‘Canes Fall To Unbeaten N.E. Macon
Last Friday, the ’Canes traveled to Macon and competed for their first region win of the season against the Northeast Raiders.
The ’Canes played well against the undefeated Raiders, however, they fell short of getting the win. The contest ended Raiders 29, Hurricanes 6.
The ’Canes came out very energetic and motivated to win. Northeast received the ball first, and the ’Canes stopped the Raiders on the first drive of the game, forcing them to punt. Jordan Stewart made a great third down tackle, forcing the Raiders to turn the ball over.
Unfortunately, the Raiders made a great punt, and the ’Canes took over on their own three yard line. During the first play of the ’Canes offense, Tra Jackson broke out of the backfield and ran the ball for 69 yards which put the ’Canes in great field position.
Jackson continued to punch the ball closer and closer to the end zone, and as a result, the ’Canes were now on the seven yard line. With 8:47 on the clock, Jacob Cavender completed a touchdown pass to Walt McMichael, giving the ’Canes their only touchdown of the evening. The score was 6-0 with 8:47 on the clock and the ’Canes were up.
On the next drive for the Raiders, Quincy Standifer did a great job coming up and making a tackle for a loss, causing the Raiders to go third and long. The ’Canes did great and held the Raiders, so that they were forced to turn the ball over on downs.
Midway through the first quarter, Cavender handed the ball off to Jordan Stone, and Stone brought it across midfield for 22 yards.
The ’Canes, however, were eventually forced to punt with 3:26 left in the first quarter after a great run by Stone. Matthew Lawson did a great job and broke up a Northeast pass, causing the Raiders to go third and long again. The Raiders converted on third down, and scored their first touchdown with 1:16 remaining in the quarter. At the end of the first quarter, the score was ’Canes 6, Raiders 7.
In the beginning of the second quarter, the ’Canes were forced to punt the football, and Stewart made a great tackle in the backfield. Later in the half, Diquan Johnson fought off his block and came up for a huge sack for the ’Canes. The ’Canes threw an interception, and turned the ball over with 6:56 remaining in the half.
However, the ’Canes didn’t get discouraged from the turnover. The ’Canes recovered a Northeast fumble on the five yard line, giving the ball to the ’Canes with plenty of time left on the clock. The Raiders played great defense and pushed the ’Canes back into the end zone, giving them a safety. The Raiders received the ball again and at 4:51 left in the half the Raiders scored again, and leaving the score, 16-6, Raiders.
The ’Canes started to gain some momentum; Cavender completed a 7 yard pass to Lane Thomas. With 3:20 left in the quarter, Cavender also completed a 32 yard pass to Standifer, giving the ’Canes great field position. Unfortunately, the ’Canes were unable to score again before the half, so the score remained, the Raiders 16 and ’Canes 6.
Coming out of halftime, Stone received the kick and ran for 81 yards. However, the Raiders played great defense and held the ’Canes, keeping from scoring, causing them to turn the ball over on downs.
After the Raiders drove the ball up field, Stone blitzed and sacked the quarterback. The Raiders eventually turned the ball over.
With 3:33 remaining in the third quarter, Cavender completed a first down pass to Julius Matchett. However, shortly after that, the ’Canes turned the ball over again, and the Raiders scored, putting them on top, 22-6.
With a little more than two minutes left in the quarter, Cavender again connected with Matchett for another first down. However, Cavender’s pass to McMichael was a couple yards short of the first down, causing the ’Canes to turn the ball over with about a minute left in the quarter.
At the top of the fourth quarter, Jay Johnson and Jordan Stone forced the Raiders to fumble the ball after a pass completion and Standifer picked it up and ran it back for 32 yards, giving the ’Canes great field position. Cavender completed a pass to Thomas for a first down. Later in the quarter, Thomas took over the quarterback position.
Thomas runs for a couple first downs, driving the ball down the field. Then, Thomas completes a first down pass to Standifer with 3:54 remaining in the game. The ’Canes were not able to score the rest of the game, and the Raiders scored their very last touchdown of the evening. The ’Canes fell short in their first region game to Northeast Raiders, 29-6.
Junior wide receiver Walt McMichael said, “We have to keep working hard every day in practice, cut down on our mistakes, and hopefully things will eventually all come together.”
Head Coach Eddie Roberts said, “We could have played better than we actually did. A lot of it came from Northeast being a good team. We had way too many mental and crucial mistakes at the wrong time. We have a lot of things to work on this week at practice, so we can get ready and prepare for the next one.”
The ’Canes have been working hard, so come out and support them tomorrow, Oct. 4, as they take on the Taylor County Vikings, at Rose Bowl Field. Kick off is at 7:30 p.m. Go ’Canes!