Canes Win Homecoming Game
It was a fantastic end to the homecoming week of festivities when the Canes picked up a 21-13 win over the Social Circle Redskins Friday night.
The Redskins kicked the ball off to the Canes to start the football game; however, the Canes were unable to make anything happen on the first drive of the game and were forced to punt the ball to the Redskins.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Canes were able to force the Redskins to punt the ball which led to Jay Fleetwood (#14) throwing a 40-yard pass that was caught by Jeremiah Jackson (#15). Though the Canes did not capitalize on this play, the first quarter ended at zero all.
The Redskins converted on fourth down to start the second quarter putting them on the Canes’ one yard line, but double flags moved the ball back to the 15 yard line. This however did not affect the Redskins as they rushed for a touchdown for the first points on the board giving them a 6-0 lead. With the second quarter coming to an end, the Canes were determined to put points on the board and rushed for a short fourth down conversion. Dylan Jackson (#1) followed up by a touchdown rush up the middle giving the Canes the points needed. With a good point after touchdown (PAT), the Canes had a 7-6 lead going into halftime.
After a memorable recognition of the ladies representing the homecoming court, the hometown crowd celebrated in honoring Miss Hurricane Jessica Moore and the crowning of Homecoming Queen Cambria Stone. With the festivities ending, the fans were ready for the second half.
It was a strong defensive quarter for both teams as the Canes kicked the ball off to start the half. With both team’s defense playing strong, multiple punts led to the Canes having possession of the ball. The strong defensive performance by the Canes led to a well rested offense coming onto the field. With the Canes on the one yard line, Brayden Lynch (#7) rushed for a touchdown to extend the Canes lead to 14-6. With the Redskins back in possession, the Canes forced a three and out giving the offense the ball to start the fourth after the third quarter ended 14-6 in favor of the Canes.
With possession of the ball to start the fourth quarter, Fleetwood threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Gaven Sands (#4) extending the lead to 21-6. However, the Redskins went right down the other end to score a touchdown, shrinking the lead to 21-13.
With the Canes back in possession, early passing pressure led to a Redskins’ interception. The Redskins, capitalizing on the interception, drove the ball all the way down to the Canes’ one yard line. The true grit of the Canes was evident as a goal line stand resulted in a forced fumble recovered by Akirem Walker (#53) led to the Canes holding onto their lead and winning the game with a final score of 21-13.
Good athleticism was shown as the Canes offense passed for 210 yards resulting in 14 completions out of 23 attempts. The team rushed 28 times for 118 yards. Total offensive performance was the best of the season with 334 yards, two rushing touchdowns and one passing touchdown.
The defense made one sack for a loss of six yards, defended five passes, and caused one fumble. The Canes special teams had three kickoff returns for 19 yards.
Next week, the rivalry of the Monticello Hurricanes and the Putnam County War Eagles will be played in Eatonton as the Canes enter their third game of the region with an energy and commitment to extend the winning streak.