CALHOUN – Three blocked punts by the same Calhoun player from inside the 20-yard line in the first quarter led to 16 points, as the top-ranked Yellow Jackets eliminated the North Oconee Titans from the Class AA state playoffs with a 39-14 victory to advance.

VIDEO: TITANS GO TO CALHOUN

“That is a talented team but our benevolence sure did hurt us,” said head coach Terry Tuley. “If you want to go to the Dome, you will have to play the No. 1 team at some point, and that is definitely the No. 1 team. If they and Buford play, I will make sure to be at that game.”

The Titans ended the year with an 8-4 record and it’s the second straight season they lost in the first round to the top-ranked team in Class AA.

“They were a great team, but we gave them a bunch of cheap points,” said senior fullback Marcus Alford.

Calhoun improved to 12-0 and hasn’t lost since losing to Buford in the championship game last year. Buford eliminated North Oconee last year in the second round.

They were just as good, if not better than, Buford was last year,” said senior Taylor Maxey. “They will be tough to beat.”

The Titans got the ball to start the game, but their drive stalled after a first down and they were forced to punt from their own 24. With Maxey, the punter, standing near the 15, Calhoun’s Hunter Knight rushed up the middle and blocked the punt. Calhoun recovered the ball on the 12, and on fourth-and-two from the four, wide receiver DaRick Rogers took the snap from the quarterback position and ran into the end zone to give the Yellow Jackets a 7-0 lead following the extra point with 7:15 left in the first.

The Titans responded three minutes later and tied the game on a 3-yard touchdown run by Brandon Whitlock. The drive started at their own 22, and featured an 18-yard pass from quarterback Blake Gaubert to Whitlock, a 21-yard run by Alford and a 15-yard run by Whitlock on three consecutive plays to get inside Calhoun territory.

However, the game didn’t stay tied for long. Rogers took the ensuing kick from Calhoun’s 5-yard line and returned it 95 yards for a touchdown and a 14-7 lead. Rogers, who had four total touchdowns in the game, has already committed to play for the University of Georgia. He is one of five Yellow Jackets to commit to a Division I school.

“(Rogers) is a man playing against boys,” Tuley said. “No player we played against compared to him. We watched four films on him and he was only on the ground three times. He is strong, has a great stiff arm and sheds tackles. Georgia has a fine prospect.”

The Yellow Jackets held the Titans to a three-and-out on their ensuing drive, and Knight rushed up the middle and blocked Maxey’s second punt. This time, Rogers recovered it in the end zone for a 21-7 lead with 2:40 left.

The ensuing drive for the Titans resulted in the same thing – a punt from inside the 10 was blocked by Knight. This time, the ball went out of the back of the end zone for a safety and a 23-7 lead.

“There was some miscommunication and they kept rushing up the middle,” Maxey said. “There was nothing stopping (Knight).”

Calhoun added on to the lead in the second quarter with a 50-yard field goal by Adam Griffith with 14.8 seconds remaining until halftime. He kicked another long field goal, this one front 45 yards, with 7:50 left in the third quarter to give the Yellow Jackets a 29-7 lead.

The Yellow Jackets scored their final touchdown with 1:50 left as quarterback Nash Nance passed back to David Collins, who then threw it 34 yards to the end zone to Rogers for a 36-7 lead. Griffith kicked his third field goal of the game from 32 yards out with 5:40 left in the fourth.

With 5:00, Alford got his final carry as a member of the Titans. The senior fullback ran 62 yards for a touchdown.

“That was a special thing to go out with,” Alford said. “I couldn’t do it without my offensive line blocking. When they see Brandon go outside, they go with him and I’ll go inside, so a lot of credit goes to him. He played a great game.”

The Titans are losing 14 seniors.

“I moved in as a sophomore and played with a great group of guys,” Alford said. “It’s a pleasure to finish my career here. Hopefully the Titans can do great things in the future. The sky is the limit for them.”

Among the key players returning for the Titans are safety Lane Thompson, who had an interception against the Yellow Jackets, quarterbacks Kevin Lowring and Blake Gaubert, kicker James Pinkerton and offensive lineman Dillan Prather.

“I’m proud of the kids. They showed a lot of fight in the second half. That second touchdown was meaningless to a lot of people, but it was important to us,” Tuley said. “North Oconee is a great school and we appreciate the administration and parents. They do amazing things. We are tired right now and need to recharge, but we will be anxious to get going when it’s time again.”

Matthew Caldwell is sports editor of The Oconee Leader. He can be reached by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone at (706) 310-1104.

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