Calhoun takes step in title defense behind ‘explosive’ WR, QB’s ‘rocket’ arm
After jumping ahead 20-0 early in the first quarter, Calhoun maintained a comfortable lead throughout its 42-20 win over Northwest Whitfield.
Bruins quarterback Gavin Nuckolls briefly cut the deficit to two scores with a 10-yard touchdown to Evan Jones early in the third, but that was as close as Northwest Whitfield would get.
Now that Calhoun (5-2, 3-0 in Region 7-3A) has gotten past “the scariest quarterback we played last year,” according to coach Clay Stephenson, whispers of a repeat are getting a little louder in the Yellow Jackets locker room.
“That’s what’s important for us,” Calhoun senior receiver Justin Beasley Jr. said. “That’s the only thing we care about — winning back-to-back (titles). That’s all we’re talking about. We’re not worrying about no records. We’re just worrying about the team and us.”
Beasley, who made the AJC/GHSF Daily all-state team last year, came into the week as the leading receiver in the state across all classifications with 912 receiving yards to go along with 43 receptions and nine touchdowns. Beasley added three more touchdowns to his total against the Bruins.
Stephenson’s primary goal is to keep his team focused on winning the region.
“That’s the thing with the region play: Every region game gets bigger and bigger and bigger,” Stephenson said. “It magnifies. This win doesn’t matter if we don’t win next week.”
Since Stephenson arrived in 2019, Calhoun has won only two region championships. His predecessor, Hal Lamb, accomplished the feat 18 years in a row, from 2001 to 2018.
Stephenson and the Yellow Jackets have taken the pole position in the region, and a consecutive region title looks to be theirs to lose.
Fortunately for Stephenson, he has guys like Beasley and quarterback Trace Hawkins leading this team on offense. Hawkins started as a freshman for the Yellow Jackets last season in its state title run. Now back as a sophomore, he’s playing with the poise of a four-year starter.
“I just had great teammates around me,” Hawkins said of last year’s group. “They helped me, they picked me up, they taught me the game.”
Hawkins has the athletic ability to escape pressure — but not always to scramble. Instead, he keeps his eyes downfield, looking for open targets.
He said he is now positioned to give back to his teammates and “feeds them the game.”
Hawkins came into the week having thrown for 1,371 yards and 13 touchdowns while turning the ball over only once. This week, he had another efficient game, connecting with Beasley for all three of his passing touchdowns.
They will need to lean on the Hawkins-to-Beasley connection as they pursue back-to-back 3A titles, something Calhoun has never done.
Their connection comes from the work they put in from the summer and every day in practice and has translated to Beasley having 45% of the team’s receptions and 59% of the team’s receiving yards coming into the game.
“As you can see, he has great route-running,” Hawkins said of Beasley. “He just runs his routes, and I throw the ball up, and he comes down with it.”
Northwest Whitfield coach Josh Robinson, like other coaches around the state, knows it’s tough preparing for that duo because of their ability to put defenses in a bind.
“Beasley is extremely explosive,” Robinson said of the duo. “He’s really tough. He’s a really good route runner and a deep-ball guy. And then Trace (Hawkins) is a special player. He’s got a rocket for an arm. Probably the hardest part is when he escapes pressure.”
After finishing 6-4 and not making the playoffs in 2023, Calhoun found its groove in 2024. Tommy Atha — Calhoun’s offensive coordinator last season and now the head coach at Cedartown — helped the Yellow Jackets revamp their offensive system en route to finishing 12-3 and hoisting the trophy in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Atha’s departure initially left questions about Calhoun’s offense, but eight weeks in, Calhoun appears poised for another deep playoff run.
“We go game by game, never look ahead, and it’ll come to us,” Hawkins said.
