Pee Dee routes Calhoun in second half

Pee Dee Academy's football history with Calhoun has been one of near misses and disappointments.

Last year, an inadvertent whistle took away a sure TD that would have meant probable victory.

Friday night, trailing 12-7 at the half, the Golden Eagles turned the tables with a second half for the ages.

A 34-0 run during the final two quarters scored a huge 41-12 region win for Head coach Lon Spivey's crew.

PDA did fall behind early. Calhoun wasted no time on their first possession, driving down the field and scoring. Jamie Sanders finished with a 13-yard run for a 6-0 Cavalier lead at 7:41 of the first.

The Golden Eagles were quick to respond, however. Kevin Driggers returned the kickoff 22 yards and then Bradley George found running room for 29 more yards into Calhoun territory.

A run by Brian Davis for five and two more by George of four yards apiece put the ball on the five-yard line. From there, Storm Page finished the job with a run to the right side. Driggers' PAT made it 7-6 at the end of the quarter.

The Cavaliers responded. Aided by a poor sideline call and penalties, the found themselves with first and goal at the five. The defensive line of the Golden Eagles, led by Ed Pittman and Will Richardson, held strong by forcing a fourth and goal but, quarterback Jordan Rucker spun off of a tackle and fell into the end zone for the score and a 12-7 halftime lead.
Pee Dee took over from there.

On their first possession, they were held to a fourth down and ten. But, the ensuing punt was a fake and Bradley George spun, dodged and fell forward for the first down. A psyched up Pee Dee team converted another third down, then George found twelve more running yards to first and goal. From there, Page picked up his second five-yard scoring run of the night. With the PAT, the Golden Eagles had a 14-12 lead and never looked back.

On the first offensive play for Calhoun, Matthew Snipes sacked the quarterback. Two more plays forced the Cavaliers punt.

It took all of four plays for Pee Dee to score again on offense on a three-yard run by George, a 29-yard dart down the right sideline by Page, a 17-yarder by Driggers. Then another run by Driggers of 14-yards made it a 20-12 score.

Calhoun took the field in need of a spark. But, the fireworks kept coming from Pee Dee's side. Zack Small, who played like a man possessed all night, put a “bone-jarring” hit on the Cavalier runner. Then, on the second play, Bruce Baker stepped in front of the receiver, picked off the pass and returned it 30 yards to the Calhoun 20.

This time it took only three plays to score as Will Daniels found Driggers streaking across the middle for a 6-yard scoring pass. The PAT finished off a 20-point quarter that was dominated by the Golden Eagles and had them up 27-12.

The Golden Eagle defense held again, getting the ball back and then Page found the end zone for the third time on the night. A run to the right side was met at the goal line, but Page punished the defender and finished off the run that made it 34-12.

The all-around excellence continued as Zack Small picked off his second pass of the night for the Golden Eagles. Then, Cole McClam left defenders in his dust on a 37-yard scoring run that mercifully finished the night for Calhoun.

The 41-12 win was a huge region victory for Pee Dee that moves them to 2-3 on the year and 1-1 in region play.

The Golden Eagles racked up 286 yards of total offense in the second half and 398 for the game. George led the team in rushing with 99 yards, followed by Page with 81 yards and three touchdowns.

Driggers had a great all-around game with 94 yards rushing and a score and 27 yards receiving with a score. McClam finished with 55 yards on only 3 carries.