The Callaway Cavaliers are one win away from a region championship.

Behind the power running of Tharius Tigner, Callaway crunched Heard County 50-17 Friday night at Callaway Stadium, setting up a winner-take-all game at Pike County next week.

Pike and Callaway will carry identical 7-0 Region 5-AA records into the showdown in Zebulon.

Win or lose, Callaway will host a playoff game for the second straight season.

“We just have to go in, practice hard all week and get ready for next Friday,” said Tigner, who bulled his way through the Heard defense for four touchdowns.

The Cavaliers (8-1) dropped their season opener to Troup High, but they’ve won eight straight games since to make their championship goal a reality.

“From Day 1, our goal was to win the region,” Callaway head coach Pete Wiggins said. “We said we’d take it one game at a time, and that’s what we’ve done.”

Friday’s game was deadlocked at 7-7 in the first quarter, but the Cavaliers led 29-10 at the half thanks largely to three touchdown runs by Tigner.

Quarterback Demetrius Heard also threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Quantavious Leslie in the first half.

The onslaught continued in the second half, with Bernard Phillips, Tigner and Heard each running for touchdowns.

Tigner muscled his way through the middle of the Heard defense for 160 yards.

Tigner also spent nearly the entire game on the field playing defense.

“He’s the leader of our team, and he always has been,” Callaway head coach Pete Wiggins said. “He’s a force at fullback, linebacker, defensive end, wherever we need him.”

Tigner said the game plan was to run the ball “down their throat,” and that’s what the Cavs did.

Tigner said men up front had a lot to do with the rushing success.

“Our offensive line, they did a great job,” Tigner said.

Tigner said it was special beating a Heard County team that has had Callaway’s number in recent years.

Last season, Heard County handed Callaway its first loss of the season.

“I’m proud for everybody,” Tigner said. “This is the first time since my freshman year we beat Heard County. It’s been awhile.”

While the story of the game was the Cavaliers ability to run the ball, their first touchdown came through the air.

After Quan Bray got the Cavs into Heard territory with a 23-yard run, Heard lofted a fade pass to Leslie, who brought it in for a 32-yard touchdown.

Josh Ham made the extra point, his first of seven, to put the Cavs up 7-0.

“Q Leslie’s getting better each week,” Wiggins said. “He’s a big kid, and he’s making the plays. Demetrius Heard made a nice throw, and the offensive line did a great job giving him the time, too.”

The Braves came right back, with quarterback Santez Emory taking it in from 42 yards out for a touchdown.

Jake Yates converted the extra point, and the game was tied 7-7.

Heard County’s momentum was short-lived, though.

On the Cavaliers’ ensuing possession, Bray got things going with a 42-yard run, and Phillips followed with a 13-yard run.

Four plays later, Tigner appeared to be stopped at the 2-yard line, but he shrugged off a few would-be tacklers to score the touchdown.

The Cavs padded their lead in the second quarter.

Bray got the Cavs going with a 20-yard run, and the rest of the drive belonged to Tigner, who had runs of 19 and 16 yards to get the ball inside the Heard 10.

Tigner then finished off the drive with a 2-yard scoring run.

Callaway’s final scoring drive of the half was jump-started by a 19-yard run by Heard, and Tigner then had runs of 11 and 12 yards before his 15-yard touchdown run.

Heard capped the Cavs’ first-half scoring with a two-point conversion run.

Yates made a 41-yard field goal as the half expired to trim Callaway’s lead to 29-10.

The Cavs picked up right where they left off in the second half.

After Callaway’s defense forced Heard to go three-and-out on its first possession, the Cavaliers took over at their own 44.

With Bray on the bench with an injury, Phillips got more playing time on offense, and he responded.

Phillips had three long runs on the drive, including an 11-yard touchdown.

Callaway’s next touchdown, which came in the fourth quarter, was set up by a 32-yard punt return by Phillips.

On the next play, Tigner took it in from 15 yards out, and the extra point gave the Cavs a 43-10 lead with 3:42 left in the game.

The Braves kept fighting, with Emory scoring on a 6-yard run moments after his 43-yard keeper put the ball deep in Callaway territory.

After the Cavaliers recovered an onside kick, Tigner had a 21-yard run, and Heard scampered in from 12 yards out on the next play.

Ham’s extra point was true, and the Cavs had 50 points.

“We played good defense, and we had a real solid game out of our seniors,” Wiggins said. “I’m real proud of those guys.”