By BAKER ELLIS / Sports Editor

DEMOPOLIS – In a battle between two of the top teams year in and year out in 5A Region 4, Calera traveled to Demopolis to play one of the toughest games of the year the Eagles will have this regular season. After starting strong, Calera could not keep pace with the host Tigers, and fell 42-23.

Kyle Harrell started off the scoring on the evening in the first quarter with a 46-yard touchdown scamper to give the Eagles an early 7-0 lead. Demopolis responded with a 19-yard touchdown run of its own later in the first quarter, but could not convert the extra point, and Calera took a 7-6 lead into the second quarter.

In the second quarter the Eagles, without the help of stud punter and kicker Zach Gaines, who went down with a scary ankle injury last week against Bibb County, added a field goal in the second to extend their lead to 10-6, but would not score again until the Tigers had ripped off 22 straight points to take a 28-10 lead in the third quarter.

Down by double digits and reeling from the run Demopolis had ripped off, junior linebacker/ spot running back Jaramy Dozier took his only carry of the night in for a 10-yard score to bring Calera back within stirking distance at 28-17. Two fourth quarter runs of 26 and 46 yards for Demopolis however snubbed out any attempt or hope of a comeback the Eagles were hoping for. A late, 61-yard Ty Evans pass to Tray Jones showed a snippet of Calera’s offensive potential, but that’s how the game ended, 42-23.

Evans was 5-11 throwing the football for 113 yards and 1 touchdown. Calera also rushed for 219 yards on 27 carries, the majority of which came from Harrell, who rushed nine times for 70 yards, most of which came on his first quarter touchdown run. Evans also carried nine times for 55 yards while Charles White had five carries for 48 yards.

Alex Dozier led the Eagles in tackles with 8 while Antonio Devinner recorded the only sack on the night. Calera falls to 1-1 and will face Central-Tuscaloosa on Sept. 11 in its first home game of the season.