What can Brown do for you?

Cashion’s season wasn’t on the line at Hinton, but its postseason hopes were.

And when push came to shove in a physical battle with the Comets, Cashion proved its still got some shove left.

The Wildcats locked up their spot in the playoffs Friday with a 19-4 road win.

A loss would have eliminated the Wildcats from playoff contention entering the final week of the regular season.

However, Chance Acord and Max Brown connected for two big touchdowns and the defense pitched a shutout to put the two-time defending state champs back into the postseason.

“It was an incredibly physical game,” said Cashion coach Lynn Shackelford after his team moved to 4-5 overall and 2-2 in District A-3 games.

A win would have put Hinton (5-4, 1-3) in the playoffs as it was coming off an upset victory over Minco. The Comets tried to take advantage of their size by running the ball.

They amassed 210 rushing yards on 40 attempts, but couldn’t find the end zone.

They also held Cashion to just 62 rushing yards on 23 tries.

Shackelford touched again on the physicality displayed by both teams.

“I was – and am – so proud of the way our kids fought. They were huge and we never backed down from them.”

Cashion took a lead it never lost in the first quarter when Cooper Frazee scored on a 21-yard touchdown run.

The Comets got on the board in the second quarter when Acord had trouble handling a snap and was sacked in the end zone.

The third quarter saw Acord and Brown hook up for their first scoring play.

It covered 47 yards as the Wildcats pushed their lead to 13-2.

After another Hinton safety in the third, Brown iced it in the fourth.

The senior hauled in a 20-yard touchdown for the final margin.

In all, Brown caught eight passes for 171 yards and added seven tackles on defense.

Acord was 17 of 33 for 293 yards to offset Cashion’s lack of run production.

Cashion’s defense held the Comets to just 65 through the air on 7 of 29 passing.

The Comets turned it over once and were forced to punt six times.

Jake Branson led the team with 10 tackles while Preston Cotter added nine.

“(Defensive coordinator) Tony (Wood) had a great plan on defense and our kids executed it,” Shackelford said. The Wildcats will wrap up their regular season at home Friday against rival Crescent in the annual “War on 74.”

The Tigers are coming off their first loss of the season against Minco, but can still win the district with a victory.

A loss drops Crescent all the way to fourth in the district.

A Cashion loss means fourth place and a trip to Ringling in the first round of the playoffs.

A victory would put Cashion at third place in A-3.

The game will have added meaning as it will serve as senior night.

On top of that, Cashion is retiring the #10 worn by Brexten Green at halftime.

A key component in Cashion’s 2021 state championship and a beloved figure in town, Green tragically was killed in a cliff diving accident last summer.