McCallie Defeats Baylor In State Title Game Thriller
Sports, Team FYN Sports December 3, 2023
McCallie holds off Baylor in DII-AAA BlueCross Bowl thriller
BY JEFF CATE (TEAM FYN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR) – Baylor-McCallie is always special no matter the time of year or location. Put a state championship on the line in your hometown in the mix and you have a recipe for something special to develop between these programs that are separated by less than 10 miles in what was the biggest high school football game in the history of Chattanooga and arguably in the state of Tennessee. That happened at Finley Stadium Thursday night as McCallie knocked off their bitter rival Baylor 34-28 to capture their 4th state championship in the last 5 seasons.
The Baylor offense shined first less than 2 minutes into the game when Whit Muschamp hit Amari Jefferson on a 41-yard pass to grab the early lead 7-0. McCallie answered less than a minute later to tie the game 7-7 when the Blue Tornado went 50 yards on their first possession, ending the drive with a 2-yard Ja’von McMahan touchdown run. Another Baylor big yardage play was the key on the Red Raiders’ next possession, this time on the ground when Shekai Mills-Knight got to the far sideline and took off on a 64-yard touchdown run to give Baylor the lead 14-7 with 7:18 left in the first quarter.
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@sk_begreat races 64 yards for the TD, @BaylorSchoolFB retakes the lead 14-7; 7:18/1Q #OTB423 #BlueCrossBowl @OffTheBenchCHA @TeamFYNSports @jlsimsy @97_sports @CorePower
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McCallie would answer near the end of the first 12 minutes with Jay St-Hilaire’s 27-yard touchdown pass to Enrique Leclair in the final minute of the first quarter to tie the game 14-14.
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@Jay_StHilaire12 finds @EnriqueJaimesL for the TD & @McCallieFB-@BaylorSchoolFB are tied up 14-14 with less than 1 min left in the 1Q! #OTB423 #BlueCrossBowl @OffTheBenchCHA @TeamFYNSports @jlsimsy @97_sports @CorePower
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Special teams and defense would prove to be huge near the midway point of the second quarter. After a bad snap on a punt for Baylor, the Blue Tornado would take over inside the red zone. McCallie would get inside the 5-yard line and face 4th and goal, but Baylor’s Nelson McKnight took the ball away from St-Hilaire on a quarterback keeper and take it 97 yards to the house and Baylor retook the lead 21-14 with 6:45 left in the second quarter. The McKnight return would be the longest fumble return in BlueCross Bowl history.
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After a special teams mistake, @McCallieFB got the ball deep in @BaylorSchoolFB territory. But @cbrownrun11’s defense answered, ending w/ @NelsonMcknight4’s 98 yd fumble return for TD! Baylor leads 21-14; 6:45/2Q #OTB423 #BlueCrossBowl @OffTheBenchCHA @TeamFYNSports @jlsimsy
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McCallie would answer twice in the final 3 and a half minutes of the first half with St-Hilaire touchdown passes. The first one going to Zach Chari from 21 yards out (the extra point bounced off the upright) and the second coming with 15 seconds left on the clock when St-Hilaire rolled out and found Carson Gentle on a 7-yard score to give the Blue Tornado a 27-21 halftime lead.
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@Jay_StHilaire12 connects with @CarsonGentle and @McCallieFB takes the lead 27-21; 15 seconds left in 2Q #OTB423 #BlueCrossBowl @OffTheBenchCHA @TeamFYNSports @jlsimsy @97_sports @CorePower
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The second half was different compared to the first half, which saw 7 scores. The final 24 minutes had a grand total of 2 scoring plays but that doesn’t mean there was a shortage of big plays that contributed to the outcome of this slugfest. St-Hilaire completed his fourth touchdown pass of the night with 6:44 left in the third quarter when he found Nolan Sergeant to give McCallie a 34-21 lead.
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@Jay_StHilaire12 to @nolan_sergeant gives @McCallieFB a 34-21 lead over @BaylorSchoolFB; 6:44/3Q #OTB423 #BlueCrossBowl @OffTheBenchCHA @TeamFYNSports @jlsimsy @97_sports @CorePower
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Baylor would drive inside the 5-yard line on their next possession but would get turned away on 4th and goal from the 4 when Muschamp’s pass to Cameron Sparks fell incomplete. The Blue Tornado would take the 34-21 lead to the fourth quarter.
Baylor’s first possession of the fourth quarter saw them once again inside the red zone and looking to gain momentum. Jefferson looked to have hauled in a 9-yard touchdown catch but was ruled out of bounds. The Red Raiders faced another 4th and goal situation but Muschamp’s pass intended for Joshua Hampton missed and once again, the Red Raiders came away empty on 2 drives inside the McCallie 5-yard line. With time and hope running out for Baylor, the Red Raiders defense got McCallie off the field and got the ball at their 37-yard line. 1 play was all it took for Jefferson to score his second touchdown of the game on a 63-yard pass from Muschamp and Baylor was now within striking distance, cutting the McCallie lead to 34-28 with 6:53 remaining.
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Not over yet! @whit7muschamp to @AmariJefferson6 & @BaylorSchoolFB cuts the @McCallieFB lead to 34-28; 6:39/4Q #OTB423 #BlueCrossBowl @OffTheBenchCHA @TeamFYNSports @jlsimsy @97_sports @CorePower
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Baylor’s defense looked like they were going to get off the field on the next possession with McCallie facing a 3rd and 17 from their 17-yard line, but St-Hilaire found McMahan for 48 yards to move the chains and the clock some. Antonio Fields would come through for the Baylor defense when he intercepted St-Hilaire with 2:27 left. The Red Raiders got near midfield and were looking at a 4th and 12 and the potential end to their season right in the face. After a timeout, Muschamp found Jefferson but it was only good for 11 of the 12 yards needed and McCallie took over with 1:08 left. St-Hilaire took a couple of knees and the Blue Tornado and the blue clad fans at Finley Stadium began the celebration. St-Hilaire was the game’s MVP, he went 22/28 for 309 yards, 4 touchdowns and 1 interception.
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@McCallieFB defeats @BaylorSchoolFB 34-28 to win the DII-AAA #BlueCrossBowl
 ! #OTB423 #BlueCrossBowl @OffTheBenchCHA @TeamFYNSports @jlsimsy @97_sports @CorePower |
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McCallie ends the 2023 season 12-1 overall and their fifth state championship in school history. Baylor concluded their 2023 campaign with a record of 10-3.
Follow Jeff on “X” at @TheJeffCate
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