Short-Handed Cranes Give Cabrini a Battle

A short-handed CK varsity football team put up a good fight against a much deeper Cabrini Monarch team in game action at the Oval on Saturday.  It didn't look good for the Cranes early, as the Monarchs marched down the field on their opening drive to score a touchdown.  CK fought back, with Andy Thelen ripping a nice gainer on the ground, a key 4th down conversion on a hard run by Joe Myrick.  While CK did not get any points out of their initial drive, Jake Hall's punt kept the Monarchs deep in their territory.  The CK defense came to life, recording a QB sack to force the Monarch punt.  The Cranes engineered a drive culminating in a 38 yard Hall-to-Mogill touchdown pass to get CK on the board.  John Luciani converted the extra point to tie the score 7 - 7 at the end of 1 quarter of play.

Cabrini struck early after the CK score, ripping off a 53 yard run for the score and PAT conversion on the first play of the 2nd quarter, retaking the lead by a score of 14 - 7.  CK was unable to do much with their next posession and were forced to punt the ball back to the Monarchs.  Keegan Kelln made a nice stick on a Cabrini player to force a 4th down and punt to CK, but again the Cranes were unable to sustain a drive.  Cabrini started to grind it out on the ground, driving to the CK 11 yard line with 1 minute left in the half.  The CK defense stopped the Monarchs on a couple of downs, but Cabrini scored from 5 yards out with 15 seconds left in the half to take a 21 - 7 lead in at the break.

The Cranes put together their best drive of the season to open the 3rd quarter.  A combination of tough runs and key pass completions kept the CK march alive as the Cranes held the ball for the first 12.5 minutes of the quarter.  Joe Myrick capped off this successful drive with a TD run from 3 yards out.  CK was unable to convert the extra point, but managed to close the gap to 21 - 13.  Big plays for Cabrini in the final 2:30 of the quarter allowed them to put up a couple of scores to take a commanding 35 - 13 lead.  The Monarchs started with some big gainers on the ground, scoring a TD with under a minute left in the quater.  CK received the kick and started their drive from the 35 yard line, but an interception / score by a Cabrini defensive back gave the Monarchs a quick score and a substantial 35 - 13 lead at the end of 3.

The 4th quarter saw both teams trying to move the ball, but no points were put up.  Cabrini ran out the clock to end the game, handing CK a defeat by a final of 35 - 13.

Joe Myrick led the team in rushing, collecting 39 yards on 14 carries.  Andy Thelen added 31 yards on 7 carries.  Jake Hall completed 8 of 19 passes for a total of 85 yards, including one TD pass of 38 yards.  Danny Mogill led CK receivers with 61 yards on 4 catches.  Brad Fraser had 2 catches for 12 yards, and Joe Myrick and Belvin Liles each had 1 catch for 6 yards.

The Cranes are next in action against league foe Shrine on Saturday, September 22 at the Oval. Gametime is 1pm.