THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Cabot High School Athletics

It was a battle of contrasting styles — the grind-it-out run game of Cabot against the wide-open passing attack of Fort Smith Southside. In the end it came down to Fort Smith having a point-after blocked and Cabot executing a two-point conversion with 2:14 left in the game that sealed a 43-41 victory for the Panthers. Cabot (4-1, 2-0 7A-Central) rode the running of juniors Brad Morales and Tadariyan Rogers; the Mavericks (1-4, 0-2) relied on the passing of junior quarterback Taye Gatewood. “They have a very good team and can score a lot of points,” Cabot Coach Mike Malham said. “They had a good game plan but we got some breaks with dropped passes and a couple of interceptions. We hurt ourselves with some penalties, but it worked out in the end.” In Cabot’s first five plays, the Panthers converted two 65-yard TD runs, 1 each by Morales and Rogers and held a 14-0 lead after the first quarter. Morales rushed 10 times for 203 yards; Rogers had 15 carries for 200 yards. Southside saw an opening at the outset of the second quarter when a fake punt attempt by Cabot fell a yard short and the Mavericks took over at the Cabot 29. Two runs by Gatewood had Southside facing a second and 5 at the 11, and Gate-wood converted an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jordyn Jackson, cutting the deficit to 14-7. Cabot went 70 yards in six plays, the big play a 29-yard run by Morales on first down. Quarterback Tyrese Solomon ran for 22 yards, giving the Panthers a first down at the Southside 2. Morales got the rest, putting Cabot up 21-7 with 8:45 remaining in the first half. Gatewood and Jackson got the Mavericks back in the game with two completions good for 67 yards on a 6-play drive covering 90 yards. Jackson had a 21-yard reception on a third and 18 then caught a 43-yard-er from Gatewood for the touchdown, narrowing the lead to 21-14. On the ensuing kickoff, senior wide receiver Mason Love fell on an onside kick at the Cabot 47. Gatewood and Jackson connected for 44 yards on first down, then Gatewood went 3 yards to tie it at 21-21 with 5:17 left. Cabot took over at the 20 after the kickoff and moved the 80 yards in 9 plays, scoring on a Rogers’ 2-yard run for 28-21 lead. But the Mavericks didn’t give up and moved down the field only to have Cabot’s Zane Harper intercept a pass in the end zone, ending the threat. After a failed onside kick by Cabot, Southside went 60 yards in seven plays to tie the game at 28-28 with 10:01 left in the third quarter. Neither team could do anything on the next series, with Cabot turning the ball over on downs and Gate-wood getting intercepted by Harper and giving Cabot the ball at the Cabot 27. Facing a second down on the Southside 43, Rogers gained 32 and 9 yards for a first and goal at the 2. Solomon scored on a sneak. Solomon was intercepted on Cabot’s next possession and the Mavericks went 42 yards in seven plays and had a chance to tie the, but the extra-point kick was blocked, leaving Cabot up 35-34. Rogers carried four times for 29 yards and Graham Turner added 18, leading to a 10-yard scoring run by Rogers. Tommy Oaks converted the two-point play to make it 43-34, effectively sealing the game for the Panthers with 2:14 left. A 1-yard run by Gate-wood left the Mavericks 43-41 pending the onside kick, which Cabot’s Lucas Crumbly recovered. Gatewood was 23 of 36 for 275 yards and three touchdowns.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Cabot High School Athletics

CABOT GRINDS WAY PAST FORT SMITH SOUTHSIDE

STAFF

Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette | 10/1/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Cabot High School Athletics