Calhoun winning with offense, not defense

By defeating Dalton 55-41, Calhoun became the fifth team in state history to win consecutive games while allowing 35 or more points in each. Calhoun beat Ridgeland 42-35 in its opener. Perhaps not coincidentally, Calhoun also did it in 2009 in the playoffs, beating Jefferson County 49-35 and Lovett 49-41 in consecutive rounds.

Lassiter in 2009 and Murray County in 2005 also won in consecutive weeks while allowing 35 or more points. Thomson did it in consecutive games, but not weeks, in 2011.

Here are five interesting facts about the subject:

*Two state championship teams have allowed 35 points twice in games they won during a season. Those were Peach County in 2005 and Brookwood in 2005. Brookwood did it three times.

*Flowery Branch has won six games in its history while allowing 35 points or more. That’s the most of any school, all coming under coach Lee Shaw, now at Rabun County.

*The most points allowed in a victory occurred in Collins Hill’s 70-68 victory over South Cobb in a 2004 playoff game. In a non-overtime game, Macon County holds the record for its 70-64 victory over Pacelli in 2010.

*The first game won by a team allowing 35 points was Manchester’s 54-40 victory over Hogansville on Nov. 11, 1955. It did not happen again until 1966. For the decade of the 1970s, only seven games were won by teams allowing 35 or more points. Almost 30 percent of these games through history have taken place since 2010 – 108 of 358.

*Four teams in history have won while allowing 35 points three times in a season. They are Mount Zion of Carroll County in 2001, Lassiter in 2009, Brookwood in 2010 and Habersham Central in 2011.

The 24 teams that have won two games while allowing 35 or more points:

2009 Apalachee

2011 Bowdon

2010 Brookwood

2009 Calhoun

2012 Calhoun

2009 Charlton County

2007 Commerce

2011 Creekview

2002 Fitzgerald

2011 Habersham Central

2007 Haralson County

1994 Harrison

2007 Henry County

2009 Lassiter

2011 M.L. King

2001 Mount Zion

2005 Murray County

2005 Peach County

2011 Pepperell

2011 South Effingham

2010 South Gwinnett

2011 Thomson

2006 Tri-Cities

2010 Woodland (Cartersville)

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