Calera coach Ken Adams spent most of last week trying to prepare his football team for a physical battle with Thorsby and his defense responded, holding their opponent to just 6 points.

Calera’s defensive front dominated the line of scrimmage much of the game, allowing the linebackers, led by Scott Hall, to freely attack Thorsby ballcarriers. Hall had 10 tackles.

&uot;When you can control the front, you let your linebackers play,&uot; Adams said. &uot;They’re not getting hit from all angles.&uot;

Four Calera defenders finished with at least 10 tackles.

&uot;Tim Baker really had a strong defensive game,&uot; Adams said. &uot;He led in tackles and seemed like he was involved in each play.

&uot;Hall and Paul Delbridge deserve credit for stopping everything inside.&uot;

The Eagles (5-0) scored 28 points on offense to secure the victory despite turning the ball over five times.

T.J. Green led Calera’s rushing attack with 110 yards and 2 touchdowns on just five carries.

His first score came in the second quarter on a 28-yard run.

Thorsby answered with a 23-yard touchdown pass but missed the extra point, leaving them down 7-6.

Calera’s defense was stingy the rest of the ballgame, shutting Thorsby out in the second half.

The Eagles’ defense got a boost just before halftime when Thorsby went for it on fourth-and-inches.

&uot;We wound up standing them up,&uot; Adams said. &uot;That gave us a lot more confidence going into the half.&uot;

Calera struck once more on offense before halftime, with a 27-yard touchdown pass from Jay Haynes to Mike Ellison. The extra point failed.

Neither team would reach the endzone again until the fourth quarter, when Green scored from 38 yards and Ellison found Mike Watts in the endzone for a 2-point conversion to seal the victory.

&uot;(Green) really came through to put Calera on the board when we needed it,&uot; Adams said.

Haynes completed two of his nine passing attempts for 40 yards and a touchdown, but his three interceptions contributed to five Calera turnovers in the game.

&uot;We started pressing things at different points instead of letting the play develop,&uot; Adams said.

The Eagles also fumbled twice in the first half and were penalized 14 times for 110 yards, both season highs for the team ranked ninth in the state in Class 2A.

Adams said strong defensive play and some big offensive strikes kept Calera in the game despite the team’s mistakes.

&uot;We had a solid effort in the second half on both sides of the ball,&uot; Adams said.

Calera will take on Keith High School next Friday.

While Adams may spend all week telling his players to &uot;stay at home&uot; to prepare for the Wing-T offense, they’ll have to do so on the road against Keith