The Plainville Cardinals welcomed the TMP Monarchs to town last Friday night for a Mid-Continent League matchup as part of Plainville’s Homecoming festivities.

The Cardinals nearly gave the Homecoming crowd something to celebrate on the very first play.

TMP kicked off to open the game, and Plainville junior Davyn Willeford fielded the ball and raced all the way up the field for what appeared to be a touchdown. However, a penalty wiped out the return and took the early score off the board.

That flag proved to be a sign of things to come, as penalties plagued both teams throughout the contest and repeatedly interrupted the flow of the game.

The Cardinals’ defense kept the Monarchs off the scoreboard for most of the opening quarter before TMP broke through on a long touchdown pass with 2:11 remaining in the period to take a 7-0 lead.

TMP added its second touchdown with 10:03 left in the second quarter, but Plainville continued to battle and prevented the Monarchs from adding to their advantage before halftime, sending the teams to the locker room with TMP leading 14-0.

Weather became another factor after the break as a light rain began to fall, leaving much of the second half to be played in wet conditions.

The Monarchs found the end zone for the third time with 1:58 remaining in the third quarter, extending their lead to 21-0 heading into the final 12 minutes.

Despite facing a talented TMP squad, the Cardinals continued to play hard and kept themselves within striking distance for much of the night.

TMP added its final touchdown with 3:44 remaining in the fourth quarter to make it 28-0.

The game would not make it to the final horn. With 2:06 remaining, lightning in the area brought the Homecoming contest to an early end, with TMP earning the 28-0 victory.

Plainville will look to bounce back this Friday when the Cardinals travel to take on Republic County. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.