On Friday, September 12, 2014, the Cavaliers put in a great effort against our rivals, the Columbus Explorers. The stands were packed – the Cavalier Nation was out in full force, with pom-poms left behind! This was the third and most important game of the season, and took place at Tropical park at 7:30 p.m. With an extremely close final score of 13-14, it is clear that the Cavaliers have some work to do.

“It was a far fought game on both sides. We had a couple issues executing our offense, and our defense played a hell of a game. When you lose a game like that, you can’t tuck your head – keep your head up and move on to the next one. Hopefully we’ll see them again in the playoffs,” Offensive Coordination Coach Cooney said.

To kick off the first quarter of the big match, Amir Rasul (#34) scored a touchdown, giving the Cavaliers a lead of 7-0 over Columbus. The defense and offense continued to put up a strong game, and so the score stayed at 7-0 for the rest of the quarter. During the second quarter, Kenneth Herring (#4) recovered a fumble, giving the Cavaliers the ball at their own 28 yard line.  Hans Supre (#22) swooped up the ball from the Explorers and made a beeline to the goal line, scoring the Cavaliers a touchdown and putting us further in the lead at 13-0.  Before the end of the first half, the Explorers scored a 5 yard touchdown, causing it to end with an extremely close score of 13-7.

“I really enjoyed the game. I thought that we were going to win, but hey: it was good. I mean, [the Cavaliers] tried their best and it was a fun game overall. Can’t wait for the next game,” freshman Gaby Khan said.

In the third quarter, Columbus shocked most of the Cavalier crowd and took the lead, scoring a touchdown and causing the score to reach 14-13. The fourth quarter was a tight defensive battle between both teams; neither team scored. The final score was 14-13, a victory for Columbus.

“I really think that the game should have gone better – there were a lot of missed opportunities for points… I was really upset by the way we played. We weren’t our best tonight like we were the last time we played Columbus,” cornerback, safety and senior Wendell Ashley said.

After this devastating defeat, the Cavaliers will be working hard so they can to prepare for more victories! We’ll hopefully see them again at the playoffs. Don’t miss the next game on September 26, 2014 against the Coral Reef Barracudas. Always remember – Go Cavs!