By DREW GRANTHUM/Special to the Reporter

CALERA – It was not the senior night that the Calera Eagles hoped for, closing out the 2015 regular season with a 26-14 home loss to the Chilton County Tigers.

After Calera punted to open, the Tigers scored first on a 9-yard play action pass, to take a 7-0 lead with 7:24 left in the first following the extra point.

The Eagles turned the ball over on an interception on the following drive, but the Calera defense stood strong, forcing a punt.
Calera took over on their own 15, and proceeded to piece together a drive that was capped off by the Eagles’ Charles White crashing through the CCHS defense for an 11-yard score. The extra point was good, and Calera pulled even, 7-7, with 9:49 left in the second.

The ensuing drive saw Chilton County stall out and eventually miss a field goal, giving the ball to Calera at their own 20.
After a drive stalled, a short Eagle punt gave Chilton County the ball deep in Eagle territory, but Theodore Keller came up big, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Calera.

The Eagles ran out the clock, sending both teams to the locker room tied at 7-7.

Chilton County didn’t take long to break the tie, going 78 yards for a score just 23 seconds into the second half. The extra point was good, and the Tigers held a 14-7 lead.

They didn’t hold it long, however, as Calera took just two plays to respond, as Kyle Harrell broke through the defense from midfield to score. Kicker Zach Ford’s extra point was good, and the game was tied, 14-14 with 10:59 left in the third.

After a miscue on a field goal attempt by Calera, Chilton County took the ball 70 yards for a score. The Tigers were called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, and the ensuing PAT was no good, giving CCHS a 20-14 lead with 1:50 left in the third.
Calera responded, using a grinding running game to wear down the Tigers, driving all the way to the Chilton County 5.

White pounded through the defense all the way to the 1-yard line, but a fumble on third down led to the Eagles being forced to go for it on fourth down.

Quarterback Ty Evans stepped back and found a streaking Charles White headed for the home sideline of the endzone, and put the ball up. White and a CCHS defender battled for the pigskin, with White coming down with the ball, but was ruled out of bounds much to the dismay of the home crowd.

CCHS received the ball following the turnover on downs, and proceeded to add one more score to bring the final to 26-14.
Stats were unavailable at press time. The Eagles fall to 7-3 on the season, and will travel to Eufala for the first round of the playoffs.