2025 Preview: Calhoun Falls Blue Flashes

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Little things can mean a lot when it comes to football. When you're coaching it at the smallest school in the state, little things mean everything.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Such was the case for Zak Theus four years ago when he took over the reins as head coach at Calhoun Falls. Located five minutes from the Georgia border along the Savannah River, Calhoun Falls is a 6-12 public school with an enrollment of 83 during the last SCHSL realignment. Theus knew he was taking over a program mired in a losing streak with a typical roster size in the teens, but the reality of all that hit during the first offseason workout.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"My first time there, I mentioned to the team to come to the weight room because that's what every football team does in the summer," Theus said. "I had two 14-year-old players that were the only ones who showed up."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Four years later, it's no surprise to Theus that those same two players - [player_tooltip player_id='1270685' first='Jashawn' last='Lewis'] and <strong>Quay Turman</strong> (pictured) - are set to be the leaders of the first class of seniors that he will have coached all the way through their high school careers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"They've been with me every step of the way," Theus said. "They're the difference makers."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After going 3-8 two years ago, the Blue Flashes went 2-9 last season. The five victories match the total number of wins the program posted from 2013 to 2022. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"It's been a little bit of a rough spell trying to get kids, but we've gone from 17 (four years ago) ... to 26 this year. Numbers are what they are with what we have in the school ... but we have a lot to be happy about," Theus said. "We've gone to the playoffs back-to-back years. We broke a four-year (30-game) losing streak prior to that. So things are looking up and we've got 17 out of 26 players returning. Our whole offensive line is returning and we're really excited about what we have ahead of us."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Many of the key players Calhoun Falls is counting on this year are either seniors with plenty of experience or sophomores who gained valuable experience in their debuts last season. Leading the way amongst those sophomores is quarterback <strong>Preston Thomas-Smalls</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"We didn't know he could throw the ball until about week seven last year and he actually ended up being one of the reasons why we ended the season really well," Theus said. "He's very versatile. ... He's got a very interesting throwing motion that we pick on him about, but it's efficient. One of the biggest issues we had leading up to the end last season was turnovers but when he came on (at quarterback), the turnovers started going away and we started being competitive. He brings an elusiveness to our running game as well."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thomas-Smalls said, "I think that experience I got last year just coming in and putting the team on my back will only help this season."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Turman leads that experienced offensive line along with fellow senior <strong>Chase Schmidt</strong>. At 6-foot-3 and 280 pounds, Turman could provide a big presence for any high school team but especially so at the Class A level. Both will see plenty of action along the defensive line as well, where Schmidt posted 39 tackles last season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Quay is No. 1 in his class (academically) at Calhoun Falls and one of the quietest human beings I've ever met, but his size alone makes our offensive line look intimidating," Theus said. "We're hoping that this is a big year for him."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While Turman is the silent senior leader, Lewis is the vocal one. Theus said that Lewis has probably played more positions on the team than anyone else and he's always willing to whatever is asked of him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I like playing all over, but I really like defense," Lewis said. "It doesn't really matter to me where I play ... as long as I play defense."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While Theus would describe the Blue Flashes as a "running offense," they'll do quite a bit of it out of an empty set. That could be due to having what Theus calls of the most exciting groups of receivers he's ever coached. Those include sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1865444' first='Braylon' last='Patterson']</strong>, and seniors <strong>Derek Jackson</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824226' first='Kendraez' last='Tatum']</strong>. In addition to posting 345 all-purpose yards, Tatum was one of the leading tacklers on the team with 46 stops last season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>STARS SET TO SHINE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preston Thomas-Smalls</strong> QB/ATH, 2028 - While he shined after moving to quarterback last season, the 5-foot-9, 150-pound Thomas-Smalls made plays all over. He finished with 567 all-purpose yards and seven touchdowns on offense and had 40 tackles, three interceptions and a fumble recovery on defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Quay Turman</strong> OL/DL, 2026 - Turman has excelled on the field and off, as he has a 4.3 GPA. On defense last season, Turman had 26 tackles, including four tackles-for-loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1270685' first='Jashawn' last='Lewis'] ATH, 2026 - Lewis is the leading returning tackler for the Blue Flashes, who's played the most at defensive end. He made 63 stops last season, including seven tackles-for-loss and two sacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1865444' first='Braylon' last='Patterson']</strong> WR/DB, 2028 - Patterson accounted for more than 1,000 all-purpose yards and 11 touchdowns as a freshman last season. On defense, he had 24 tackles and three interceptions. He's also a shown a big-time scoring ability on the basketball court for the Blue Flashes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>FILM REVIEW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Derek Jackson</strong> WR, 2026 - At 6-foot-2, Jackson provides a big target for Thomas-Smalls. Jackson has shown the ability to go up at get the ball. Last season, he caught 15 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, he made 35 tackles and had an interception.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/19783604/67c9e3462274656d2370a1ca' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6870b1a122abb"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>UP-AND-COMING POTENTIAL</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>DJ Roundtree</strong> ATH 2027 - Here's a familiar name to Calhoun Falls' fans. Roundtree's father, DJ, quarterbacked the Blue Flashes to the 2004 Class A state championship game. Theus said Roundtree has good hands and speed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CJ Turman</strong> OL/DL, 2027 - Turman is one of the team's strongest and fundamentally sound players on the team, according to Theus. Turman could be a factor on both sides of the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Aidan Usher","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2028","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'7u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"110","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2411","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Calhoun Falls","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68712e0a78151"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Usher's size just makes him all the more elusive. Much like Roundtree, good hands and speed are what Usher offers the Blue Flashes. He was a contributor as a freshman last season, especially on special teams and offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/23287848/672774cdda33ac90e3a01ca2' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68712e0a781a7"} /--> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->