Callender to set the pace

Published 6:04 pm Wednesday, July 30, 2008

The Bulldogs of Montevallo High School closed out their summer with a 7-on-7 passing camp at home last week.

Scenes from the camp, as quarterback Kevin Callender found receiver after receiver, showed that Montevallo’s game hasn’t changed as Callender matures further into a starting role.

“There’s no other quarterback I’d rather have. If he stays grounded and continues to work, he’s got a chance to be real special,” Montevallo head coach Jim King said.

Callender set two school records against West Blocton last year that caught King’s eye — seven touchdowns and more than 500 yards of total offense.

The game also revealed the Bulldogs’ weakness when Callender suffered a knee injury in the game that plagued him the next few weeks.

“We went the way he did. When he was healthy we won, when he wasn’t we lost,” King said.

This year, like any other, King is trying to build a team concept stronger than any one individual. It’s hard for him to deny that Callender will have to be the one to set the tone for the team.

King is also looking for first-year starting tailback Josh Anderson to help open up the pass, so Callender can do what he did Thursday — air it out and let Dejuan Fulgham or Brandon Lilly make the catches that could put Montevallo in the Class 3A playoffs.