The Hoover Cardinals Football year isn’t going as planned. They traveled to Coronado looking for their first win of the season, taking on the Islanders in the KUSI “Goodwill Game.” Fans were urged to bring food and clothing donations to the game to be redistributed to underserved communities by the Goodwill Foundation. A picturesque sunset formed the backdrop for opening kickoff. The Islanders quickly forced a 3 and out, then drove on their first possession to the Cardinal 10 yard line. A fumble stopped the drive which was the last highlight for Hoover all night.
On their next possession, quarterback Briley Knight pitched right to Braden Laughlin for a 20 yard gain. A quarterback scramble took the ball to the 2 yard line. With 4:36 remaining in the first quarter, Knight rolled left, outrunning the defense into the end zone for his first of three rushing touchdowns.
All evening, the Coronado defense was stout against the Cardinals’ attack. A big tackle by Caleb Evans behind the line of scrimmage forced the Cardinals into a passing situation. The Islander secondary was ready as #7, Kyle Gilbert, intercepted the ball at midfield with 2:29 remaining of the first quarter.
On the ensuing play, Briley Knight found Micah Rickard open for 39 yards to the 6 yard line. On third and goal, the Islanders lined up in the I formation. A fake handoff to Daniel Komorowski allowed Knight to punch the ball in. Point after was good by #58 Andres Gonzalez-Luna and the Islanders led 14-0.
Komorowski got it going on Coronado’s next possession. On third and 13, he blasted through the line into the Cardinal’s secondary for a 21 yard gain.
Hoover forced another third and five, but a nice play action pass resulted in a 36 yard touchdown to wide receiver Wyatt Montague. The point after was blocked, but the Islanders were in command, 20-0.
Coronado forced another quick punt. With 6:23 remaining in the first half, Knight kept the ball and weaved his way through the left side of the Cardinal defense for a 29 yard touchdown run. 27-0 Islanders.
It was starting to get ugly, as on Hoover’s first play from scrimmage, Kyle Gilbert grabbed his 2nd of 3 interceptions and the Islanders took over on their own 47 yard line. On Nado’s first play, Knight connected with Micah Rickard on a 30 yard pass. A quarterback scramble from the 15 moved the ball down to the 2 yard line where Braeden Loughlin took a draw play up the middle for the touchdown. PAT was good and it was 34-0 with 5:47 left in the half.
Soon after, Gilbert plucked his 3rd interception of the night and the Islander offense took the field again. Knight’s accuracy continued as he found Wyatt Montague on an out and up route good for a 63 yard touchdown. The route was on 41-0.
The Islanders defense again forced a 3 and out. The punt was fielded by #19 Joe Byrne who scampered 54 yards for another islander touchdown. With two minutes left in the half and the Islander leading 48-0, the coaches agreed to play the remainder of the game with a running clock.
In the 2nd half the Islanders substituted freely getting some of their younger players experience. Sophomore Bryce Alexander took over at quarterback. Daniel Komorowski, who finished with 84 yards on 8 carries, broke a 22 yard run off left tackle. #1 Caleb Evans took over much of the rushing duties as Coronado ran the clock down with mercy.
With eight minutes in the 4th quarter, Hoover snapped the ball over their punter’s head and through the end zone for a safety that closed out the scoring. The Islanders are now 4-2 on the season and have a home game versus Crawford next Friday, October 14th. It is homecoming and kick off is at 6:30pm.
