Cashion hits stride at right time
Wildcats beat rival Crescent for 9th straight win as playoffs loom
CRESCENT LINEBACKER Tanner Rice (8) drags down Cashion’s Mason Manning during the Wildcats’ 40-8 win last week. [Photo by Brad Stone/www.bestone.shootproof.com]
Cashion’s run game, passing game and defense were excellent in its final regular-season game.
That gives head coach Lynn Shackelford optimism as the playoffs begin.
The Wildcats won their ninth straight game by defeating “War on 74” rival Crescent 40-8 on the road last Friday.
Ben Harman threw for four touchdowns, Nick Nabavi ran for two more and the defense didn’t surrender a point until the fourth quarter.
“I just thought we played pretty well overall,” said Shackelford, whose team is 9-1 and finished 5-0 in District A-3.
“I feel like we’re in a good place going into the playoffs and that’s always the goal.”
Cashion scored 20 points in the second quarter to break open the game.
Nabavi got it started with a 64-yard touchdown run at the 8:41 mark. Harman then hit Landon
Harman then hit Landon LaGasse for a 9-yard strike and Mason Manning for a 13-yard touchdown for a 27-0 halftime lead.
LaGasse added a 17-yard touchdown in the third quarter and Gavin Phippen a 22-yard TD early in the fourth as Cashion pushed its lead to 40-0.
Harman was 17 of 22 for 233 yards and didn’t have an interception.
LaGasse caught eight passes for 107 yards.
Manning hauled in six more for 75 yards.
On the ground, Cashion averaged 10.6 yards a carry.
Nabavi’s eight rushes netted him 114 yards.
After the game was scoreless for much of the first quarter, his 2-yard TD run put Cashion on top 7-0 with 52 seconds left in the frame.
Harman ran for 41 more yards.
Most of Crescent’s 203 total yards came on the ground.
Luke Descher got 13 carries and produced 59 yards. Kade Varner added 55 yards on 11 attempts. He also threw for 47 yards on 4 of 11 passing.
Tayon Johnson scored from 5 yards out in the fourth quarter. He ran for 29 total yards.
Mason Payne led the Tiger defense with six total tackles.
Crescent’s season ended with a 3-7 overall mark. The Tigers were 0-5 in the district and will miss the playoffs.
Joey Wilson, Jackson Vandruff and Bryce Burke had eight tackles apiece for the Wildcats, who also forced three turnovers.
Cashion will host Dibble (5-5, 4-3) in the first round at 7 p.m. Friday.
Should the defending Class A champs win, they’ll host the Hooker-Apache winner in the second round by virtue of winning the district title.