Hurricanes Fall to Commerce 58-19
The Hurricane football program and its fans set their compass northeast with a goal of making landfall in Commerce and raining on the hopes of the Tigers in the first round of the GHSA playoffs last Friday.
After a fast start and a quick strike from the Hurricanes, the Tigers gathered strength and defeated the Hurricanes 58-19, behind the power of a strong and relentless ground game which saw the Tigers attempt only two passes all game.
The Tigers won the toss and took possession first. After a short kickoff with no return, the Tigers picked up a first down with a 10-yard cloud of dust, and then turned on the jets scoring on the next play with a 51-yard run to take the first lead.
The Hurricanes were able to respond to the jab though, taking possession after a short Tiger kick. Chevy Sands distributed the ball well, connecting with four different receivers on the drive. Austin Young took a jet handoff and came back around to complete a pass to Josiah Cotterell to pick up a first down. Tyler Banks took it over from two-yards out, and Angel Martin-Garcia was able to knot the score up at seven .
Commerce then took possession at their own 41-yard line. Again, the Tigers smashed the middle, this time for four yards, and again, like the first drive, scored on the second play of the series, this one a 55-yard burst through the Monticello defense for the six-points. Their PAT kick was good again.
The Hurricanes put together one last drive in the opening stanza of play, starting from their own 36. Big plays on the drive came on a big 20-yard run by Jalen Stewart, who returned from injury for the game, and a huge catch by Kaidon Whidby down the sideline for a 16-yard gain and first down conversion.
On fourth down, the Hurricanes trotted out Martin-Garcia for the field goal attempt to try and cut into the Tiger lead. A bad snap led to a fumble. Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, this was the last scoring threat until the second half, as the Tigers took over in the next quarter, scoring 24 consecutive points.
Staring at a 38-7 deficit, one would think that the Hurricanes would have bowed under the pressure. Coming out of the half though, they scored within the first minute. Sands connecting with Cotterell, one of his seven receptions for 116 yards on the evening, for a 59-yard touchdown reception. Martin-Garcia was unable to connect on the point-after try, and the score stood at 38-13.
Commerce closed out their scoring in the third quarter, adding three touchdowns, one each passing, rushing, and defensively. As time expired at the end of the quarter, Monticello scored their final touchdown of the evening, a rushing touchdown by Nolley from one-yard out.
The fourth quarter was uneventful, both teams having one drive each due to the running clock, and the game ending, as did Monticello’s season, on a sack as time expired.
Post-game Head Coach Ashley Henderson said, “I’m proud of our seniors. I do believe they have put us back on the map. They have helped us establish a culture of what it takes to win. They have shown our returners the way to make that happen. We didn’t reach our ultimate goal but it wasn’t ever a lack of effort. These guys set the bar higher than the previous class and now it’s up to team #98 to take it a step further.”
“We move into a new region next season, a much larger region, so we need to earn a better seat at the table in the playoffs. We are graduating some guys that took a lot of snaps for us the last two seasons. But I really like our young bunch moving up and seeing what they develop into.”
As for the game, Coach Henderson added “Commerce was what we thought. Big and physical up front. Those two backs and full back can go. They are real vanilla in what they do but they execute and out physical you.”
“Cope Durand, Bryan Ridley, Brandon Ridley, and Cam Farley were all over the place getting to the ball. Offensively, I thought we threw the ball well. Chevy ended up with his best numbers on the season, minus one interception which was a heck of a play by their defensive end. He is a warrior. Jalen Stewart was battling an injury and I thought he gave everything he had. Offensive line picked up their stunts and blitzes. Josiah Cotterell had another big night. He was big out wide for us.”
“We just didn’t get enough opportunities in the second quarter. You can’t afford to turn it over on kick-off return and we did it back to back possessions. Unfortunately, we can’t hit the reset button and start the game over. We have to deal with it and try and overcome. Our guys kept battling till the end.”
Next season, the Hurricanes will be moving into Region 4 of Class A, Division 1. Some familiar opponents, such as local teams Lamar County and Social Circle, and old rivalries will be continuing, including Putnam County as a region game. The region will consist of 11 teams, eight of which play football.
Football playing region members will include Landmark Christian of Fairburn, McNair and Towers of DeKalb County, and Utopian Academy, a new football playing school located in Ellenwood. Also joining the region will be basketball power Greenforest Christian, along with Southwest Atlanta Christian and W.D. Mohammed.