CartersvillePurpleHurricanesFBhelmetThe Cartersville Purple Hurricanes (12-1) were able to rally on Friday night to beat the Sandy Creek Patriots (11-2) by a score of 35-31. The Canes will play the Buford Wolves (13-0) next week, with the time still to be determined. The Canes defense held strong against a potent Sandy Creek offense, led by a Mississippi State recruit, running back Eric Swinney, who rushed for two scores on the evening. The defense had to make-up for some shortcomings that occurred on offense and special teams, and only allowed 10 points off of four turnovers. Both quarterbacks for the two teams were freshman and showed poise throughout the game. Cartersville’s Trevor Lawrence had the final say, as he, Miller Forristall and Tiamon Pennymon helped march the Canes down the field to score with 23 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Cartersville’s first lead of the game. Sandy Creek missed two field goals on the evening, one with 10 seconds remaining in the first half, and another with less than four minutes remaining at the end of the game. The missed field goals were costly, as the Canes marched down the field to take the lead and the win. The Canes advance to the semi-finals against the Buford Wolves, a team that is ranked first in AAAA. The game time and location will be announced on Saturday morning.