On Nov. 20, the Cavaliers played Columbus for the Regional semi-final at Tropical Park at 7:30 p.m. Right before the game started, proud Cavaliers filled the bleachers and waited for the game to start. The Cavaliers’ hard work from the season could be seen on the field. Sadly, the Cavaliers were not able to score, and the Explorers won with a final score of 35-0.

“I arrived there before kickoff, and slowly, the stadium began to get crowded. The first quarter was almost over and I was in the stands hyping the crowd up. That feeling of creating a momentum with the crowd is indescribable. I love Gables vs. Columbus games,” junior Jonathan De Armas said.

The game began with our Cavaliers receiving the kickoff. They started the game with a good running play by Amir Rasul. However, things looked a bit worse when the ball was fumbled in the second play. The Cavaliers weren’t able to get the first down and punted the ball away. Then the Explorers scored a touchdown. The Cavaliers kept making their way downfield but were not able to punch the ball in, and so the first quarter ended. In the second quarter, the pattern continued; Gables made its way down the field, but still was unable to put the ball in the end zone. The half ended with another touchdown by the Explorers – the score was 14-0.

The second half started with the Cavaliers’ renewed spirits as they kept working as hard as they could. However, the Explorers were able to score another touchdown, bringing the score to 21-0. The Cavaliers still kept pushing. They managed to make their way downfield a few more times, but they continued to have mishaps and couldn’t score. The Explorers then scored another touchdown. Finally, Columbus scored their last touchdown right before the end of the game, and thus the score was 35-0.

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We did great this season. Our biggest fear for this season was losing. It seems like we worked too hard during the off season to lose to anyone in our schedule, especially to lose against Columbus. As a senior, I told the guys to keep their heads up, remember this feeling and to be better than us,

— senior Shakur 'Pooh Bear' Cooper

The Columbus Explorers put an end to an otherwise excellent season. The Cavalier football team has accomplished many great things this year; earlier, they became District champions by beating the Explorers 20-10. They were undefeated for the entire season, up until this game. They will surely work very hard to come back next season and do even better.