Match report
From the club's own report · By Christian Steward
The Hurricanes answered all their critics on Sunday with a huge victory over the Leeds Celtics. With under half the squad, the Canes put in a gritty performance that saw some real football stars shine. The coaching staff lead by Jim Messenger did an incredible job in man management and strategy, to lead the hurricanes to a 2-1 record.
The first quarter saw Dawid "The Believer" Ostrega rumble in from short yardage on two occasions to put the Canes up 12-0. With a large shortage of running backs and one getting ejected early on, the Hurricanes needed someone else to step up. Two year veteran Neil White swapped his regular position of Linebacker for the running back role. Bearing in mind he had never carried the ball before this game, he had a game MVP winning performance. He stepped into the role and filled it well. He made some key blocks for Ostrega and scored himself in the second quarter for a 17yd touchdown run.
At the end of the half, the score was 18-0 giving the Canes a comfortable lead. But the coaching staff was not satisfied. The second half saw the Canes step up again to another level, landing some huge hits. The Herts defence stood strong all game and let nothing go. Every mistake was eaten up. With several interceptions and forced fumbles, the Force 12 defence was in full flow.
Mike Butler had a great day at Safety and on Special Teams with 2 interceptions. Gareth Jones played a strong game at corner back and running back, racking up a total of 5 tackles on defence and 23 yds rushing on offence. Christian Steward had a solid performance at both Defensive End and Linebacker with 6 tackles and half a sack winning him Defensive MVP honours.
The second half saw Wide Receiver Ben Smith catch his first TD of the season from QB Alex Cameron, for a 16yd touchdown pass. Smith racked up 75yds off only 6 catches. Cameron managed a solid performance also, completing 12 of 18 attempts for a total of 131yds and 1 touchdown. But the man of the day was "The Believer" himself. Ostrega racked up a team record of an incredible 5 touchdowns for over 140yds rushing and 34yds receiving. Bearing in mind that all the stats for the game werent started until mid-way through the second quarter, these numbers should all be higher!
The final score was maybe an omen. Ostregas number 44, the final score 44-0. What it means, I dont know. Maybe it means look out BCAFL, the believer is back, and back on incredible form (and with an even bigger ego!)
Special mentions should go to all the players that stepped up big and played both sides of the ball. These include Pete Hogben, playing with an injury, had a great day on the offensive line and Defensive line to earn himself Offensive MVP honours. Chris Renshaw played a hard game at Linebacker and Centre, Mike Butler playing Tight end and Safety, also earning special teams MVP. Steve Dennis playing Linebacker and Offensive line, Ben Smith at Wide Receiver and Corner and Tony Groden who continued to dish out the devastating hits on Defence and Offence.
The game was a huge victory for the team and particularly the Coaching staff, who put in a great performance on the day. The big division rival, Surrey is next in what could be the decider on which team reaches the play-offs.