The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes (1-0) kicked off the 2024 season with a dominant 40-0 victory over the Columbia Eagles on Thursday night.
The game was rescheduled to Thursday due to a shortage of officials across the state.
Nate Russell’s first pass attempt for Cartersville was intercepted after it was tipped and caught by Columbia’s secondary. Despite starting at Cartersville’s 30-yard line, the Eagles couldn’t capitalize and failed to score. Cartersville responded on the next possession with a catch-and-run touchdown from Nate Russell to A’darrian Taylor-Wilson, giving the Hurricanes an early lead.
Although most opening kickoffs go unnoticed, the Canes’ first kickoff of the season deserves recognition. The ball mimicked a 60-degree wedge shot, landing where no Eagles players were positioned. PJ Richards quickly recovered the loose ball, setting up Cartersville with excellent field position for their third drive.
The offense initially stalled at the 1-yard line, but on fourth down, Russell connected with Jamauri Brice in the back of the end zone for a touchdown, extending the lead. The only issue for Cartersville seemed to be their PAT team. The first attempt was blocked, and the second went wide right. Despite these mistakes, Cartersville held a 12-0 lead.
Before the first quarter ended, Russell contributed again by high-stepping into the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown run. After successfully making the PAT, Cartersville increased their lead to 19-0.
Cartersville’s offense kept rolling, with Baylon Long and Tyon Coe scoring on 4-yard and 11-yard touchdown runs, respectively.
With a running clock in the second half, Cartersville scored just one more touchdown when Tripp Chatmon found the end zone on a 1-yard run, sealing the game with a final score of 40-0.
Cartersville will host Rockmart next Friday night at Weinman Stadium. Tune in to WBHF for pregame coverage starting at 6:00 PM.