Hurricanes Wipe Out Warriors
The weather felt a little cooler around kickoff at the Hurricane Athletic Complex last Friday night as the Monticello Hurricanes welcomed the Warriors of Wilkinson County to town, earning the 17-7 win.
The young men of Monticello were out to prove that even though fall and cooler weather is on the horizon, it is always Hurricane season in Monticello.
The Warriors came into the contest with an unblemished record, starting their season with wins over Wheeler County and Treutlen, two smaller schools in the piney-woods of southeast Georgia. While small in number, bringing approximately 30 players to Monticello, the Warriors were loaded to the brim with athletes, and brought that fighting spirit into their battle with the Hurricanes.
The Warriors won the coin flip, deferring to take possession at the beginning of the second half. The excitement for the Canes began on the opening kickoff, as Kemarion Owens gave the Hurricanes a 64-yard return, starting them on the Wilkinson side of the field for their first possession at the 27-yard line going in.
On the first play of the game, Isaiah Jackson picked up the first down with an 11-yard run on an option pitch. This drive was for naught though, as the Hurricanes moved inside the 10 before fumbling two-yards from the goal to turn possession over to the Warriors. The Warriors drove downfield, eating seven minutes off the first quarter clock, but were unable to capitalize and had to punt after a Tyrin Epps sack forced them into a 4th and long situation, and a punt.
The Hurricanes dug out of the hole they started in, at their own 2-yard line, but after picking up a first down on a run by Jalen Stewart, the drive stalled on an interception on a deep pass at midfield. The Warriors went backwards on their next possession, losing 12-yards on a bad snap, and 11 more on another Hurricane sack, this one by Cam Farley.
After a short Warrior punt, the Hurricanes were able to move the ball more efficiently, pushing across their first score of the night on a one-yard touchdown run by Garyson Manning with 4:35 left in the half.
Big plays on the drive were a big fake punt conversion by Tyrin Epps, who ran for 8-yards to pick up a first down, and back to back big offensive plays from Demonte Greene on a 17-yard catch and run, and Owens with a big 11-yard run to move the ball down to the one. Angel Martin-Garcia was true on his extra point attempt, and the Hurricanes led 7-0.
The Hurricanes had one more opportunity before the half to put points on the board after Manning stepped in front of a Warrior pass, returning it 15-yards to the Wilkinson County 25, but the Hurricanes were unable to capitalize, turning the ball over on downs with a minute left at the half. The Warriors moved quickly downfield, but not quick enough, as time ran out in the half as they crossed midfield.
The Hurricane defense came up strong in the second half, with M.J. Maddox stepping in front of an errant pass and returning it 21 yards on the second Warrior play from scrimmage of the half. This put the Canes on the tip of the red zone, and on the fifth play of the drive they were in with their second touchdown of the evening, this time on a 16-yard pass from Jamarkus Thomas to Nolan Dean. The point after was again good, and the Hurricanes now led 14-0.
The Warriors would be unable to generate any offense on the ensuing drive, with the Canes getting the ball back with 4:43 to play in the 3rd quarter. Methodically, the Hurricanes ticked over seven minutes off the clock, chewing off small chunks of yardage and moving the ball all the way down to the Warrior 12-yard line. A 4th down penalty on a Martin-Garcia field goal attempt pushed the Canes back to the 17, where Martin-Garcia split the uprights with a 34-yard attempt to add three points to the Hurricane lead, now at 17-0.
The Warriors were able to put their only points on the board on their ensuing drive, moving downfield on four completed passes, the longest being a 63-yarder that put six on the scoreboard. The extra point was good, and closed out the scoring for the night with just over eight minutes left on the clock.
Both teams struggled offensively to close out the game, with the Canes losing fumbles on consecutive drives, and the Warriors being introduced time and again to Ty’mir Thornton and Tyrin Epps with sacks on five of the last seven plays from scrimmage before time ran out.
The Hurricanes are off this week, preparing for a non-region tilt at Jackson on Friday, Sept. 13 at Red Devil Hill.
This week, the junior varsity (JV) team will host Lamar County for their third game of the year.
Last week, the JV went to Putnam County and came out on top 20-6. Cameran Johnson and Nolan Dean both scored on touchdown passes from Owen Houston, and Sentrez Culp scored on a two-yard run.