If you were driving down Lookout Mountain a couple of weeks ago and saw a McCallie M flag on a truck bed or hanging from a tree a flag of the score of last year’s state championship game, something may have came in your head regarding McCallie football.
On Friday, October 3, the top-ranked teams in the state of Tennessee, No. 1 Baylor School and No. 2 McCallie School, faced off for the first time since last year's state championship game. McCallie previously had bragging rights over Baylor in their heated rivalry since last year's state championship game. After Baylor was up 21-0 against McCallie, McCallie proceeded to storm back and score 27 unanswered points to defeat them 27-21. Therefore, the stakes were high for Baylor in this anticipated match-up, a match-up that has been happening since 1908. Making the match-up even more anticipated, however, was a crowd of over 10,000 people, and this being the first time ever both teams are ranked in the Top 25 in America. At the time of the game, Baylor was ranked number 23 in the nation, while McCallie was number 25. Additionally, adding to all these incredible pregame stats was the fact that each team combined for 21 players with Division I football offers!
Designated as the MaxPreps game of the week, the game started quite quickly for McCallie, going up 14-0 early in the game. Baylor, however, led by the rushing attack of David Gabriel-Georges, ran for 287 total yards and scored three touchdowns. After this early deficit, Baylor rebounded and scored 24 unanswered points, going up 24-14. McCallie fought back, scoring two more touchdowns to make the score 28-24. Afterward, both teams traded touchdowns, making the score 35-31 in favor of McCallie. This late lead of McCallie’s ultimately proved not to last, as Baylor scored another touchdown with a minute and two seconds left in the fourth quarter. This last touchdown sealed the game for them; Baylor going home supreme with the 38-35 win. This proved to be Baylor’s first win on McCallie’s campus since 1996.