Keep moving forward: Calhoun shuts down Red Hill 22-0 in round two

SEE VIDEO OF CALHOUN VS. BRIDGEPORT RED HILL BELOW:

HARDIN - In Saturday afternoon's IHSA Class 1A playoff battle against Red Hill High School, the Saluki's bark was a lot bigger than its bite as the Hardin-Calhoun Warriors blanked their opponents 22-0. 

With red and black ribbons tied to every post and signs cheering on the Warriors throughout the small town, it could not have been more apparent that the town was ready to cheer on their boys, who before Saturday's game stood at 7 wins and 3 losses for the year.

That record, maintained by the team's unwavering defense, was extended Saturday afternoon.

Head Coach Aaron Elmore was more than pleased with the outcome of the game, although the team had quite a few penalties than he would have liked to seen.

"We're happy to come out and play hard in front of this big crowd," Elmore said. "Our defense was 'bend, but don't break' all day. We have been pretty tough on the defensive side all year, but we made the plays where we had to to keep them out of the end zone." 

The Warrior offense got off to their start in the first quarter, shortly after running back Clayton Ralston was taken out of the game with a dislocated elbow. In the plays that followed, Wes Klocke brought the ball down the field to score the team's first touchdown and after a successful 2-point conversion, the Warriors took the lead at 8-0. 

In the second, Cole Lammy ran in a 21-yard touchdown with just under eight minutes left on the clock. Penalties were called against Red Hill, which led Hardin-Calhoun to have another opportunity to attempt their conversion. However, it was incomplete and the score raised to 14-0 without the extra points. 

The last several minutes of the first half were filled with penalties, focused primarily against the Warriors. These calls toward the team cost Hardin-Calhoun at least one touchdown; However, they kept the Saluki's out of their zone. 

In the third, it was apparent that the Salukis began to struggle with their passing game and fortunately for the Warriors, they could monopolize on that asset of the game with interceptions and tackles. Several turnovers later, the third ended with no added points. 

Finally, running back Ty Bick ran in a 59-yard touchdown for the Warriors to extend his team's lead. After a successful 2-point conversion ran in by Lammy, the Warriors maintained a score of 22-0 and took the win. 

For the first time since 2010, the Warriors will be heading into the Class 1A Quarterfinals to face Tuscola High School, in what will be a dual between identical mascots; Unlike Hardin-Calhoun, Tuscola maintains an undefeated record of 11-0. Tuscola defeated Hardin's 1A rivals from Carrollton High School 55-28 Saturday. 

"They put in the work and I can't say enough about them," Elmore said. "We're going to keep grinding. We need to get better. We need to make sure we iron out [our mistakes] and give [Tuscola] a heck of a game."

Calhoun Individual Stats:

Rushing:

Wes Klocke 11 for 62                                                      

Ty Bick 9 for 71

Jacob Watters 14 for 64                                                      

Scout White 5 for 10

Cole Lammy 10 for 122                                      

Clayton Ralston 3 for 41

Passing:  

Bick 1 for 3, for 12 yds, Wes Klocke 0 for 1, 0 yds

Receiving:

Lammy 1 for 12 yds  

More like this: