JASPER -- Cal Faulkner is listed as a Georgia Tech wide receiver commit in the 2025 class.
Well, the Lumpkin County senior might as well just be called a playmaker because that's exactly the role he fills for the Indians.
That was on full display this past Friday night when Faulkner came up with huge plays on both sides of the ball and at crucial times to lead Lumpkin County to thrilling 29-26 comeback win at Pickens to secure the region's No. 2 seed and a home playoff game in the first round of the Class AAA state playoffs in a few weeks.
After Lumpkin County (7-3, 5-2 in Region 6-AAA) fumbled the ball away on two consecutive possessions in the second half to allow host Pickens to rally from a 21-13 halftime deficit to a 26-21 lead early in the fourth quarter, Faulkner put his team on his back down the stretch. Playing quarterback, Faulkner and the Indians' offense answered Pickens go-ahead drive with one of their own as the senior connected with teammate Mason Hester on a beatifully-thrown 59-yard touchdown pass to retake the lead midway through the fourth.
Faulkner then caught the two-point conversion on a trick play reminiscent of the famous "Philly Special" run by the Eagles in their Super Bowl LII win over the Patriots to give Lumpkin County the 29-26 lead.
But Faulkner wasn't done there. With Pickens (5-5, 3-4) driving for a potential winning score and time running thin, the senior, who also starts at cornerback, read the opposing QB's eyes and picked off a pass to all but seal the dramatic victory. After a first down converted and a few knees in the victory formation, Faulkner and Lumpkin County wrapped up the victory to end the regular season with momentum as they head into state playoff action in a couple weeks.
"We had back-to-back fumbles on back-to-back plays so I knew I had to make up for that somehow...then I threw a touchdown on our next offensive drive and then come back and get an interception to seal the game," remarked Faulkner on the game-changing sequence of plays in the fourth quarter following the game.
Faulkner added that he believes he has that kind of knack for coming through in crunch time for his team.
"I do (feel like I'm that kind of player.)," said Faulkner. "It's a confidence thing too. I mean if you don't have confidence, you're not going to make those plays."
The win, coupled with Greater Atlanta Christian's loss on Friday to Chestatee, secured a No. 2 seed for Lumpkin County, which carries with it a chance to be back on its home field for the first round of the Class AAA state playoffs which will begin the weekend of Nov. 15-16. Faulkner said while the team didn't accomplish its original goal of a region title, he and his teammates still feel confident they can be a team to make a deep run in the postseason.
"Big goal for us was win a region championship. We fell short of that. We're a little banged up so this off week is really going to help us get a few players back and then just another goal is to make a deep run in the playoffs," said Faulkner. "It gives us a lot of motivation of course to win on the road like tonight and also a big confidence boost knowing we can handle these games and play with anybody."
Faulkner finished Friday's game throwing for 111 yards on 7-of-9 passing with one touchdown while also rushing for 48 yards on 15 carries, including a four-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Defensively at cornerback, he had multiple tackles to go with his big fourth-quarter interception. He even added in a punt for 40 yards to contribute on special teams.
Faulkner committed to Georgia Tech back in June over offers and interest from multiple other FBS schools, including ACC foe Wake Forest as well as in-state program Georgia State. He said that when Georgia Tech came into his recruiting process, everything seemed to fit and made the choice easy for him.
"It was a big dream of mine to play college football, and I think Georgia Tech is the best place I could've ended up with their offense and everything they do, getting receivers the ball, getting everyone touches as much as they can and getting their playmakers in space," said Faulkner.
Faulkner said he has become close with several members of Georgia Tech's 2025 class already and feels that it's a class as a whole that can make an impact early on to help continue to turn things around on The Flats and keep things moving in the right direction under Brent Key.
"They've shown they're not afraid to play freshman so having a top 25 class is huge for us and having confidence we can make an impact for the program," said Faulkner. "I know for a fact they're getting things going in the right direction."
