The Hinesville Hurricanes, semi-pro football team will host their first home game of the season at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the Long Bell Football Stadium at Liberty Independent Troop Park.
The Hurricanes started this season on the road last Saturday at Brook County High School's football stadium where they took on the South Georgia warriors.
The ’Canes only trailed 0-6 by half time but
the Warriors scored again in the third
quarter when the Hurricanes had a turnover. The Warriors capitalized on that turnover with a
30-yard run for the score. Missing the PAT the Warriors led 12-0.
Hurricane starting quarterback Quincy Thomas left the game early on with an injured finger and is questionable for Saturday's game. Their second quarterback was taken out with an injury as well. And their third quarterback was hit for a fumble late in the fourth quarter.
The fumble allowed the Warriors to score with only 1:20 left on the clock giving them the 18-0 victory.
But the Hurricanes know it's still early in the season and they especially like to win at home for their fans. And come Saturday their game takes on a deeper meaning.
The ’Canes will take the field with a re-
newed determination to win as they dedicate the game to their number one fan and family member Mary Jo Sharp who died last fall after a brief illness.
"We are dedicating this game to Mary Jo,"
Hurricanes head coach and widowed husband, James Sharp said. "My daughter, Melissa, with
the assistance of a player's wife, put this whole thing together. We will do a dedication cere-
mony during halftime because she was a part
of this organization since day one. She was
at every game, every practice, offering
encouragement and love to the players."
Sharp's son, Jamie Sharp III, said in an earlier interview, that not having his mother around this season felt strange. He misses their long conversations about football, but he knows she is still watching from above.
The eldest daughter, Margrette, is coming from Fort Gordon to attend the ceremony as well.
"She is dearly missed," coach Sharp said. "Not just by me but by a lot of the players. We definitely miss her quite a bit."
Coach Sharp knows the passion Mary Jo had for the players and the game itself and hopes to do his best as they prepare for a team they have never been up against.
The Central Florida Thoroughbreds were ranked in the top of their league and division last season.
With the injuries for the Canes at the QB position Sharp looks to a new player recently added to the squad.
"Taking the helm at quarterback for Saturday is Frank Troop," he said.
"I was briefed by some of the folks on the Warriors team about them (Thoroughbreds). They like the I-formation and run the spread offense.
So we have been practicing for that and hopefully we will have everything all together."
While Sharp carries on his mission to win games and get a chance at the championship the love of his wife is a memory he and his family will carry forever.
"We take one day at a time and try to move on but we still our moments," he said. "The love and the courage that she had was just one of those things you know."
The Hurricanes started this season on the road last Saturday at Brook County High School's football stadium where they took on the South Georgia warriors.
The ’Canes only trailed 0-6 by half time but
the Warriors scored again in the third
quarter when the Hurricanes had a turnover. The Warriors capitalized on that turnover with a
30-yard run for the score. Missing the PAT the Warriors led 12-0.
Hurricane starting quarterback Quincy Thomas left the game early on with an injured finger and is questionable for Saturday's game. Their second quarterback was taken out with an injury as well. And their third quarterback was hit for a fumble late in the fourth quarter.
The fumble allowed the Warriors to score with only 1:20 left on the clock giving them the 18-0 victory.
But the Hurricanes know it's still early in the season and they especially like to win at home for their fans. And come Saturday their game takes on a deeper meaning.
The ’Canes will take the field with a re-
newed determination to win as they dedicate the game to their number one fan and family member Mary Jo Sharp who died last fall after a brief illness.
"We are dedicating this game to Mary Jo,"
Hurricanes head coach and widowed husband, James Sharp said. "My daughter, Melissa, with
the assistance of a player's wife, put this whole thing together. We will do a dedication cere-
mony during halftime because she was a part
of this organization since day one. She was
at every game, every practice, offering
encouragement and love to the players."
Sharp's son, Jamie Sharp III, said in an earlier interview, that not having his mother around this season felt strange. He misses their long conversations about football, but he knows she is still watching from above.
The eldest daughter, Margrette, is coming from Fort Gordon to attend the ceremony as well.
"She is dearly missed," coach Sharp said. "Not just by me but by a lot of the players. We definitely miss her quite a bit."
Coach Sharp knows the passion Mary Jo had for the players and the game itself and hopes to do his best as they prepare for a team they have never been up against.
The Central Florida Thoroughbreds were ranked in the top of their league and division last season.
With the injuries for the Canes at the QB position Sharp looks to a new player recently added to the squad.
"Taking the helm at quarterback for Saturday is Frank Troop," he said.
"I was briefed by some of the folks on the Warriors team about them (Thoroughbreds). They like the I-formation and run the spread offense.
So we have been practicing for that and hopefully we will have everything all together."
While Sharp carries on his mission to win games and get a chance at the championship the love of his wife is a memory he and his family will carry forever.
"We take one day at a time and try to move on but we still our moments," he said. "The love and the courage that she had was just one of those things you know."