Cashion little reason to rejoice as 16-game win streak snapped
CASHION SENIOR Nick Nabavi looks to stiff arm a Rejoice Christian defender during the teams’ game last Friday night. Nabavi scored a touchdown early, but it was Rejoice that emerged victorious, 34-27. [Photo by Brad Stone/www.bestone.shootproof.com]
CASHION’S Jayce Evans (21) hauls in a leaping one-handed catch on a two-point conversion play to tie the game against Rejoice Christian last Friday. [Photo by Brad Stone/www.bestone.shootproof.com]
Cashion may very well win a second consecutive Class A football state championship.
It just won’t do so as an undefeated team.
The Wildcats fell short on their final possession last Friday and were knocked off 34-27 by visiting Rejoice Christian at Maxon Field.
The visiting Eagles got a 33-yard touchdown pass from Chance Wilson to Cooper Auschwitz with 8:20 to play to break a tie game.
Cashion’s answer saw the Wildcats march to the Rejoice Christian 25, but the drive stalled there as the Eagles headed back to Owasso with the win.
The loss snapped a 16-game win streak for Cashion, which ended last season as the Class A state champion.
“It doesn’t change our goals,” said Lynn Shackelford. “We just didn’t make enough plays tonight when the opportunities presented themselves and we have to learn from that.”
Cashion out-gained the Eagles by a full football field, had fewer turnovers and even scored a defensive touchdown.
However, that score was answered by a kickoff return for a touchdown by Rejoice Christian and the Wildcats had what Shackelford called several “missed opportunities.”
“We just missed several throws that would have been touchdowns on drives in which we didn’t score,” he said.
Cashion did score first in the game as Nick Nabavi plunged in from the 1-yard line to help give the Wildcats a 7-0 lead.
Rejoice answered with Wilson’s 41-yard score before Camden Maroney gave the Wildcats momentum with a 20-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown in the second quarter.
The momentum was short-lived as Solomon Morton took the ensuing kickoff 76 yards for an Eagle touchdown. Rejoice kept the momentum with another Wilson scoring run.
Ben Harman kept Cashion in it with his own 10-yard touchdown run before halftime, but Cashion scored just eight points the rest of the game.
That came in the third quarter when, trailing by eight, the Wildcats got a 71-yard connection from Harman to Mason Manning.
Jayce Evans’ one-handed catch on the conversion play tied the game at 27-27.
That was it for the Wildcats.
The Eagles took the lead for good when Auschwitz caught Wilson’s short pass on the sideline, spun free from a tackle and raced untouched into the end zone.
“I thought we played better defense in the second half than the first, but we do have to be better at tackling overall,” Shackelford said.
Harman was 22 of 40 for 275 yards, but also missed two possessions in the third quarter before returning.
The senior ran for all but 11 of Cashion’s net yardage as he toted it 18 times for 101 yards.
Manning caught 12 passes for 169 yards while Landon LaGasse and Nabavi combined for 11 receptions for another 118 yards.
Bryce Burke led the team with eight tackles.