Calvary Baptist found success in all three phases Friday to outlast crosstown Class 5A opponent Huntington in a physical slugfest.
The Cavaliers (7-1, 5-0) held off the Raiders (3‑5, 3‑3) for a 45-35 victory to extend their winning streak to six games and strengthen their path toward a top-four playoff seed in what many around the state viewed as a likely rebuilding year.
“Coming into the season, people doubted us a lot,” said senior safety Luke Miller. “We had a lot of early success, and this win really showed that if we play our game, we can go far in the playoffs — even compete for a state championship.”
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Calvary’s blueprint for success has been a stingy defense led by Miller and explosive plays from junior wide receiver Braylun Huglon.
Huglon hauled in a pair of touchdown passes from sophomore signal-caller Hudson Price — the second an 80‑yard bolt midway through the fourth that stretched the lead to two scores (42-28) with six minutes left.
“As soon as I saw the safety just standing there, I took off,” Huglon said with a grin. “Hudson threw it right to me, and as soon as I caught it, I knew I was gone.”
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Huntington, however, didn’t back down. The Raiders answered with a crazy hook‑and‑double‑lateral trick play for a Nate Green touchdown that cut the margin to 42‑35 before senior kicker Ty Knight iced the game with a late field goal for the Cavs.
Knight had already made his mark early.
Huntington struck first with a 40-yard QB draw by Justin Whitaker and forced a three‑and‑out on Calvary’s opening possession.
But Knight’s punt pinned the Raiders deep, setting up a safety for the Cavaliers’ defense. And a Knight field goal moments later narrowed their early deficit to 7‑5.
Huntington’s defense extended the lead shortly after when Braydon Cummings stripped the ball and took it back for a score, putting the Raiders up 14‑5 before Calvary shortened it right before half on a 1-yard Z’ryan Miles run. At halftime, the score stood at 14-12.
The second half belonged to Calvary’s playmakers. A David Weeks‘ pick‑six opened the scoring to give the Cavs their first lead of the night, and a 37-yard shot from Price to Huglon gave Calvary the cushion to hold on.
A Lacedric Allen pick-six and a second Whitaker rushing touchdown kept the Raiders within reach before Huglon’s late dagger and Knight’s late field goal put it away.
