DACULA, GA - Hebron Christian Academy senior running back Devon Caldwell fueled the No. 2 ranked Lions' offense in their 45-29 win over No. 3 Fellowship Christian School last Friday, Aug. 22.

Under the lights of Burlingame Field, which got a healthy dose of rain throughout the two teams' third bout in a year, Caldwell totaled 435 yards of offense by himself – 28 carries for 324 yards on the ground, and four catches for 111 through the air. 

Powered by the mammoth amount of yards, he scored four touchdowns, one in each quarter, as the Lions asserted their dominance over the Paladin defense. 

"It's incredible, to have that many yards … he's [Caldwell] special," head coach Kenny Dallas said. "He's special in the classroom, he's special in the weight room, he's special [in practice] … he's a winner all the time, and that makes it easy to be a fan of that type of guy." 

Similar to his near 300-yard rushing performance in Hebron's 51-0 scrimmage win over Westminster, Caldwell found plenty of holes in the Fellowship front-seven, which were made by a stout offensive line [OL]. 

From the Lions' first drive of the game to their last, they controlled the tempo up front, which led to nearly 600 yards of offense. 

"You don't do that without a [great] OL, a great [offensive coordinator], a great OL coach – all of those things go into that," Dallas said. "The most important group you have is your OL, the second-most important group is your scout team, I think. But the reason why I say that is that [the OL] just sets the tempo, how physical you're going to be [and] how you're going to practice. I'm super proud of those guys up front." 

It wasn't like the Paladins didn't expect Hebron to run the ball 28 times with the Mercer commit, and nearly 40 times overall, but they couldn't just play off the run. 

Senior wide receiver and Georgia Southern commit posed a great threat to the Fellowship defense as well, hauling in four catches for 43 yards, while also rushing for 71 yards with a touchdown. 

Senior wide-out Masen Hardy got in the action as well, snagging a long 32-yard pass from junior quarterback Michael Kyles Jr.. 

Kyles went 9-15 with 161 yards-passing in the win. 

"That goes to the credit of those skill guys outside, and Jarvis for being such a threat, that you can't just go solo on those guys. That's what we want, and that's what [offensive coordinator Michael Davis] is doing a good job of, so I'm proud of all of those guys, coaches and players." 

Fellowship got the ball to start the game, and senior quarterback Jonathan Granby made his way out for his offense's first drive. 

However, was met by junior linebacker Beau Bennett, who came around from the edge to force the gunslinger to fumble and give possession to the Lions. 

Junior defensive lineman Marley Woods snagged the wet pigskin out of the air, securing it, and setting the offense up in a short-field situation. 

The Lions ran the ball six-straight times in their opening possession, pushing down to the end zone, and earning their first touchdown of the game. 

The score was a 14-yard scamper to the right pylon, giving Hebron a 7-0 lead after a successful extra point by junior kicker Lucas Ardeu. 

"You always want to start fast … the defense set the tone and they were super aggressive," Dallas said. 

Fellowship came right back the next drive, responding with a touchdown of its own – a three-yard pass from Granby to tight end Jack Hughes with 7:59 left in the first quarter. 

Two minutes later, the Lions found the end zone again, this score being a 10-yard run by Bennett to regain the lead. 

Bennett added 19 yards to Hebron's ground game, along with the early touchdown. 

Things were tight after the opening period, but the Lions proceeded to extend the small lead into a massive deficit for the Paladins. 

Ardeu nailed a 28-yard field goal two minutes into the second, and Caldwell got his second touchdown with less than two minutes until halftime, a 17-yard sprint. 

The Lions went into the locker room with a 24-7 lead. 

The third quarter wasn't much different, as the Lions continued to score unanswered touchdowns. 

Mathurin got on the board with a 40-yard touchdown run halfway through the third, and then Caldwell added a 44-yard score just four minutes later, giving Hebron a 38-7 lead. 

However, the Paladins started their climb back in the final quarter, scoring three touchdowns in the period, with a successful two-point conversion. 

Granby was responsible for all three scores, two of them combining for over 100 yards, and the other being a three-yard strike into the end zone. 

With just 3:38 left, the score was 38-21. 

Caldwell got the lead back up to 24 after his final score, which was a 7-yard run. 

However, Fellowship scored again with 34 seconds left to make the final score more respectable. 

"We did what we needed to tonight, but you saw in the fourth quarter … they put some points on the board that we've got to back and deal with," Dallas said. 

Before a two-week break in the schedule, the Lions will go on the road to Chattanooga, Tenn. this Friday, Aug. 29, when they will face McCallie School, the Volunteer state's top program. 

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.