The Menchville Monarchs bested the Bethel Bruins 20-14, a feat that was not only a testament to their ability but also a reminder of how important it is to play well and win.

The game started off in the afternoon of March 6th, with an amazing kick return to the Bruins by Menchville’s Renaldre Hodges. After the kick, Bethel’s defense put up a good fight and prevented any scoring on the first play of the game, despite a great job by Menchville’s running backs and quarterback, Kevin White. With 6 minutes left in the first quarter, the Bruins had some ill-fated luck with a pick-six that was intercepted by Menchville’s Javoni Hales, who ran it in for a touchdown putting the Monarchs up 6-0. The extra point was kicked by Dylan Smith and was good, putting the Monarchs up 7-0 well before the end of the first quarter. A good return by the Bruins led the next play but an illegal block put them back 15 yards in another ill-fated turn of events. After a Bruins time out they attempted to run the ball but lost some yardage after Menchville defense shut the field down with excellent man coverage and a daring blitz move led by Nazia Smith. Later in the play, Menchville defense rocked the Bruins offense with Hales bringing down the Bruins running back before he even had a prayer. The rest of the first quarter remained mostly in a stalemate until the Bruins offense showed their worth with 29 seconds left as they ran it in from the red zone for a touchdown. A successful 2 point conversion put the Bruins up 8-7 by the end of the quarter.

The second quarter started rather uneventfully until about the halfway mark when a low snap caught by Kevin White was rocketed to a wide-open Renaldre Hodges for a Monarchs touchdown. The kick was unsuccessful but the Monarchs took a 13-8 lead going into the 2nd half.

In the first half, a few players stood out:  Renaldre Hodges proved to be the speed and agility the offense needed, as he put Menchville on top with his amazing returns. Javoni Hales was an absolute unit on offense and defense with an amazing pick-six which put Menchville on the board, and Nazia Smith showed the potential to be another defensive front runner with his speed and ability to flank and hit the Bruins blind spots, which made them lose yards almost every time.

For most of the third quarter, both teams seemed to be equally matched and tired until Izaiah Bosmond pushed right through the Bruins for another Monarch’s touchdown. The field goal was good, again kicked by Smith, putting the Monarchs up 20-8. Bethel followed this play by returning the Monarch’s kick-off for a touchdown. The extra point was unsuccessful, which put the score at 20-14.

The fourth quarter was largely uneventful with neither side making or losing any huge gains. No scoring occurred, but Menchville’s defense showed their ability to keep the opposing offense at bay. The game ended in a Monarchs 20-14 victory.

The entire team played truly amazingly and worked well together with their cohesiveness. If they are able to keep this up it will truly lead to a dominant season.