Calabrese’s gamble changes momentum
A lot of people will point to Hartsville coach Jeff Calabrese's third quarter gamble as the main reason Hartsville wound up on the short end of a 36-28 score to Conway.But with a whole quarter left to play and the Red Foxes still nursing a 28-16 lead, that's debatable at the least.
But one thing's for sure: It did change the momentum in Conway's favor.
Conway coach Chuck Jordan criticized his team for playing a bad first half, and things got even worse after Hartsville blocked a punt to take a 28-10 lead in the third quarter.
But after a long touchdown drive, Calabrese's gamble and Conway's defensive stop seemed to flip a switch on the Conway sidelines and in the stands. The Tigers' offense couldn't be stopped from that point on, and the Conway defense shut down the highest scoring team in the region.
"I think the big key for us is that we not only got the momentum, but were able to keep it," Jordan said.
Hartsville could do no wrong offensively in the first half, even after leading rusher Bennett Saunders was knocked out of the game. Likewise, Conway looked unstoppable in the second half.
"I knew (the gamble) was either going to be big for us, or big for them," Calabrese said. "But we thought it was the best call that could help us win the football game. We’ve done it all year.”
The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward if you succeed.
The same could be said about the consequences if you fail.
Posted by on 10/13 at 12:19 AM
