On Friday, September 14, the Cartersville Purple Hurricanes defeated the Cherokee Warriors 28-10 in what proved to be the Canes’ toughest game this season.

Cartersville started out hot after the special teams unit blocked Cherokee’s punt. Sunni Moorehead recovered the ball and took it to the house for a touchdown. The offense came up empty on their first drive after penalties and inefficiency forced the Canes to punt from their own 34-yard line. They shook back on the next drive though, highlighted by a 30 yard run by senior running back Marcus Gary, then capped off the drive on a 2 yard touchdown by the senior after a missed field goal by Cherokee.

The Canes’ offense went on to score once more in the first half on a 3-yard run by Gary. With seconds left before halftime, Cherokee drove downfield after a deep pass by sophomore quarterback Landon Ergle, but came out empty-handed. Cartersville led 21-0 at the half.

The first drive after the half resulted in a three-and-out series for the Cartersville offense. The defense stepped it up on the ensuing Cherokee drive and forced the Warriors to punt after a big tackle for loss by senior linebacker Sunni Moorehead on 2nd down, followed by a huge deflection by junior safety Marko Dudley on third and long.

The Hurricane offense didn’t get much better on their next possession, as junior quarterback Tee Webb was intercepted by senior defensive back Blake Kenney, leading to a 32-yard field goal by Cherokee’s senior kicker David Trinidad.

Cherokee took full advantage of the momentum shift, forcing the Canes to punt, then putting together a big play scoring drive. Senior running back Grant Mogelnicki broke out for a 17-yard run, which set up a 39-yard pass by quarterback Landon Ergle to the 5-yard line. The quarterback then zipped it into the end zone on a 5-yard touchdown pass.

The visitors couldn’t keep up with the high-powered Cartersville defense. After back-to-back interceptions by junior defensive back Marquail Coaxum and senior linebacker Sunni Moorehead, the Canes regained control and scored for the last time on a 1 yard run by Gary.

Senior defensive ends Bobby Harris and Isaiah Chaney were in the backfield all night and Sunni Moorehead was all over the field, whether in coverage or in the backfield. The offense struggled against Cherokee’s stout defense, but was led by Marcus Gary’s three rushing touchdowns.

The Canes improve to 4-0 on the season on their quest for a third state championship in four years.