For the second time this season, Calvary Day was out of sorts in the first half of a game against Landmark Christian.
But this time Calvary Day couldn’t rally to win as the host Cavaliers saw their season end in a 10-7 loss to Landmark in the first round of the GHSA Class A Private School playoffs.
Landmark Christian lost to Calvary in the first game of the season Aug. 24, when the Eagles watched a 21-0 halftime lead disintegrate as the Cavaliers scored 28 unanswered points in the second half.
This time Calvary trailed 10-0 at intermission and gave another spirited effort in the second half, but the Cavaliers ran out of time after Derek Kirkland scored their first touchdown of the game with just 5 seconds remaining.
“We were a little out of synch in the first half offensively. It wasn’t anyone’s fault,” Calvary Day coach Mark Stroud said. “Landmark was very physical and controlled the clock. In the second half, I thought we got back to what we were comfortable doing. We made some plays and we had some opportunities to make things happen.
“I had a (play) call down near the goal line in the second half that I wish I could take back,” Stroud said. “I felt like I blew that one when we had a chance to score, and I take full responsibility.”
After stopping the Eagles (8-3) on their first drive, Calvary turned the ball over on its first play from scrimmage. Quarterback Jake Clemens went to make a handoff, and there seemed to be miscommunication on the play.
He ended up trying to keep the ball, but it was batted away and recovered by Reed McGuire of Landmark at the Cavalier 27.
But the Calvary defense buckled down and held Landmark to a field goal as Stockton McGuire connected from 27 yards out.
Landmark rode the legs of Jeremiah Kirkland. The junior played the role of a work horse with 33 carries for 187 yards. He was especially effective in the first half with 24 carries for 157 yards, including the Eagles’ lone touchdown of the game with 28.5 seconds left in the half. Kirkland dashed up the middle for a 7-yard score on that play. He was rarely brought down on first contact all night, but he did pay the price as his ripped uniform covered with dirt attested to after the game.
Early in the second quarter, the Eagles were on a nice drive as Stockton McGuire connected with Kirkland on consecutive passes totaling 37 yards. But Kirkland tried to go over the top from the 1-yard line and was hit hard in midair by sophomore Tyrone Riley. He coughed up the ball, and it was recovered by Calvary’s Reagan Jones.
“We knocked No. 22 (Jeremiah Kirkland) out of the game early the first time we played them,” said Jones, a senior cornerback. “We knew he was a good runner, and he definitely came to play tonight.
“This is a tough way to end the season — I’ve been playing with a lot of these guys since the sixth grade. But I’m proud of what we accomplished this year.”
Calvary turned the ball over on its second possession when Clemens was intercepted by Ethan Sewell on a long pass. The Cavaliers had just 49 yards of total offense in the first half.
But the Cavalier offense came to life in the second half. Clemens completed 10 of his first 12 passes of the second half and started picking up some yards on the ground. He was 10 of 19 passing in the second half for 94 yards, after going 1 for 3 for two yards before intermission. Clemens rushed 21 times for 76 yards.
“We had a slow start tonight, but I love these guys more than anything,” Clemens said. “They are the best teammates anyone could ask for. We fought to the end tonight, and we lost as a team.”
The Cavaliers (9-2) had a 13-play drive to start the second half, bringing the ball down to the Eagle 8-yard line. But Spencer Davis’ field-goal attempt was blocked.
At the start of the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers had another drive deep into Eagle territory. Clemens made a big 8-yard run on third and 9 to the 3-yard line and then converted the fourth down with a sneak. One second down at the 2, Clemens was ruled to be down after he kneeled to field a low snap. On the next play, Derek Kirkland ran the ball and was tackled for a 7-yard loss. The Cavs didn’t convert on fourth and goal from the 13-yard line with 7:15 remaining.
Calvary got the ball back and scored on a 17-play, 56-yard drive that ate up nearly all the time off the clock. Clemens completed five passes on the drive, and Derek Kirkland took it in from 2 yards out with five seconds remaining. The onside kick went out of bounds and Landmark Christian ran one more play to kill the clock.
“We had a good game plan tonight, but Landmark changed up their coverage and that stalled us in the first half,” said highly recruited junior tight end Milan Richard, who had three catches for 31 yards. “In the second half we made some adjustments and played better, but we just ran out of time.
“This is going to motivate us, it’s going to add fuel to the fire,” Richard said. “We need to come back stronger, faster and better for next year.”
Landmark 3 7 0 0 — 10
Calvary 0 0 0 7 — 7
LC—Stockton McGuire 27 FG
LC—Jeremiah Kirkland 7 run (McGuire kick)
CD—Derek Kirkland 2 yd run (Spencer Davis kick)