Being able to affect a game in all three phases is a rare trait, and Cassius Callahan makes Warren one of the fortunate teams to have a player with that ability.
The 6-foot, 170-pound senior uses his combination of athleticism, internal drive and self-assured conviction to consistently deliver big plays for the Blue Devils, and he offers the type of profile that comes in handy when trying to author deep November playoff runs.
“I just want to believe in myself before I go into every game, watch a lot of film and make sure I’m very prepared,” Callahan said. “Once I have that, I have the confidence that I’ll do great things.”
Callahan most certainly did that in Warren’s 26-14 home win against Stevenson in a Class 8A first-round playoff game in Gurnee on Friday.
The barrage of Callahan’s impact started with a 53-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep on the Blue Devils’ first play from scrimmage, and he added an interception and a long punt return in the first half alone. The straight-line, north-to-south 30-yard punt return gave Warren (9-1) a short field that led to Charley Thompson’s touchdown run on the next play and a commanding 26-7 lead.
The Blue Devils will play 24th-seeded Andrew (7-3), which ousted ninth-seeded Huntley, in the second round.
“We have a couple of pretty versatile players, but he’s probably the most versatile because of everything he does,” Warren coach Bryan McNulty said of Callahan. “He runs the whole back end of our defense, and when you have a kid like that who can take the edge (running), it’s a great weapon to have. He’s pretty special.”
Callahan wasn’t the only problem that Stevenson (6-4) had as its five-game winning streak was snapped. During that period, which began after a 35-16 loss to Warren in Week 4, the Patriots had yielded just 14 points, and they came late in games against backups.
On Friday night, Warren found the end zone twice in the game’s first eight minutes.
“All of the things we had been doing so well, making the simple plays, being consistent and doing the easy things well, we didn’t do, especially early in the game,” Stevenson defensive end Colin Schultz said.
Giving up the flurry of early points forced the Patriots into a much more pass-oriented attack than they would have liked. Warren pinned its pass-rushing ears back, resulting in nine sacks, and Callahan’s pick was one of five the secondary coaxed out of quarterback Matt Projansky, a total that equaled the number Projansky threw during the entire regular season.
“You have to be in a different mindset for all three areas,” Callahan said of his multifaceted role. “I’m competitive, so I let my competitive drive take over. If I’m catching balls, I feel like everything is on the line. So if I don’t make a catch or a play on defense, I’m letting my family down, and I can’t let that happen.”
Despite his long touchdown run against Stevenson and his three touchdown returns on special teams during the regular season, Callahan’s best fit is likely at safety.
It’s where he got his feet wet as a junior starter on a senior-laden defense last season. He used that experience to not only learn from players more advanced than he was, but also carry over the lessons learned into 2022, when younger players have looked up to him.
One of the foremost players in that camp is his cousin Dajhir Gordon, a junior defensive back. The two have long prepared for games like Friday night’s, and Gordon, who had two interceptions against Stevenson, took the guidance offered by Callahan to heart.
“Nearly everything I do is related to something he’s told me or showed me,” Gordon said. “He’s been believing in me, and we’ve talked about moments like this even before the season. And now we came out, and we did it together.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
