Fair or not, there is a widespread belief that any given football team can go only as far as the starting quarterback will take them.

If that is correct, the Calhoun Yellow Jackets have good reason to be optimistic about their chances of winning the Class AA state championship.

As they prepare to visit Brooks County (12-1) on Friday in the semifinals, the Jackets (11-2) can take comfort in knowing that quarterback Michael Johnson is performing as effectively as most any QB in the state.

The junior completed 15 of 25 passes for 305 yards in last Friday’s 41-14 win over Toombs County, and he has been the catalyst behind a Calhoun offense that has averaged a staggering 47.3 points per game in the first three rounds of the playoffs.

This week, Johnson and the Jackets will be facing their first road trip of the postseason, but the hostile surroundings aren’t likely to bother the seemingly unflappable QB.

“The thing about Michael is that he’s such a gamer,” said Calhoun coach Hal Lamb. “When those lights come on, he knows what to do.”

Though not overly outspoken, Johnson has become the quiet leader of the Jackets, who captured their eighth straight region title this season and will carry a 10-game winning streak into Friday’s game. (Brooks County also owns a 10-game winning streak.)

“Michael is not your typical vocal leader, but he is a leader by example,” said Lamb.

Johnson has been especially impressive during Calhoun’s amazing postseason run, helping the Jackets outscore their opponents by a cumlative total of 142-34.

“Michael struggled in our first three games of the season (when Calhoun went 1-2) but he has really come into his own since then,” said Lamb. “One of his biggest (attributes) is that he throws a very catchable ball — not too hard, not too soft.”

None of this is to imply, of course, that Johnson has done it all by himself during Calhoun’s prolonged surge.

Running back Dustin Christian and wide receivers Da’rick Rogers, Derek Ramsey and Rhett McGowan have been consistent playmakers in helping the Jackets outscore their opponents 436-123 in the past 10 games.

Kicker Adam Griffith, who made a pair of field goals last week, has also played a key role in the team’s success, and the Calhoun defense has had ample shining moments, too.

“I’m very pleased with the way we’ve played,” said Lamb. “The kids have been very focused throughout the playoffs, and we just need to continue that on Friday.”

Maintaining their intensity will indeed be crucial for the Jackets as they match up against a Brooks County team that has almost matched Calhoun’s explosiveness in the past three weeks.

The Patriots have scored 27 or more points in all three playoff games, and created enough offense to win a 33-32 shootout against Lovett at home last week in the quarterfinals.

“It’s going to be a very difficult challenge,” said Lamb of Friday’s showdown between No. 1 seeds. “They have speed all over the field, and that’s something we will have to try to contain.”

Though Friday’s game represents Calhoun’s first playoff road test, Lamb said his team feels almost as if they have already won one playoff game away from home.

“We went into a tough environment in Lindale (in the final week of the regular) and handled ourselves pretty well,” said Lamb, referring to Calhoun’s 28-27 win over Pepperell in the 7-AA championship game. “That was a big boost for us to go over there and find a way to win a game that either team could have won.”

That victory enabled the Jackets to earn homefield rights for the first three rounds of the playoffs — and the town of Calhoun responded by packing Phil Reeves Stadium each week.

But now the Jackets will have to hit the road after losing a coin toss last Saturday morning that determined which team would get host this week’s semifinal match-up.

“Going on the road is tough challenge,” said Lamb, “but I expect our kids to show up and play hard just the way they’ve been doing.”