Canes Win Pivotal Contest, Advance to Playoffs

It was an exciting night for the Monticello Hurricanes as they were victorious over the Social Circle Redskins 36-28. The Canes now move to 5-5 for the season as well as qualifying for the Georgia High School Association state 2AA playoffs.

The Canes started the game strongly as they forced an early Redskins three and out. Seconds later, the Canes continued this strong start as #14 Jay Fleetwood rushed in for a touchdown. A two point conversion by #6 Mac Barton led to the Canes taking an early lead of 8-0.

However, the Redskins drove right back down the field as they scored a touchdown to reduce the Canes lead to one point. In a worrisome moment, the Redskins made a quick interception which led to them attempting a field goal on fourth down. However, the field goal was a bit out of the Redskins kicker’s range as a missed field goal led to a turnover on downs, with the Canes set to take possession of the football at the start of the second quarter.

An early turnover on the downs for the Canes led to another field goal attempt by the Redskins. However, another missed Redskins field goal put the football back in the hands of the Canes. A punt led to another opportunity for the Redskins to possess the ball. On defense for the Canes, #82 Max Dotson looked to shift the momentum of the game as he forced a Redskins fumble which was recovered by #56 Chantz Watts. This shift in momentum led to a 29 yard touchdown run by Fleetwood. This late touchdown led to the Canes entering halftime leading by a score of 14-7.

The Canes were looking to strengthen their lead early in the second half after receiving the kickoff. A 47 yard pass from Fleetwood to Dotson set the stage for #33 Chance Hope to rush the football into the end zone. A two point conversion by Fleetwood led to the Canes extending their lead over the Redskins to 15 points.

However, disaster struck for the Canes as the Redskins put 15 points on the board to level the game. This unfortunate event led to the Canes entering the fourth quarter tied at 22 with the Redskins.

An early fourth quarter touchdown by the Redskins led to the Canes trailing by six. Knowing that a touchdown was necessary to keep their season alive and enter the playoffs, Fleetwood threw a 24 yard touchdown pass to #13 Gavriel McClain to equal the score at 28.

With the Canes defense needing a huge stand, the defense rallied together to force the Redskins to punt. With limited time left on the clock and needing to put points on the board in order to avoid overtime, Fleetwood rushed in for a Canes touchdown, possibly the most important touchdown of the season. Another two point conversion by Barton led to the Canes taking back the lead. With seconds left on the clock and the Redskins in a possible scoring position, the crowd was glued to the game. In the last seconds of the game, the Redskins offense attempted to reach the end zone. However, an interception by Fleetwood led to the Redskins failing to score a needed touchdown. In the end, the Canes took the victory.

Huge plays were made on both offense and defense for the Canes in this crucial region victory. On offense, Hope led in rushing with a total of 125 yards. Also, three rushing touchdowns and one passing touchdown by Fleetwood had an enormous impact on the final score. On the defensive side of the ball, #2 Jamel Gude led the Canes in total tackles with seven tackles.

The Canes, the fourth seed behind Rabun, Union and Elbert, will travel to Heard County on Friday, Nov. 9 for a 7:30 p.m. contest against the number one seed from region 5AA. This will be the first round of GHSA state playoffs in the AA division. Make sure to come out and support the Canes.