Columbus’ Bailey fires two touchdowns to Rome in region victory

Columbus head coach Phil Marino said junior Caleb Bailey was battling turf toe in the days leading up to Thursday’s game. Luckily for Marino, Bailey made sure nothing could slow him down against Shaw.

Bailey stepped in at quarterback just before halftime and ignited the Blue Devils (2-4, 1-2) in a 13-7 victory over the Raiders (1-5, 0-3). Bailey found junior wide receiver Ian Rome on the Blue Devils’ only touchdowns, the first on a 48-yard bomb with 8:32 left in the third quarter and the second on a 5-yard throw seven minutes later.

“Caleb stepped in and did a pretty nice job tonight,” Columbus head coach Phil Marino said. “He quarterbacked for us last year, so we went to him because he has a better arm. We just had confidence in him.”

Both teams slugged through a 0-0 shutout in the first two quarters before Bailey’s first big throw of the night.

Bailey said Rome had been open on a play in the first half, but the ball wasn’t thrown his way. When the coaches called the same play early in the third quarter, Marino told Bailey to look for Rome.

Sure enough, there was nothing but green grass surrounding Columbus’ No. 3.

“I stepped up in the pocket, my offensive lineman made a pocket for me and he was wide open down the field,” Bailey said.

Bailey’s second passing touchdown with 1:43 left in the third seemed to give Columbus enough cushion in a low-scoring contest. The Raiders, however, threatened a comeback in the final minutes.

Shaw quarterback Andrew Lacy found Marcus Newsome on an 8-yard touchdown with 11:04 left in the fourth quarter. After a Columbus fumble, the Raiders drove down the field and threatened to tie or even take the lead.

Once again, Rome came through.

Rome played tight coverage on a Shaw receiver and batted down a pivotal third-down pass to set up a 4th-and-9. The ensuing play was a run that went nowhere, essentially sealing the Blue Devils’ victory.

“I knew we needed a play because they were about to score,” Rome said. “I couldn’t pick it off because I couldn’t reach and catch it, so I just had to bat it down.”

The victory was a confidence booster in many ways for Columbus, which has played without starting quarterback Donovan Carter for the past two games. It not only snaps a four-game losing streak but also sets the team up nicely if it wins its homecoming game against Westover next Friday.

“If we get the win next week, we’re right back in this,” Marino said. “This (region) was a mess last year, and we can make it a mess again.”

Without the work of Bailey and Rome Thursday, it’s unlikely the Blue Devils would be sitting quite so pretty.

“We can get back into this playoff mix,” Rome said. “That’s what we want, and that’s our ultimate goal.”

This story was originally published October 5, 2017 at 10:17 PM with the headline "Columbus’ Bailey fires two touchdowns to Rome in region victory."