The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes looked to avenge their loss in last year’s playoffs against Blessed Trinity, but a devastating fourth quarter gave the Titans their second straight championship with a 23-9 win.
On Cartersville’s opening a drive, a tipped interception gave the Titans the ball near midfield. The Cartersville defense stood up to the task as it did for the majority of the game and forced a three and out.
Cartersville was able to strike first on a 37-yard field goal by Oscar Hernandez, which would give Cartersville a 3-0 lead which held at the end of the first quarter.
The Titans were able to find the end zone in the second quarter when Jake Smith found Ryan Dupont from nine yards out to give the Titans a 7-3 lead. Both teams would force turnovers to end the first half.
Blessed Trinity got the ball to start the second half and the Cartersville defense forced a three and out. Cartersville converted a fourth down on its drive but had to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Hernandez to make it a 7-6 game.
The big blow came in the fourth quarter when a high snap on a punt from its own end zone bobbled out of play for a safety. The Titans had a third-down pass play go 54 yards for a touchdown, as Smith found Ryan Davis streaking down the field untouched. The Canes were down 16-6 with just over nine minutes left in the game. On the first play, Tee Webb found Dadrian Dennis on a slant, but Davis stripped the ball, and Blessed Trinity delivered the knockout blow when Smith would punch the ball in from one yard out to give the Titans a 23-6 lead.
Cartersville would kick another field goal with 2:41 left in the game to pull within two scores of Blessed Trinity, but the onside kick would fail, which ended Cartersville’s comeback hopes with a 23-9 final.
Cartersville ends its season with a 14-1 record.