After two consecutive losses this season, the Cards prepared for their third game against the Columbus North Bulldogs. Fans gathered into Cardinal Stadium, waiting  for what they hoped would be the first win of the season. 

For the first half, the Cards had a strong defense. They held their defensive line right until the last two minutes of the first quarter, which was when the Bulldogs made a pass to the end zone for a touchdown. The Cards didn’t score this quarter, but prevented additional Bulldog touchdowns.

The second quarter started off with another Bulldog touchdown. There was a great amount of back and forth between the two teams, but ultimately there was no scoring for either. 

At halftime, the score was 0-19, in favor of the Bulldogs. The SHS Marching Cards performed their show “What’s Inside?” and the crowd was ready for a Cardinal comeback during the second half.

Luckily for Cardinal fans, things started to look up. Towards the end of the third quarter, the Cards recovered a fumble and scored a touchdown. The crowd roared in excitement.

Shortly after, the Bulldogs scored their fourth touchdown of the game, which was then quickly followed up by their fifth and final touchdown. Their two star players were Zac and Cooper Horn. Cooper made all five touchdowns, receiving all passes from Zac. 

Sophomore Braylon Koenig and junior Carter McGaha received Reynolds’ passes to score the two Cardinal touchdowns. 

Though the first half was played well defensively, the Cards missed many opportunities in the second half, thus sealing their loss.

These past few games have been tough for the Cards. Head coach Alex Bettag credits this to their struggle to make plays, both offensively and defensively. 

“That was the difference in tonight’s game was lack of execution and them making plays and us not,” Bettag said. 

With junior starting quarterback Bryce Calvert out due to a shoulder injury, sophomore A.J. Reynolds has stepped in as quarterback. With Reynolds move,  junior running back Josiah Ottinger has stepped up offensively.

Ottinger praised Reynolds, saying that he’s doing relatively well for how quickly he has had to step in. He said the Cards are taking a lot of time to focus on their mistakes, rather than brushing them off without a thought.

 “When bad plays happen, some of our players get really bummed out. You just need to forget about that play and continue to go,”  Ottinger said.

There’s still hope for this season. Bettag says his team is still learning how to win. Once they figure that out, their ability to make plays and defeat other teams will follow. 

“It doesn’t matter what the scoreboard says,” Bettag said. “We’re gonna play for four quarters, no matter what.”