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Baylor defeats McCallie 38 to 14 in historic rivalry gameScores and Photos of Friday night high school football - Oct. 2
It turns out that Baylor runs this town.
As far as on the field, where it counted most, the third-ranked Red Raiders dominated rival McCallie from start to finish, claiming a convincing 38-14 Division II-AA East Region win at home Friday night. It was Baylor's seventh win in the last eight meetings.
While McCallie had a hype video that went viral this week, with students rapping to the Jay-Z song "Run This Town," it was Baylor that blared the original version of that tune over the public-address system as the Red Raiders players ran to their student section to celebrate with classmates when the final seconds ticked off the clock.
"This is crazy," said Red Raiders quarterback Wil Austin, who finished with 168 yards on 30 carries and scored two touchdowns in helping his team score the game's first 31 points. "This is my first year at Baylor so I've never been a part of anything like this. It's the most special thing I've ever experienced."
It's the seventh time in the last 10 meetings that the final margin was at least 14 points for the winner.
Baylor's defense, led by senior linebacker Ryan Parker, made a statement on the opening possession, stuffing seventh-ranked McCallie and setting up its offense near midfield. It took the Red Raiders (6-1, 2-1) just four plays to cover 55 yards, with Austin scoring on an 8-yard run.
Parker finished with two sacks, a fumble recovery that set up a first-half touchdown and a tackle for loss on defense and also had 51 rushing yards and three TDs.
"There was a lot of talk coming into this one, but our motto is 'Don't talk about it, be about it!'" Parker said. "We chose to play defense to open the game for a reason. We wanted to set the tone early and we did. There's no greater feeling than this right here."
While Baylor averaged more than 5 yards per carry in rushing for 255 yards, its defense limited the Blue Tornado to 97 rushing yards for the game, had 12 plays that went for negative yardage and created three turnovers. The Red Raiders cashed in on all three of those turnovers with TDs.
"I'm really happy with the way our kids stayed focused all week and executed tonight," Baylor coach Phil Massey said. "I'm proud for our seniors after the way we lost to them last year. We got on a roll, and that's just the way this rivalry is."
The previous three losses for McCallie (2-4, 1-2) this season had come by a combined 13 points, but Baylor scored TDs on its first three possessions, including an impressive 13-play, 93-yard drive.
Baylor capped the first half with a 42-yard field goal by Victor Ulmo for a 24-0 halftime lead, then began the second half with an interception by Brendon Harris, who returned it 30 yards to the McCallie 35. Parker would add his third scoring run of the night on that drive, erasing any thought of a Tornado rally.
"We weren't ready to play," McCallie coach Ralph Potter said. "I have no idea why we weren't, but also credit them for the way they executed their game plan. Parker is a great football player. He's tough, smart and disciplined. He's a leader.
"We'll find out who loves the game now. We've put ourselves in a tough situation, and we'll see how our guys respond."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.