Every season has a seminal moment and the Cayman Power Sports and Marine Hurricanes had theirs a month ago.
A potential victory and two-game regular season sweep of the dms West Bay Hellcats would end in controversy. The Hurricanes then found themselves out of the Digicel Summer League playoffs, put on by the Cayman Islands Flag Football Association.
Hurricanes head coach Johann Moxam points to that moment as a breaking point.
“We were disappointed as we were the only team that beat West Bay twice,” Moxam said. “Apparently, according to the way the league is structured, you’re not supposed to beat West Bay twice. Anyone that sees our games can see the inconsistencies week to week.
“We’re just disappointed we didn’t qualify for the playoffs. We had enough talent to do so. Unfortunately, our team picked up a reputation as the bad boys of the league. We had a lot of calls go against us.”
The Hellcats were trailing the Hurricanes 12-7 with seconds left in the contest on 25 August. A dispute erupted over where Hellcat rookie Rashaun ‘Young Buck’ Rivers was tackled in relation to the goal line. The result was two Hurricane players were ejected from the contest for unsportsmanlike conduct toward the officiating crew.
The Hurricanes were especially irked at head referees Sean Glidden and Rob Duty, with a physical altercation taking place involving Glidden. The match was initally ruled a 6-0 forfeit in favour of the Hellcats. After further review, the league overturned that judgement and ruled the match abandoned with neither squad getting credit for the victory.
As Hurricane wide receiver/linebacker Peter Whittaker states, the refs decided that game more than the players.
“First of all, it was a very good game,” Whittaker said. “It hurt not to be in the best way with the refs. We were put in a corner and we didn’t know what to do. Unfortunately, we’ll never see the outcome of that game and we’ll never know who would have won in those last seconds.
“If we hadn’t been frustrated, we would have won the game legitimately. Refs are a big issue in the league this year. It’s not just a Hurricanes thing. Better referee training would have helped this year.”
A victory would have given the Hurricanes two wins over the Hellcats this year. They beat the six-time reigning champions 13-12 on 7 July. Though Cayman Power Sports and Marine were already struggling during the season, a Hellcats victory might have bolstered their postseason chances.
After last Saturday’s season-ending annihiliation of the PWC Renegades, the Hurricanes finished in fifth place at 5-6. Only the top four teams made it to the postseason in the Hellcats, Club House Bulldogs, Burger King Panthers and Maples Packers and they all had at least seven wins.
The Hellcats-Hurricanes contest was the second match this season called off due to player ejections. The other game, reportedly involving the Hurricanes and the Cox Colts, also saw controversy in the dying seconds, with the two sides coming to blows.
Moxam states those facts represent major flaws for the league.
“The standard of the officiating has been inconsistent and the governing of the league is a joke to be honest with you. There are too many conflicts of interest. It’s not objective, rulings are done to suit the executive committee.
“I’m disappointed the ruling for our game would be done like that when West Bay didn’t show up. Then again, that’s the reason why the ladies decided to form their own league; after awhile they got tired of all of that.
“Ultimately, we didn’t qualify for the playoffs and we only have ourselves to blame. We didn’t execute.”
On paper, the Hurricanes had some positives. Quarterback Glenn Duran Jr, the team’s offensive captain, had 11 passing and two rushing touchdowns, Baron Solomon had a team-high 19 receptions and Nigel Solomon had a team-best four touchdowns. For a defence orchestrated by captain Andrew ‘Blondie’ Wisdom, Whittaker led the way with 22 tackles and three interceptions while Thorr Scott had a team-high three sacks.
Then again, the squad had the second-worst offence (scoring only 92 points) and the third-worst defence (allowing 131 points). Whittaker states those numbers show the team did not live up to expectations.
“We had a lot of talent, a lot of promise and expectations. I’m not sure what happened. We couldn’t mesh in the season and when we started to gel it was too late. We didn’t get organised really well to make a playoff push. There were a lot of problems, issues and circumstances that came up.
“If the Hurricanes stay together, they’re going to be a threat next year. If the players stick together behind a good sponsor/team captain in Selkirk ‘Selly’ Watler, they can be a definite championship team next season.
“This is my sixth year in the sport and I have played for teams such as Calabash. I will try to stick with the Hurricanes but I’m contemplating PWC. They’re not the best team talent-wise, but every week they come out and give it 100 per cent. I would not go on to an established team like Hellcats or Maples to take someone else’s position. A smaller team would suit me better.”
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