Calhoun City is on the verge of completing arguably the greatest season in Wildcat football history.
Calhoun City has been playing football since 1929, but no team in the past 85 years has ever won 16 games, which the Wildcats would accomplish with a win this Friday over Bassfield in the Class 2A State Championship game at Mississippi State.
Joel McNeece
Only four other Wildcat teams finished the regular season undefeated. The 1960 and 1980 teams predated the current playoff system and the unbeaten teams in 2005 and 2010 were both beaten in the postseason.
This year’s team earned the school its 20th region title, 15th appearance in a North Half Championship game and tenth trip to the State Championships.
The only other state title team in Wildcat history was 1989 and was coached by current superintendent Mike Moore. They did not go unbeaten through the regular season, however, falling to Aberdeen 21-20.
Perry Liles is the fifth Calhoun City coach to take the Wildcats to the state title game – Mike Justice, Mike Moore, David Baughman and Mike Ray, who currently serves as principal at the school are the other four.
Otis Shuttles is credited with establishing the winning tradition at Calhoun City along with Jim Bain, Slick McCool and Billy Cook. Mike Ray is the winningest coach in Calhoun City history, but Liles has the highest winning percentage at 80%, including three trips to the state championship in his six years at the helm.
“I think Calhoun City, and our county actually, they believe in football, they love the sport and it starts in the community with them believing in what’s going on,” Coach Liles said. “Above all, we have athletes in this county and town and they build off the past. The expectation is not to lose but to be successful.”
This is the only Wildcat team to beat rival Bruce twice in the same season and was ranked number one in the state in most polls for most of the year.
Topping their resume would be a win over Bassfield – the team that has dominated Class 2A the past five years winning three state titles, including the last two.
Coach Liles said he’s most appreciative of the blue collar attitude of this team.
“This group isn’t the greatest group of athletes we have, but they are a great group of workers. To go to the state championship your junior and senior year is about as good as it gets. I really attribute their character and willingness to put others first before themselves as what’s really made our team better.”
Coach Liles’ son Steele, the top tackler on the ‘City defense, may have described the approach of this team best.
“We had a job to do all year,” Steele said. “We’ve stayed humble and now we’re one step closer to getting it done.”
If they get it done as they have all season, this team can deservedly claim they’re the best in Calhoun City history, although as Steele said, that wouldn’t be their style.
Email Joel McNeece at joelmcneece@gmail.com & follow him on Twitter @joelmcneece