‘Canes Head To Playoffs
With a three way tie for the last playoff position, Social Circle, Putnam County and Monticello (all 2-4 in region play) met at a neutral field on Monday to determine which team would be making a visit to the state playoffs. After Putnam County defeated Social Circle, all attention went to the mini-game between the Canes and the War Eagles.
The Canes played Putnam for the last state playoff position. The teams played two five minute halves, and one overtime as the Canes won 3-0 earning the chance to face Rockmart in the state playoffs tomorrow, Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. on the road.
The Canes started the game by kicking off to the War Eagles. An early sack by Akiren Walker (#53) led to the War Eagles having poor field position for the rest of the drive. However, a broken up pass by Jeremiah Jackson (#15) was the play that forced the turnover on downs.
With a strong run by “Dip” Lawerence (#19), the Canes were set up with excellent field position. However, the War Eagles defense forced the Canes offense to punt the ball away. An excellent punt by Braden Lynch (#7) set the War Eagles up with the ball on their own two yard line. This field position led to the Canes defense forcing a punt, ending regulation with a score of 0-0.
The War Eagles started overtime with possession of the ball. After two trips to the one yard line during the same drive, the War Eagles fumbled the ball which led to the Canes gaining possession of the football. With the game on the line, Eli Ewing (#45) kicked the game winning field goal leading the Canes to a 3-0 victory.
The Canes take on the Rockmart Yellow Jackets Friday night on the road in the first round of the playoffs. In a win or go home situation, the Canes hope to rally up for a first round victory in the state playoffs.
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It was a tough week for the Canes as they lost 54-7 against the Rabun County Tigers.
It was a defensively sound first quarter for both teams as the defenses held tight. With possession of the football to start the game, the Canes attempted to drive down the field in order to create something early on. However, the Tiger defense proved strong and forced a punt. Nearing the end of the first quarter, the Tigers lined up for a 13-yard field goal. However, a missed field goal gave the Canes possession of the football heading into the second quarter with no score.
With the Canes forced to punt, the Tiger defense ran the ball down to the end of the field for a touchdown. This gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead. However, a touchdown pass from Matt Cain (#10) to Marquis Reese (#3) gave the Canes a needed touchdown as they brought the game back to 7-7. However, a strong Tiger defense forced four extra touchdowns against the Canes to end the half 35-7 in favor of the Tigers.
With another defensive half, the Canes kicked off to the Tigers. Due to this early possession, the Tigers went down the field to score a touchdown extending their lead to 42-7. Strong defensive performances from both teams led to the quarter ending with only a single touchdown in favor of the Tigers.
A final period of play had the Tigers with possession of the ball. With possession of the football, the Tigers scored a touchdown in order to increase their lead to 49-7. After forcing a defensive stop, the Tiger offense kicked a field goal in order to win the game 52-7.
The Canes’ Cain had 10 completions after 21 attempts for 112 yards. The Canes rushed the ball 10 times for a total of 14 yards with Cain rushing for eight and William Stewart (#24) rushed for two yards, and Reese rushed for four yards.
The Canes receiving team had 10 receptions for 94 yards. Reese led the receiving game with 51 yards, followed close behind by Lawrence with 21 yards. The Canes had a total of 126 yards against the Tigers. The Canes defense completed 40 total tackles, with Lawrence leading the crew with eight solo tackles. The Canes sacked the Tigers four times, with Max Dotson (#82) leading the pack with one and a half sacks. The Canes had one interception by Gavriel McClain (#13).