Hurricanes Fall in Opener Despite Hard Fight

Excitement was in the air as the Monticello Hurricanes opened up the 2018 regular season with an away game against the Mt. DeSales Cavaliers of Macon. Despite all of the ceaseless excitement, the Canes fell just short as they lost by four points, 16-12. However, there were plenty of positives noted from the Canes first regular season game.

The game started off on a positive note as the Canes were able to cause the Cavaliers to miss the first attempted field goal of the game. However, back to back punts by both the Canes and the Cavaliers led to a relatively uneventful first quarter. Going into the second quarter with the game still scoreless,.the Canes knew that passion coupled with perseverance would be required in order to defeat the Cavaliers.

The second quarter started out on a sour note for the Canes as the Cavaliers scored a touchdown, giving the Cavaliers a 7-0 lead. After the Canes punted the ball during their possession, they rallied up to stop the Cavalier offense. The defensive stand was led by an impressive sack by Jamel Gude (#2). This impressive defensive stand led to the Canes stopping the Cavaliers offense. With seconds on the play clock, the Canes put up yet another impressive defensive stand as they held the Cavaliers to a position of a near impossible field goal.

With chants from the players, the Canes walked into the locker room trailing 7-0, with fierce determination to come out even stronger in the second half in order to beat the Cavaliers.

The third quarter started out positive for the Canes as Chansler Hope (#33) recovered a fumble. The extremely well organized defense shone as the backbone of the Canes during the plays on the field. But, a safety followed by a quick touchdown led the Cavaliers to hold a strong 16-0 lead. Despite these events, the Canes proved early on that they would not stop.

An impressive offensive drive by the Canes was kick started by a big run by Max Dotson (#82). This impressive run was followed up by a big pass to #11 (Graeme Williams) from #14 (Jay Fleetwood). After the quick succession of major yardage, Fleetwood rushed into the end zone to bring the Canes one step closer to the Cavaliers. The Canes ended the third quarter trailing 16-6.

The Canes were fully aware of the task ahead of them, and they fully realized that both sides of the ball would be required to perform exceptional in order to defeat the Cavaliers. The defense came up big first, as Jaylon Mitchell (#35) put in a big hit that could be heard and felt. This hard hit saved a touchdown. The defense continued to keep the Canes alive as Cameron Lavaughn (#81) recovered a crucial fumble. It was now the offense’s turn to come up huge and Matt Cain (#10) passed to Dwaynell Connor (#80) for a touchdown that brought the Canes within inches of claiming victory over the Cavaliers. However, the lack of seconds on the score board led to the Canes falling just short to the Cavaliers.

Despite the disappointment of the loss, the Canes stellar comeback demonstrates the extreme passion and skills of the 2018 team. This team demonstrated willpower to never give up and to fight hard.

With an off week this Friday, the Canes next game is scheduled for home on Friday, August 31. The Canes take on the Bowdon Red Devils at Rose Bowl Field at 7:30 p.m. Be ready to cheer on the Canes as the team plays the final home opener at Rose Bowl Field. This historic night will no doubt provide lifetime memories for Monticello