Baylor, Gabriel Georges stuns McCallie to remain undefeated
Team FYN Sports October 5, 2025
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Thousands of fans wearing red and blue, former players from multiple sports for Baylor and McCallie, Peyton Manning, and Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello were among the many jammed into Spears Stadium for the 95th all-time meeting between the Blue Tornado and the Red Raiders on the gridiron. No matter which side you were on or which color you were wearing Friday nighth, all were expecting another classic in this heated rivalry and that was what happened… again. Baylor scored in the final minutes to rally and stun McCallie 38-35.
Orange, red, and blue set the scene for the 95th meeting between Baylor and McCallie
Both teams traded punts on their first offensive possessions of the matchup, and a third punt in a row was coming up with McCallie giving the ball back to Baylor. Malakai Jacob’s punt bounced near the 25 yard line and looked to hit Baylor’s Max Minninger in the leg, which was recovered by the Blue Tornado at the Red Raiders’ 20 yard line. It took only one snap for the first points to hit the scoreboard when Xavier Fillion broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage, hit the edge, and raced in for a 20 yard touchdown run to give the Big Blue a 7-0 lead with 7:08 to go in the opening quarter. That would be the only scoring both teams had in the first twelve minutes of play.
Keeyshawn Tabuteau, a Vanderbilt commit, slipped behind the Baylor secondary less than three minutes into the second quarter and Louis Fortier found him in stride for an 89 yard bomb and a 14-0 McCallie lead. One of the biggest storylines coming into the game was the health status of Baylor running back David Gabriel Georges.
Baylor running back David Gabriel Georges (0) gets loose before the Red Raiders take on McCallie
The junior was held out of last week’s victory at Montgomery Bell Academy as a precaution after getting injured on September 19th in the Red Raiders’ victory at CPA. The ankle seemed just fine on the next drive for Baylor that went 73 yards, with the final 51 coming on a Georges’ touchdown run. That would cut the Blue Tornado lead back down to one possession, 14-7, with 7:45 left until halftime. Georges had another 50 plus yard on the next Baylor possession, adding a 53 yard scamper with 4:51 left in the second quarter to tie the game at 14-14. After McCallie for the fourth consecutive time in the first half, the Red Raiders drove down the field, getting within field goal range late in the half. Jake Shutters connected on a 27 yard field goal as the buzzer sounded to give the Red Raiders a 17-14 halftime lead.
Both teams got points on the first possessions of the second half, with Baylor doing so forty seconds into the third quarter when Louisville commit Briggs Cherry connected found Tennessee commit Jamyan Theodore on a 72 yard touchdown to give the Red Raiders a 24-14 advantage. McCallie’s score came on the legs of quarterback Elliott Drapeau on a 2 yard run to cut the Baylor lead to 24-21 with 7:44 left in the quarter.
Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello and Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning
The Blue Tornado would storm 94 yards and get points with 8:39 left in the game when Kris Lloyd rumbled in from a yard out give McCallie the lead back with a 28-24 advantage. That lead was short lived, just over a minute to be exact, when Georges turn on the jets in a SportsCenter Top Ten styled run, breaking several tackles and racing in from 60 yards out which gave Baylor a 31-28 lead. Georges’ 3 touchdown runs netted 164 yards alone in a 282 yard performance on the ground on 25 carries. Drapeau and the Blue Tornado offense would answer right away when the senior quarterback faked a handoff to Llyod on 4th and 2 and raced into the endzone from 42 yards out to retake the lead, 35-31, with 5:51 to go in the game. How about an 80 yard drive to beat your rival on the road? Cherry, Georges, and company would do just that. The Red Raiders marched in the red zone, getting down to the 5 yard line with 1:13 left on the clock. Georges looked to have his fourth rushing touchdown but a holding penalty on the Red Raiders wiped that off the board and backed Baylor back outside the 10 yard line. That didn’t bother Cherry too long as he rolled out to the near sideline on the next play and found Kaiden Dewey in the corner of the end zone on a 15 yard strike, giving Baylor the lead 38-35 with 1:02 remaining. McCallie was unable to answer, turning the ball over on downs, and the start of the celebration that will likely last beyond the weekend.
Baylor moves to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in region play while McCallie falls to 5-2 overall and 0-2 in the region. Both teams have a bye week this coming Friday.
McCallie rallies to stun Baylor in BlueCross Bowl for another state championship
Team FYN Sports December 6, 2024
BY JEFF CATE (TEAM FYN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR)
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Blue, red, and gold: three colors that go hand in hand in the month of December involving Baylor and McCallie chasing the gold ball trophy that is given to state champions in the state of Tennessee. The temperature dipped into the mid 20’s at the end of the game but that is when the Blue Tornado heated up. Baylor would get out to a 21-0 lead in the second quarter, only to see McCallie score 27 unanswered points to knock off the Red Raiders 27-21 at Finley Stadium on a bitterly cold Thursday evening for the Division II-AAA state championship in the 94th meeting all-time between these rivals.
Baylor would get the ball first to start this rematch of last year’s DII-AAA championship game, driving inside McCallie territory. The Red Raiders would go for it on 4th down from the Blue Tornado 34-yard line, but an incomplete pass would stop the drive. McCallie would go 3 and out on their first possession and Baylor would get to work on their next 2 possession of the first quarter. David Gabriel-Georges would get the Red Raiders on the board first on a 31-yard touchdown run to give Baylor a 7-0 lead with 5:19 left in the opening quarter.
David Gabriel-Georges races into the end zone for Baylor
Tennessee signee Joakim Dodson would be on the receiving end of a 43-yard Briggs Cherry pass to extend the Red Raider advantage to 14-0 with just over a minute left in the first quarter.
The Red Raiders would continue their hot streak offensively early in the second quarter when Cherry would connect with Jamyan Theodore 69-yard touchdown pass for another score on the third consecutive possession for Baylor, giving the red and gray a 21-0 lead with 9:44 left in the first half. Theodore would end the ensuing McCallie drive, intercepting a Elliott Drapeau pass and gibing the Red Raiders the ball at their 2 yard line. Drapeau would answer on the next McCallie possession, finding Keeyshawn Tabuteau from 7 yards out on the final play of the second quarter. The extra point was blocked, giving Baylor a 21-6 lead at halftime.
Baylor would recover a McCallie fumble on the Blue Tornado’s first possession of the third quarter near midfield, but the Red Raiders were unable to take advantage of the early turnover and punted the ball back after going three and out. After a 15-yard run by Keyland Syam down to the Baylor 45 and a Drapeau 44 completion to Carson Lawrence, Syam would finish the 3 play, 60 yard drive with a 1 yard score to cut the Baylor lead to 21-13 with 7:25 left in the third quarter.
Keylan Syam scores for McCallie
After another Baylor punt, McCallie was on the move after a 46-yard Drapeau dart to Loia Valade to get the Blue Tornado inside the Red Raider 30-yard line. 2 Syam runs of 14 and 8 yards would give McCallie a first down at Baylor 12-yard line going into the 4th quarter.
Syam would score on another 1-yard run with 10:59 left in the game to cut the Baylor lead to 21-19 after a failed 2 point attempt. The Blue Tornado would get the ball back and drive inside the red zone again after forcing Baylor’s 4th consecutive punt, but Elliott Arnold’s 27-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left. After forcing the 5th consecutive punt for the Red Raiders, which saw Theordore lay out and keep the ball from sailing into the end zone and forcing the Blue Tornado the begin at their 2-yard line with 5:40 left in the game. Runs by Syam and Drapeau completions to Lawrence, Tabuteau, and Hunter Glasgow got McCallie into Baylor territory and eventually down to the Red Raider 29-yard line. Drapeau’s pass to Lawrence on 3rd and 7 fell incomplete, but a pass interference was called and the Blue Tornado’s drive, and season, were still alive. Number 26 in white would tote the rock the rest of the 15 play, 98 drive that ended when Syam punched it in from 2 yards out to give McCallie their first lead of the game, 27-21, with 15 seconds remaining. Cherry would connect with Cam Sparks, whose attempted pitch back was recovered by the Blue Tornado defense to put a end to the comeback and 2024 season.
Drapeau would end his game 18 of 31 for 237 yards passing with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Syam, who was named the game’s MVP, rushed 34 times for 175 yards and 3 touchdowns. Cherry would end his night going 15 of 24 for 221 yards and 2 touchdowns for Baylor through the air while Gabriel-Georges would lead the Red Raiders on the ground with 119 yards on 10 carries and 1 score.
Keylan Syam after his MVP performance for McCallie against Baylor
McCallie finishes the 2024 season 11-2 overall and secured the 6th state championship in school history while handing the Red Raiders their first loss of the year. Baylor ended the 2024 season with a record of 12-1.
Follow Jeff on “X” at @TheJeffCate
Ground and pound for the Big Red as Baylor rolls over McCallie
Team FYN Sports October 5, 2024
BY JEFF CATE (TEAM FYN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR)
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Blue versus red, rival versus rival, McCallie versus Baylor. In what is regarded as the best rivalry in high school football in Chattanooga (and arguably in the state of Tennessee), the Red Raiders showed they remembered the Blue Tornado winning both matchups on the field in 2023. Baylor used an unstoppable rushing attack and a suffocating defense while scoring the most points ever in series history in a 44-12 victory Friday night at Heywood Stadium.
Hunter Glasgow shows off his hops during warmups for McCallie before the Blue Tornado takes on Baylor
Two David Gabriel-Georges runs would open the game for Baylor after getting the ball at their own 35-yard line to start due to the opening kickoff going out of bounds. Georges’ first run went for 14 yards, the second rush went for 51 yards and the opening score as the Red Raiders would strike first less than a minute in, leading 6-0 with 11:14 left in the quarter. After McCallie punted on their first offensive possession, Baylor would have to start inside their 10-yard line. Shekai Mills-Knight’s runs of 5 and 13 yards would get Baylor away from their goal line. Briggs Cherry would connect with Cameron Sparks for 15 yards on 3rd and 16, setting up a 4th and 1 from the McCallie 33-yard line. The Blue Tornado defense would hold on the 4th and 1, not allowing the yard to keep the drive going. Jamyan Theodore would then return the favor and give Cherry and the offense the ball back on an interception . Baylor would be unable to take advantage of the turnover, eventually punting the ball back to the Big Blue.
Theodore would get his second interception of the half, ripping the ball away from Blue Tornado wideout Keeyshawn Tabuteau, and giving Baylor excellent field position at the McCallie 29-yard line early in the second quarter. Gabriel-Georges would get his second rushing touchdown of the first half on a 2-yard run and Baylor led by double digits, 13-0, with 9:54 left in the first half.
David Gabriel-Georges rushes in for 1 of his 3 touchdowns for Baylor
Number 5 in red would get 6 for the Red Raiders on the next possession when Theodore stepped in front of Elliott Drapeau’s pass and racing in from 32 yards out to extend the Baylor lead to 20-0 with 6:11 left. Theodore would get a pass breakup on the next Blue Tornado possession, which saw McCallie punt once again. Baylor would have half of the field to drive, taking over at midfield. Georges had a 15-yard run down to 35-yard line. A few plays later, Cherry would find Sparks in the corner of the endzone, extending Baylor’s lead to 27-0 with 2:24 remaining in the quarter.
“You always say big time players make big time plays in big time games, and those 2 are big time players”, Baylor head coach Erik Kimrey said when describing Gabriel-Georges and Theodore.
Each team would score twice in the third quarter, beginning with McCallie getting their first points of the game on the first possession of the second half. Drapeau would find Carson Lawrence from 3 yards out, but the missed extra point made it 27-6 Baylor with 8:34 left in the quarter. Baylor would answer when Georges would get 72 of his game high 232 rushing yards on a touchdown run that would push the Red Raiders’ advantage to 34-6. Drapeau and the Blue Tornado offense would immediately go back to work when he found Tabuteau on a 59-yard pass down to the Baylor 21-yard line. Keylan Syam would score on a 3-yard run to get McCallie in double digits, cutting the Baylor lead to 34-12 with 6:32 left in the quarter.
Keylan Syam scores for McCallie
Philippe LaForge’s 27-yard field goal with about a minute left in the third quarter gave Baylor a 37-12 advantage going into the final 12 minutes. The only scoring in the 4th quarter came from Mills-Knight on a 20-yard run when he got through a hole opened up by Jimmy Bryson and Gabriel Osenda, giving Baylor their 44th point in the game and a 44-12 lead. The 44 points on the night would be the most ever by any Baylor team against McCallie. The Red Raiders would dominate the line of scrimmage, gaining 322 yards on the ground on 32 touches and 4 touchdowns.
“We felt like establishing the lines of scrimmage was very important, as it is in every Baylor-McCallie game”, Kimrey said. “Our defense played extraordinary tonight. I have to give Chris Brown (Baylor defensive coordinator) credit. His staff had a great game plan and those guys played physical and were able to stifle their running game.”
Cherry would go 10 of 14 with 110 yards passing and 1 touchdown. Drapeau would go 17 of 33 for 215 yards passing and 1 touchdown, finding Tabuteau 4 times for 112 yards.
Baylor moves to 7-0 overall (3-0 in region play) and has next week off before taking on St. Pius X out of Missouri at home on October 18th. McCallie falls to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the region. The Blue Tornado will also have a bye next week before hitting the road to take on Father Ryan on October 18th.
Follow Jeff on “X” at @TheJeffCate