CLASS 4A REGION 3: Catholic storms back to beat Andalusia for region title

Catholic tailback Josh Griffin runs inside of a Garrett Sanford block on Andalusia's Kam Weaver in the Knights’ win on Friday. (Tim Gayle)

By TIM GAYLE

Catholic was in desperate need of an offensive spark and there was probably only one player that could do it.

Caleb McCreary made the play, turning a loss into a spectacular 54-yard touchdown run that turned the momentum in the Knights’ favor in a 27-14 victory over Andalusia on Friday night in front of an overflow crowd at Catholic.

“If it’s time for me to use my feet, it’s time for me to use my feet and it was just that time in the second half and it worked out,” McCreary said. “My linemen did their thing and it was all them. I just ran behind them. It was all the glory to God. I just play ball and He does it for me.”

Actually, it was all McCreary. The senior quarterback showed no effects of an ankle injury that sidelined him for two games earlier this month, rolling left to escape the Bulldogs’ pressure, fighting off a would-be tackler in front of the Andalusia bench, then accelerating past two more defenders with a sudden burst of speed that caught everyone on defense by surprise. He broke into the clear just past midfield and used his speed to stay in front of the Andalusia defense all the way to the end zone.

“That’s Caleb McCreary,” Catholic coach Kirk Johnson said, “one of the best to ever do it.”

The two-point conversion failed, leaving Andalusia in front 8-6, but McCreary was just getting warmed up. He ran for another touchdown on the Knights’ next possession, threw a touchdown pass on the next possession, then ran for a third touchdown that finished off the Bulldogs and gave Catholic its 34th consecutive region victory.  

“When he’s on our team, we’re a lot better,” Johnson said. “It’s unfortunate we’ve been missing him the last couple of weeks but you saw him in full effect. He continues to prove his narrative that he may not be the biggest, he may not be the fastest, he may not be the strongest, but when it comes time to flip those lights on, he’s a ball-playing fool.”

Up until that point, it had been all Andalusia (9-1), which came into the game with the best running back (Auburn commitment J’marion Burnette), a typically stout defense and all the trappings you would expect from the defending 4A state champions coached by a Hall of Fame coach.

By the time Trent Taylor’s squad left town, Burnette had been held to 74 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, Andalusia’s defense had allowed a season-high 27 points and the Knights had won their 34th consecutive regular-season game.

“The offensive line was really good tonight,” Johnson said. “We took some shots early in the first half, where we fumbled the ball, etc., etc., but they continued to be confident in what we were calling and they stuck with it.”

The first half wasn’t a disaster, but it could have been. Andalusia struck first with a deep pass inside the Catholic 10-yard line but a penalty against the Bulldogs on the play resulted in a 54-yard swing. After Catholic’s Josh Griffin fumbled on the Knights’ next possession, Jack Lathrop hit Kal Crittenden with a quick bubble screen and Crittenden raced 56 yards for a touchdown.

Catholic jumped offside on the extra-point attempt and Burnette crashed over from just outside the 1-yard line on the two-point attempt for an 8-0 lead.

The Knights’ fortunes didn’t improve as they unsuccessfully ran out of punt formation -- turning the ball over on the Catholic 31 -- and three of McCreary’s four pass attempts were almost intercepted and a fifth was wiped out by a penalty.

McCreary, an elusive runner who had been a thorn in Andalusia’s defensive scheme last year, had only run the ball twice in the first half as the Knights were fortunate to only trail 8-0.

“He just didn’t pull it,” Johnson said. “That’s a read. He’s been playing for 100 years. He’s got the green light to pull it.”

He decided to keep it more in the second half and finished with 120 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries. Starting with his 54-yard run, the next possession ended with a 4-yard McCreary run up the middle into the heart of the Andalusia defense, followed by a 10-yard pass into the corner of the end zone to JO Pierce for his only completion of the night and a 20-8 lead.

“We called a play that was supposed to go to our tight end but he was covered,” McCreary said. “I looked and (Pierce) was open. I threw it and he made a play for me.”

Three plays later, Lathrop’s pass over the middle was read perfectly by Miles Kharti, whose 21-yard interception return to the Andalusia 13 set up McCreary’s 15-yard burst at left end for the Knights’ fourth touchdown in four second-half possessions.  

“Great blocks up front,” McCreary said. “They did a good job all game. They believed in me and I believe in them.”

Kharti finished with a team-high 11 tackles, including three for loss, but it was his interception and McCreary’s touchdown three plays later that finished off the Bulldogs.

“That was a big interception right there,” Johnson said. “We were in a look we’re not very good at and the dumb coach (Johnson) checked to it and Miles made a good play to cover up my bad call.”

McCreary, a four-year starter, has completed 439 of 750 passes for 8,873 yards and 118 touchdowns, but he’s often overlooked for his running ability. Friday’s performance pushed him over the 2,000-yard total, giving him 2,006 career rushing yards and 29 touchdowns on 224 carries.

Johnson would just as quickly point to Catholic’s 38-2 mark over the last four years in the regular season, including a 28-0 record in region games, to prove how valuable McCreary is.

Over the past two years, Catholic and Andalusia have combined for a 45-3 record, with the Bulldogs ending the Knights’ season in the 2022 semifinals and the Knights handing the Bulldogs their only loss in the regular season two consecutive years.

There are three playoff games that each team must navigate, but don’t be surprised to see an Andalusia-Catholic matchup again in the 4A semifinals on Dec. 1.  

“I could care less,” Johnson said. “We’re worried about this bye week and we transition (to the playoffs). If we see them again, we’ve got to get ready again. That’s a good football team.”

McCreary remembers last year’s loss to the Bulldogs in the semifinals and believes the two teams are on a collision course again.

“They’re a great team with a great coach,” he said. “We’ll see them at the end again. But we’re going to have to make some plays.”