Dade County tried its best, and succeeded fairly well, at taking the run away from Georgia region 7-AA rival Calhoun.
They didn't factor in the Yellow Jackets' passing game or Jackets' quarterback Taylor Lamb, nephew of coach Hal Lamb.
A junior in his first season as the team's leader, Lamb directed Calhoun to a 42-7 victory, completing 16 of 21 passes for 331 yards. In earning Times Free Press Player of the Week honors, Lamb ran for one TD and passed for five more.
Much of Calhoun's passing game is geared around short passes, but with Dade crowding the box Calhoun went to stretching the field.
"This probably his best game of the year. They were playing a seven in the box the other night, so we had to throw for distance," coach Lamb said. "He threw it downfield the other night, but he can make any throw on the field - the short throw, the screen, he can go deep. He's that kind of quarterback."
It's more than being an athlete, though, the coach said.
"Taylor's a good kid with great character - a 'yes sir, no sir' kind of kid. The good thing about him is that he's poised in the pocket and he's poised when he's calling plays," Lamb said of his 6-foot-1, 190-pound nephew. "He's a pocket passer, but he has enough speed to elude pressure if he needs to. I wouldn't call him a dual threat, but he can make people miss. He's a pocket passer that sees the field very well and makes correct throws."
Lamb thinks his current quarterback, who started two games in relief roles last season, will join a line of quarterbacks that have moved from Calhoun to the college ranks in over the last half-dozen years.
The coach thinks a large share of Calhoun's success - they're 8-0 - could be attributed to Taylor.
"He's quite accurate and he throws a catchable ball. He knows when to take something off his throws," he said. "I feel good either way [run or pass], but I really feel good when he can sit back there and throw it."