Excitedly anticipating the Battle of the Birds, Cardinal Stadium was alive and on fire on Friday, Aug. 29. SHS’s student section was a sea of red. 

Across the field, their opponent, Perry Meridian High’s student section, was filtered in shades of blue. 

As the Cards stormed the turf, SHS’s student section rose to their feet and the crowd erupted in excitement.

The sound of boom whackers and cheers crowded the air, but the enthusiasm died down at the emergence of their rival, the Falcons. 

While Perry Meridian High fans were thrilled at the sight of their team, SHS’s student section turned their backs and chose silence. 

Despite the red-hot electricity of the crowd, this marked the beginning of a static night that ended with a score reading 41-0, flagging the Cards’ defeat against their rival. 

“I think we had a good plan going in,” head coach Sean Little said. “Sometimes it comes down to not making mistakes.”

At the outset, the Cards looked promising. After the first play of the game, senior quarterback Mannie Brandon threw a long completion to senior receiver Jeremiah Stanovich. 

“We came out strong (during the) first play of the game, (I) threw a 40 yard completion (which) flipped the field,” Brandon said. “Little mistakes (are) what’s holding us back.”

Approaching the 8 minute mark in the first, the Falcons scored the first of many touchdowns, foreshadowing a landslide of a win. 

After this, the Falcons kicked off the ball to senior running back Riley Matlock. While Matlock received the ball, he ultimately fumbled it, resulting in a turnover, which gave possession back to the Falcons.

“I dropped the ball in the first quarter,” Matlock said. “It hurt our defense, because our defense had to go back out there after stopping them.”

Even though Matlock fumbled the ball, he finished the night with 12 carries and 40 yards.

Towards the end of the first quarter, the Cards’ chance of taking home the win took a sharp decline. 

Brandon scrambled out of the pocket, throwing the ball out of bounds. Even after the dead play, Brandon took a big hit and landed on his right shoulder, sidelining him for the remainder of the game.

“Personally, I’d like to fall on my other shoulder and not my right one, so I can throw the ball,” Brandon said.

After Brandon’s departure, the Cards couldn’t stay on their feet. 

Going into the 2nd quarter, the Cards were down 21-0. 

With many underclassmen and inexperienced players getting time on the field, the Cards could only try to keep the game competitive. 

“We have a lot of young guys like (sophomore quarterback) Mason Owens (who) stepped in. He did his best job (and played to the) best of his ability,” Brandon said. 

Although two passes were interceptions, Owens managed to throw for five completions on 11 attempts for 23 yards.

But the Falcons continued to dominate during the 3rd quarter, putting the Cards to sleep at 41-0 for the rest of the night.

Even in the face of defeat, Little continues to look ahead with a positive attitude. 

“We just take it one week at a time… and we’ll start breaking down Columbus North and move on,” Little said.

This loss has, also, helped the Cards better identify their weak spots and move ahead with a stronger game plan in mind. 

“I think mentally we were not ready,” Matlock said. “Physicality was there, just mentally we were struggling. So I think if we fix our mental side, I think everything’s fine.”

The Cards record stands 0-2. They’re seeking their first win next Friday, Sept. 5 in Columbus against the Bulldogs. 

“We’ve got a lot of pieces. We just got to put them together,” Brandon said. “It’s like a puzzle, but it’s blank so we don’t know where the pieces go.”