Defending 2A champion Caledonia responds after falling behind

Until the Class 2A semifinals on Friday, Owen King had never trailed in a game as a Caledonia starting quarterback.

Apparently King, a junior, did not relish the feeling when the Warriors fell behind by a touchdown to underdog Barnesville early in the second quarter.

Benefiting from three Trojans turnovers, Caledonia put together four consecutive scoring drives before halftime. Three of them ended with King throwing touchdown pasess to Andrew Goergen. Before Barnesville could make halftime adjustments to offset the Warriors' pass-heavy attack and swirling defensive pressure, Caledonia scored 41 points, and went on to a 55-20 victory.

"We talk about this all the time," Caledonia coach Carl Fruechte said. "What are we going to do when we are down, and how are we going to handle the adversity?''

King credited his offensive line for giving him time to throw, saying, "I am very proud of the way we responded as a team.''

Barnesville running back Brady Tweeton scored the game's first touchdown on a 60-yard run. The junior, who finished with 215 yards rushing, said he could feel momentum swinging the Trojans' way when they took the lead.

"We were feeling pretty confident," Tweeton said. "But one mistake started the snowball [effect] and it just kept going down."

Three plays later, King threw his second touchdown pass.

Scoring twice in 50 seconds is exactly how Fruechte said he expected the Warriors, the defending Class 2A champions, to respond after falling behind early.