‘Canes Drop Season Opener
It was a beautiful evening last Friday night with a very spirited crowd. Our Hurricanes were set to face 3A Morgan County Bulldogs. The ’Canes were outnumbered by over 50 players, but continued to fight through the last quarter.
The ’Canes started off the game with a 12 yard pass completion to Lane Thomas from Thomas Deraney. The game suddenly changed with a Morgan County interception and the cornerback took it back for a touchdown. Only two minutes into the game, Morgan County Bulldogs put 7 points up on the board.
Then, on the first official offensive drive by the Morgan County Bulldogs, Tra Jackson makes a great stop on Morgan County’s key running back, forcing the Bulldogs to turn the ball over on downs. Later in the first quarter, Morgan County scores another touchdown on a short run by its quarterback. The ’Canes are now down 14-0 with two minutes remaining in the first quarter.
After a deep kick by Morgan County, Lane Thomas has a great return and brings the ball out to the 30. Wrapping up the first quarter, Quarterback Jacob Cavendar completes a pass to Walt McMichael with a gain of 12 on the play. The quarter ends with Morgan County up, 14-0.
Early in the start of the second quarter the Bulldogs forced the ’Canes to punt.
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Morgan County came out after the break relaxed and had a bad snap, causing the Bulldogs to go deep with third down, while 7:36 was left in the second quarter. As a result, safety Walt McMichael catches an interception, hoping to give his teammates motivation to make a comeback. With 4:29 remaining in the second quarter Quincy Standifer makes a great interception, with the ’Canes taking over around the 50 yard line.
Cavender did a great job with scrambling out of the pocket with pressure and slides for a first down. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs stopped the ’Canes from getting another first down, so the ’Canes were forced to punt with about two minutes left in the half.
With 1:17 remaining in the half, Mathew Lawson catches an interception and runs it back for 20 yards. The Canes played great in the second quarter holding the Bulldogs scoreless. At halftime the score still read 14-0, but the ’Canes end the half with great defensive play.
The Bulldogs come out strong in the third quarter and score two touchdowns, making the score 28-0. With 1:04 left in the third quarter, Cavender completes a pass to Standifer, and Standifer takes it to the house for 78 yards. YESS!
The ’Canes got on the board; the score now was ’Canes 7 and Bulldogs 28. With the ’Canes scoring with a minute left in the 3rd quarter, it gave the boys motivation defensively, helping Julius Matchett catch an interception with 41 seconds left in the third.
Unfortunately, the ’Canes were held scoreless in the fourth quarter, and Bulldogs scored one last touchdown early in the quarter, making the final score 35-7.
Center Xavier Gude said, “Our team played a great game defensively; we never gave up, the whole team showed that we all have big hearts. This is only one game, we will work hard in practice and come back more determined and focus for the rest of the season. ”
Head Coach Eddie Roberts said, “There were a lot of positives in the game, but we have a lot more stuff to work on; we have to continue to work hard, work together, come to practice focused, keep believing in the system, and we will be alright.”
Please come out and support your Monticello Hurricanes this Friday, Sept. 6, as they take on the Social Circle Redskins at the Rose Bowl Field. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.