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November 3, 2009

Calvary wins region title in three-team playoff

By Jamie Wachter / executive sports editor The Meridian Star Tue Nov 03, 2009, 11:48 PM CST

DECATUR — Calvary Christian coach Kirby Newell had an unusal plan ready to insure the Cougars qualified for the MAIS 8-Man state playoffs.

However, Calvary's defense and senior quarterback Kyle Koch made the idea moot as the defending state champion Cougars knocked off Veritas 12-6 and Central Academy 8-6 in a three-team overtime-formatted playoff jamboree Tuesday at Bailey Stadium on the East Central Community College campus. The Vikings secured the second seed from Division 1 with an 8-6 win against Veritas.

"I was going to throw the game," Newell said after the win, which gave Calvary a home playoff game Friday against Mt. Salus Christian. "Because losing by 2 would have guaranteed me that no matter what happened in this game that I was in.

"I went to the seniors (Monday) after I got back from Jackson, and I said 'What is your No. 1 goal, is it to get in the playoffs or is it to win and host the first round?' And every one of them told me it was to get in. Well, if Macon makes that extra point and I score a touchdown and lose by two, I'm in.

"It could've been a real, sure enough situation where I look bad for everybody up here, but when the seniors come to me and say we're going to do something, I would've thrown the game. I would've thrown it."

With a win against Veritas already in hand, Calvary saw Central Academy — the lone team to beat the Cougars this year — score on third-and-goal from the 7 when Trevor Eaves outraced the Cougar defense to the left sideline. However, Calvary's defense stiffened on the two-point conversion attempt, stuffing CA junior Ferris McGuire.

From there, Koch delivered. With the Cougars facing a third-and-goal from the CA 13 following a holding call and two incomplete passes, the senior quarterback connected with Justin Sylvester for 9 yards on a slant. He then hit Johnathan Bartlett on a cross for the tying touchdown on fourth down.

"I was debating whether to isolate Bartlett on one side or isolate Sylvester on the other side," Newell said of the third-down call. "We decided to go with Sylvester because he's taller. And if we'd have had more space it would have been Bartlett, but we decided to go with Sylvester.

"They call their own plays when we go iso, and he looks at the corner and tells the quarterback what we're running. He called a slant and got us down there to the 4 and gave us a shot."

On the two-point conversion, Koch showed off his elusiveness, scrambling around the pocket before darting inside the right corner of the end zone for the region title-clinching score.

"Buy time, ad-lib, that's him," Newell said. "On a regulation football field in 8-man, he can dominate most of the time because he can do that — run around, run around, run around, run around before he finds something.

"We were going to throw the jump ball on the extra point, it wasn't there and then he just did his thing."

Koch's feet came in handy during the Cougars' first playoff session, too. After both teams scored on their initial drives — Koch findng Zach Carpenter open in the end zone — the Calvary defense rose to the occasion and stuffed the Lions on third and fourth downs inside the 3.

"The defense won this thing," Newell said. "On offense, we need as much green as we can get. When we only have 10 yards and can't run around very much, we're limited.

"But, our defense won this thing. That's it. They won this thing."

Koch then raced to pay dirt on the Cougars' second play.

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