Usually it takes a cowboy to break in a wild bronco. Last Saturday, however, a vicious storm did the trick. The Hinesville Hurricanes tamed the Beaufort Broncos, 42-6, in their pre-season opener on Fort Stewart.

The ’Canes defense hog-tied the Broncos’ offense while the ’Canes offense got a boost from running back Joseph Matavao, who powered through the Broncos’ front line and scored three of the Hurricanes’ touchdowns.

Running the I-formation, ’Canes quarterback Frank Troupe handed the ball to Matavao, who broke the line for a touchdown in the first quarter. The Hinesville men failed to convert the extra point.

Three minutes shy of halftime, Kendrick Badger ran the ball three times, placing the ’Canes near the red zone. Once again, Matavao barreled through the line for touchdown No. 2. This time, the home team converted for two points and went up 12-0.

With 2.7 seconds left on the clock, Troupe found Edward Smith in the corner of the end zone and the ’Canes again converted for two, leading 20-0.

In the third quarter, the Broncos finally put a touchdown on the board before the ’Canes shut down their offense completely. The Broncos were fatigued and couldn’t find an open seam for the run play. When the Broncos tossed the ball, Charles Crossley was there to bat the pigskin away.

Within a five-minute span in the fourth quarter, the ’Canes scored twice off runs. With 12:40 left, they were up 35-6.

The Broncos did their best to move the ball down field. They made their way to the Hurricanes 30-yard line before their quarterback fumbled the ball. The ’Canes recovered it but the referees ruled the quarterback’s arm was in motion, meaning it was an incomplete pass.

The Broncos had one last down for a chance to close the scoring gap. They broke from the huddle, set up for the pass play and launched the ball.

Unfortunately for them, Crossley made the interception and ran it back for the final Hurricanes touchdown and a 42-6 victory.