CALHOUN COACH AARON ELMORE REACHES 100 CAREER VICTORIES

HARDIN, IL — Calhoun football coach Aaron Elmore has reached 100 career victories, a milestone spanning 19 seasons and two programs. His Warriors delivered the landmark win with a 14-3 road victory over Greenfield/Northwestern on September 25, keeping Calhoun/Brussels unbeaten at 6-0 as the regular season moves into October.

For Elmore, the milestone carries particular significance because most of those victories have come at the school where he once played. He compiled 27 wins over five seasons at Beardstown before returning to lead Calhoun. In 14 seasons with the Warriors, he has now recorded 73 victories, giving him a combined career mark of 100-85. He ranks second in victories among Calhoun head coaches, behind Ric Johns.

His connection to the program reaches much further back than his current position on the sideline. As a Calhoun player, Elmore was part of a powerhouse era that produced two Class 1A state championships. He later returned as an assistant coach, gained head-coaching experience at Beardstown and ultimately took charge of the Warriors program.

The road back to sustained success has been gradual. Calhoun went 10-2 in 2024 and followed with a 12-1 campaign in 2025, reaching the Class 1A state semifinals. Elmore earned Telegraph small-schools coach-of-the-year recognition in both seasons. Those recent results help explain why the 100-win milestone is more than a personal number: it comes during one of the program's strongest stretches in years.

The 2026 Warriors have built on that foundation. Ranked No. 2 in Class 1A entering the Greenfield matchup, Calhoun had been overwhelming opponents with an offense capable of scoring quickly through the air or controlling games on the ground. Greenfield, however, forced a very different kind of contest.

Calhoun produced more than 420 yards of offense while holding the Tigers to just 98, yet repeatedly failed to turn promising drives into points. Greenfield's red-zone resistance kept the game close even as the Warriors controlled possession for nearly 33 minutes. Calhoun's defense protected a narrow advantage through a scoreless second half.

Quarterback Earl Elmore, Aaron's son, provided the opening touchdown with a 31-yard pass to senior receiver Lane Eilerman late in the first quarter. It was Earl's 16th touchdown pass of the season, surpassing the Calhoun single-season record of 15 he set as a sophomore. The reception was Eilerman's eighth touchdown catch of the season, also a school record.

Calhoun added its second touchdown in the second quarter after Ian Gilman recovered a Greenfield fumble deep in Tigers territory. Jake Brannan scored from one yard out to make it 14-0. Greenfield answered with a 37-yard field goal, but the Warriors kept the Tigers off the scoreboard the rest of the way.

Brannan helped shoulder the rushing workload with 145 yards on 19 carries, while Charlie Goode contributed 96 yards on 22 attempts, according to the game statistics. Earl Elmore completed 10 of 18 passes for 132 yards. The production showed Calhoun could move the ball even on a night when finishing drives proved unusually difficult.

The win also secured at least a share of Calhoun's third consecutive Western Illinois Valley Conference South championship. An outright division title remains within reach as the Warriors prepare to visit Carrollton on Saturday, October 3, for a 1 p.m. kickoff.

The schedule could provide further tests beyond this weekend, including a late-season meeting with Brown County if both teams maintain their strong form. For now, Elmore's century mark reflects years of rebuilding, championship-level seasons and the development of another talented Calhoun team, while the Warriors still have meaningful goals ahead.