By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

COLUMBUS – On the soggy turf of Kinnett Stadium, the Callaway Cavaliers tuned up for this week’s massive showdown with Heard County by blanking Spencer 40-0 on a rainy and windy Saturday afternoon.

It was a 34-0 game at the half, and the second half went quickly with a running clock as the Cavaliers breezed to the shutout win to improve to 7-1 overall, and 4-0 in Region 5-AA.

If Callaway beats Heard County on Friday night at Callaway Stadium, it will win the region championship.

Heard County has won the past two region titles, and it captured the Class AA state championship last season.

“This’ll be a big week for both schools,” said Pete Wiggins, Callaway’s head coach. “It’ll be a hard-fought contest Friday night. We have to go and prepare this week and be ready for a very tough opponent.”

Spencer didn’t figure to provide much opposition for Callaway, and that was the case.

Callaway moved the ball well with a balanced attack, and its defense didn’t allow Spencer to get anything going.

Callaway also scored a defensive touchdown on an interception return by Charlie Dixon.

“We played really physical defensively,” Wiggins said. “(Defensive lineman) Anthony Elliott had another big game. Anytime that you can hold an opponent scoreless, you have to be proud of that.”

Offensively, junior quarterback Demetrius Coleman continued to put up big numbers.

Coleman completed 11-of-22 passes for 187 yards with a 53-yard touchdown pass to Antinez Blount as well as a 14-yard scoring run.

“He’s doing a great job with his leadership in the huddle, and the way he runs our offense,” Wiggins said of Coleman. “He’s a special football player.”

Blount had two catches for 69 yards, and Jacob Freeman hauled in four receptions for 61 yards.

Running back Cartavious “Tank” Bigsby made the most of his seven carries for 130 yards and scoring runs of 64, 21 and six yards.

Conditions were challenging during the game, but the Cavaliers didn’t let it bother them.

“I was proud of the kids,” Wiggins said. “There was a lot of wind and rain falling during the game, and I thought our kids handled that well.”

It didn’t take the Cavaliers long to put the game’s first points on the board.

Less than two minutes into the game, Bigsby ripped off a 64-yard touchdown run, and Blake Eubanks made the first of his four extra-point attempts to give Callaway a 7-0 lead.

Three minutes later Bigsby struck again, this time on a 6-yard touchdown run, and Callaway was ahead 14-0.

With 5:27 left in the first quarter, Blount got behind the defense, and Coleman hit him in the hands at the 20-yard line, and the senior receiver raced the rest of the way for a 53-yard touchdown.

Early in the second quarter, Bigsby scored his third touchdown of the day, this one covering 21 yards, and Callaway was ahead 28-0.

With less than a minute to play in the first half, Dixon picked off a pass and went 26 yards for the touchdown, and Callaway led 34-0.

Late in the third quarter, Coleman’s 14-yard scoring run capped the scoring.

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