Colerain Cardinals defeat the Comets 36-10
Bryan Hudnell | Staff Writer
The Mason Comets lost a tough road Greater Miami Conference (GMC) match-up to the Colerain Cardinals 36-10 after turning the ball over three times Friday night.
The three interceptions thrown by senior quarterback Will Adams was a rare sight as he came into this week throwing just one interception in his previous five games. According to senior running back Matt Sora, the turnovers made it difficult to sustain drives.
“We tried to not to let it affect us too much,” Sora said. “Turnovers can really kill a drive but we just needed to move on to the next play and forgot about it so it wouldn’t affect us.”
The Comets got off to a hot start after a 37-yard catch from senior wide receiver Tanner Knue, which put Mason inside Colerain territory. Junior kicker Charles Sipe converted a 22-yard field goal to give Mason an early 3-0 lead. Sora was encouraged with the quick start against a team like Colerain.
“I think it was very important for us because it definitely shifted the momentum towards our favor to start the game,” Sora said.
Colerain responded quickly after senior running back JJ Davis broke multiple tackles on his 35-yard touchdown reception to give the Cardinals a 7-3 lead at the end of the first quarter. After a 32-yard field goal by junior kicker Chris Mangold and a nine yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Gunnar Leyendecker, Colerain lead 16-3 heading into halftime.
The third quarter was all Colerain with a 44 yard field goal by Mangold and senior linebacker Dan Bolden’s first touchdown run on the season after a two yard rush on the goal line, giving Colerain 26 unanswered points and a 26-3 lead to end the quarter.
Mason responded after a 20-yard touchdown rush by Sora. After an impressive spin move at the five yard line, he was able to score his eighth touchdown on the season, tied for third best in the GMC. Sora credited his offensive line for giving him running room on the score.
“I saw my O-line creating a huge hole for me to run through,” Sora said. “They really played hard tonight and did everything they could but when you have that great of blocking it makes it easier for us to make plays.”
Just when it seemed like the Comets were getting back into the game, Adams was intercepted by senior defensive back Ja’von Hicks and returned it 30-yards for a touchdown, making the score 33-10. A 25-yard field goal by Mangold sealed the deal giving Colerain the victory.
Mason will look to bounce back next week against Middletown at home. With the lost to Colerain, Sora and the Comets will look to fix things up before their matchup with the Middies.
“We just need to make sure we don’t let this loss affect us and learn from our mistakes,” Sora said. We need to get better for next week and have a mindset of hating to lose and wanting to bounce back.
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Photos by Staff Photographer Tanner Pearson.