MIDDLEFIELD–Cardinal opened Friday’s non-conference game against visiting Grand Valley at Richard A. Moss Field already at a disadvantage as the Huskies were playing without junior running back and linebacker Trey Shirkey, who missed the game with a hamstring injury.
Injuries continued to haunt the Huskies in this game as junior quarterback Matt Carney departed in the second quarter with a leg injury.
The Mustangs went on to win 44-14.
“I was very proud of how these guys performed,” said Cardinal head coach Eric Cardinal. “They showed a lot of heart out there playing against a bigger team. There were a lot of individual plays where guys were pushing to the edge and where smaller guys were playing on the line against bigger guys and making plays for us.”
The Mustangs jumped out to a quick lead, as junior Nick Reicheck pounded in a 2-yard run following a 21-yard carry from the quarterback Michael McGovern.
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Led in part by Eduardo Hernandez, who accumulated 103 yards in the first half, the Mustangs jumped out to a 17-0 halftime lead.
The Huskies made it interesting in the second half.
Freshman Joey Soltis took over for Carney at quarterback and led the Huskies on two touchdown drives.
“I followed Matt’s lead while I was out there,” Soltis said. “I’ve seen him get excited during big plays and I knew that I wasn’t on the sidelines anymore. It’s all about moving the ball, even if it’s just two yards. We were trying to move the ball inch-by-inch to our goal.”
Tyson Sinclair, who rushed for 101 yards on just 13 carries, cut Grand Valley’s lead to 17-7 with his 52-yard touchdown run on the third play of Cardinal’s first drive of the third quarter.
The Huskies’ defense then forced a three-and-out but their next drive stalled and the Mustangs added another touchdown to make it 24-14.
Both teams traded touchdowns to close out the third quarter.
Sinclair added his second rushing touchdown of the game, a 13-yarder, and Hernandez ran for 41 and 44-yard scores. He finished with 238 yards on 17 carries.
“I feel like we lost our composure giving up a couple of penalties,” Cardinal said. “You’ll lose more than just a few points if you lose your composure like we did tonight.”
Cardinal dropped to 1-2 on the year. The Huskies host Independence on Sept. 15 in the Chagrin Valley Conference opener for both teams.
