Class 2A Blog: Callaway and Cook meet in battle of 2A football powers

Callaway enters a huge Week 4 matchup with Cook winless for the second year in a row. The Cavaliers have been one of the state’s most consistent programs, dominating for the better part of two decades, and they are looking to turn this season around much like they did last year.

This year’s Callaway team already looks stronger than the 2024 squad. Last season, they opened with two lopsided losses, 42-7 to Cass and 48-13 to Opelika (Ala.). This fall, they fell in Week 1, 40-17, but led much of the game before dropping a 36-35 heartbreaker to Opelika.

The matchup with Cook will be only the second all-time meeting between the schools. Callaway won 36-23 last season, sparking a nine-game winning streak. But this year, Cook looks improved as well. After going 4-7 last season, the Hornets are already 3-0, winning their first three games for the first time since 2012. Last week, they picked up their biggest victory in years, beating 2024 Class A Division II runner-up Brooks County 19-6. Both programs are accustomed to winning: the Hornets have made the playoffs every season since 2000, while Callaway has reached the postseason every year since 2006.

Callaway’s top playmaker is junior wide receiver Kaiden James, a rising recruit who has recently drawn major interest from Auburn and Alabama. At 6-foot-2, 170 pounds, James is one of the most physically gifted players in his class and gives the Cavaliers a difference-maker who can even the playing field.

Cook, however, has been dominant defensively. Through three games, the Hornets have allowed only 18 points and have yet to give up more than 140 total yards in a game. Their pass defense has been especially suffocating, holding opponents to a combined 156 passing yards, including just 20 against a high-powered Brooks County offense.

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