Cashion shows improvement; Pawhuska still prevails, 40- 29
CASHION’S Chance Acord threw four touchdown passes during his team’s 40-29 defeat at Pawhuska last Friday. [Photo by Brad Stone/ www.bestone.shootproof.com]
If not for Cashion, Pawhuska might very well be the owner of the last two Class A state football championships.
The two teams have met up in each of the last two semifinals and both instant classics swung Cashion’s way before the Wildcats went on to hoist the gold ball in 2020 and 2021.
This year promised no semifinal threepeat because Pawhuska has moved up to Class 2A. However, they still met as Cashion made the long trek north and east last Friday in a non-district matchup.
Unfortunately for Cashion, the drive home seemed longer after a 40-29 loss to a team that figures to make yet another long playoff run its class.
“We played better than last week,” said Cashion coach Lynn Shackelford, whose team has now taken on a pair of 2A title contenders in the Huskies and Rejoice Christian.
“We showed a lot of improvement in some areas, but we also showed we’ve still got a ways to go to get to where we want to be.”
Early on, at least, it appeared the Wildcats were going to spoil Pawhuska’s attempt at extracting some revenge.
Chance Acord threw two first-quarter touchdown passes as Cashion built a 13-0 lead.
One went to Max Brown for 14 yards and was followed by a 26-yard connection with Seth Gilbert.
The Huskies began to take control in the second quarter.
They scored 22 points in the frame and 34 straight overall as Todd Drummond accounted for four touchdowns during the run.
The Pawhuska quarterback got his team on the board with a 6-yard scamper.
He then hit Noah Wilson from 23 yards out to put his team up 14-13.
After a Tyrell Richardson touchdown run put Pawhuska up 22-13 at halftime, Drummond struck twice in the third quarter.
The first was a 66-yard TD pass to Richardson, which was followed up by a 26-yard run of his own.
That put Pawhuska seemingly - in control at 34-13.
But Cashion wasn’t done. Acord provided his own comeback attempt as he threw back-to-back touchdown passes. The first was 11 yards to Nathan Nabavi in the third quarter and then a 64-yard TD to Brown in the fourth.
Cashion had pulled within five points on that TD, but Pawhuska was able to answer with its own TD drive.
It was capped by a 12-yard run by Deacon Hendren.
The Huskies were able to hurt Cashion through the air, but did even more damage on the ground.
The hosts ran for 325 yards and averaged 6.2 per carry.
Drummond was 11 of 27 for 210 yards, but was also picked off twice.
Cashion couldn’t match the ground attack.
The Huskies’ defense held Cashion to a net of negative-1 yards rushing on 21 attempts.
Cooper Frazee led the team with 21 yards on five carries.
Acord had -32 rushing yards.
However, in his second start with the team, the junior was 19 of 37 for 286 yards and four scores.
Brown had another big game with 162 yards on six receptions.
Gilbert’s six catches totaled 77 yards.
Camden Maroney led the Wildcats with 12 tackles.
“We’ve got a lot to work on before we get to district play,” Shackelford said. “We’re going to get back after it this week in practice and hopefully the improvement continues to show on Friday night.”
The Wildcats host Thomas this week.
The teams played for the 2020 state title, but the Terriers are just 2-10 since losing to Cashion in that contest.
That includes also being 0-2 this season with losses of 50-16 to Watonga and 44-20 to Alva.