Calhoun Hopes to Maintain Their Success in Higher Classification

Calhoun, GA-(WDEF-TV) The Calhoun Yellow Jackets have a new classification and a renewed mindset entering the 2020 season. Coming off a disappointing Elite Eight loss last year, the Yellow Jackets are ready to get back to the Benz.

Said linebacker Jake Prather: “It’ll be a war.”

Even without the pandemic, this season was going to be different than any other for Calhoun. The Yellow Jackets jump up two classifications to 5-A this year.

Said head coach Clay Stevenson: “It’s exciting, for the fans and for the parents and for the kids because there’s three or four teams on our schedule we’ve never played before. But at the end of the day, you suit up 11, and you play against their 11, doesn’t matter if it’s 5A or 3A.”

Said defensive end Will Hawkins: “We’ve played bigger schools in the past, just like Ridgeland when we did Corky Kell. So I think we’ll hold our own. We just got to keep our heads strong.”

And the defense strong. Yellow Jackets held all but two teams to two touchdowns or less last year. This year, Calhoun’s defense is poised to be even better.

Said Hawkins: “I think that we have really good coaches this year, and we have some strength up front. So I think if we put all that together, we’re going to do pretty good this year.”

Said Stevenson: “To me, we’ve got 11 guys that are in the perfect spot to be able to play. Depth is an issue on defense, but I feel like our first 11 are going to be pretty good.”

The schedule might show new opponents — but the energy inside the huddle is reminiscent of that 2017 perfect season.

Said Hawkins: “That year we had amazing chemistry, something we hadn’t seen in a while. But this year, I’d say it comes pretty close. Everybody’s really close this year.”

Said Prather: “We’re just able to just play as a team. We’re not all just doing our own thing. We’re actually playing together.”