers trailed 21-14 at the time, and with no timeouts left, the turnover on downs essentially ended the game. Tattnall’s Ahmad Barron scored on an 80-yard run on the first play of the ensuing drive to seal Tattnall’s victory.

Barron finished with 167 yards and two touchdowns to lead all rushers, part of a 378-yard performance by the Trojans’ offense. Six plays accounted for 235 of those yards, underscoring Tattnall’s explosiveness.

Calvary’s disappointment with the outcome was palpable after the game, although even Wells, a senior, noted the eagerness for next season. Fourteen starters return next season, including the quarterback Carver — a freshman this season — Leary and Smith along with offensive linemen Jamie McClellan, Landon Jennings and Vince Grassi.

This story was originally published November 25, 2016 at 11:01 PM with the headline "Tattnall Square drops Calvary Day to reach semifinals."