Biggersville bracing for explosive Calhoun City

Calhoun City has made a habit of burying opponents early, to the point that “Taps” would be an appropriate song for the band to play at halftime.

The Wildcats have outscored their opposition 442-33 in the first half this season. In a game against Shaw in September, Calhoun City staked a 36-0 halftime advantage, and the teams agreed to shorten the third and fourth quarters to eight minutes each.

Biggersville (12-1) will try to avoid an early knockout blow tonight when it hosts the Wildcats (11-1) in the Class 1A North half title game. That’s easier said than done, given how how well-rounded a team Calhoun City is.

“The biggest thing that stands out on film is their overall team speed, and how physical they are,” Biggersville head coach Case Ingram said. “There’s not a soul on their team that’s not physical, and there’s really not a soul on their team who can’t move when they arrive to the football, either offensively or defensively. They arrive with violent intentions.”

The Wildcats can strike quickly on offense and are led by quarterback Harland Pittman, who has passed for 1,207 yards and 14 touchdowns while rushing for 583 yards and 11 TDs. He’s flanked by a phalanx of running backs and has a deep receiving corps at his disposal.

“The complexity of the scheme is not there, but when you have so many different guys, the only thing that changes is the (jersey) number in the backfield,” Ingram said. “The production, the speed, the physicality is still there.”

Biggersville boasts a prolific offense, too – one that averages 358.2 yards per game. Quarterback Xae Mayes has shredded defenses with both his arm (39 passing TDs) and his legs (16 rushing TDs). He’s got a pair of top-notch receivers in Zialis Blackmon and Brooks Seago, and the Lions are getting a couple of other key skill players back this week in Kyron Harris and Case Hilliard, both of whom missed last week’s game against Okolona with injuries.

Ingram believes their absence contributed to Biggersville’s slow start in a game it eventually won 29-12. Getting out of the gate quickly tonight is a must, and it would bring into play the one downside of Calhoun City’s first-half dominance: the starters have rarely had to play a full four quarters.

“We just tell our guys every week to be mentally and physically prepared to play a four-quarter game if needed,” Calhoun City head coach M.D. Jennings said. “I feel like we’ll be up for that challenge.”

The winner of this game will face the winner of Taylorsville and Simmons in next week’s state title game.