Travis scored on the game’s first drive. After that, the Knights outscored the Rebels, eight touchdowns to one, easily winning the annual Battle of the Bell, 56-14.
McCallum (6-1 overall, 2-1 in district) gained 453 yards on the ground and none in the air, but that surprising imbalance had more to do with the offensive line’s effective blocking than any inability to pass. Deron Gage collected three rushing touchdowns early and then Alexander Julian collected three of his own. Julian ultimately gained 183 yards for the game to lead all rushers.
The area’s leading 5A rusher, Andre Blakemore scored once and rushed for 177 yards, a huge chunk of them coming on a 78-yard second-quarter touchdown sprint down the Travis sideline, the play immediately following a Tyrell Washington fumble recovery along the same sideline.
McCallum’s opponent tonight, Crockett (0-6, 0-2) lost to Travis 44-22 on Sept. 30. The Rebels (4-3, 2-1) already atoned for last Friday’s loss by beating Lanier (1-6, 0-4) 61-15 on the same Burger Stadium turf where McCallum and Crockett will play this evening.
Interviews by Joseph Cardenas. Video by Mia Orrick. Photos by Diego Gutierrez, Gregory James, Alana Raper, Adrian Peña and Dave Winter.
CORRECTION: On our videos, we incorrectly state that McCallum has beaten Travis 17 time in a row. That’s incorrect. McCallum has beaten Travis 17 out of the last 18 times the two teams have played.