Wildcats deny potential crusade
Pair of late TDs lift Cashion to 33-22 win over CHA
CASHION’S Caden Harrell (9) celebrates with teammates after scoring the go-ahead touchdown with just seconds remaining in last week’s 33-22 win against Christian Heritage. Harrell scored three times for the Wildcats. [Photo by Brad Stone
Cashion faced adversity for the first time this season and stared it down.
The Wildcats scored twice in the final 17 seconds at home last Friday night to beat Christian Heritage Academy in a thriller for the second year in a row.
Caden Harrell scored the go-ahead touchdown in the waning moments then Justice Broadbent sealed the pivotal District A-3 contest with a pick-six to give Cash-ion a 33-22 win over the Crusaders.
“We found a way,” said Cashion coach Lynn Shackelford, whose top-ranked Wildcats moved to 4-0 on the season and 2-0 in the district.
Cashion turned the ball over four times and committed nine penalties against the sixth-ranked Crusaders, who reached last year’s Class A title game.
“It’s hard to overcome that,” Shackelford said. “I felt we gave them every chance to beat us.”
It appeared that might be the case with 1:15 left when CHA’s Carson Bullard caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Denver Rhymer.
That pulled CHA within 21-20 of Cashion. However, instead of going for the tie, the Crusaders dialed up a two-point play.
It worked as Rhymer lofted a fade pass to Nate Nuthman to give CHA a 22-21 edge with just 75 seconds to play.
It wasn’t just the first time CHA led Cashion; it was the first time the Wildcats trailed all year.
But they had their own answer.
Quarterback Ben Harman connected on passes of 15 yards to Alex Nabavi and 18 yards to Brexten Green on the ensuing drive.
Eventually the Wildcats were at the doorstep and with 17 seconds left, Harrell plunged into the end zone for this third rushing TD of the game.
Broadbent denied the Crusaders when they had their own chance to answer as he stepped in front of a Rhymer pass and returned it 45 yards for a score.
Cashion took the initial lead of the game when Harrell scored on a 2-yard run in the first quarter.
Nuthman caught a 42-yard scoring pass from Rhymer in the second quarter to make it a 7-all game at halftime.
The back-and-forth game continued in the third quarter.
Harrell scored from a yard out for a 14-7 edge, but Rhymer threw a 19-yard score to Alex Gonzales to tie it up again.
Cashion went up 21-14 in the fourth when T.J. Roberts ran it in from five yards out.
In all, Cashion racked up 265 yards on 45 attempts. Cashion’s defense limited the Crusaders to just 43 yards on 27 attempts.
Rhymer threw for 152 yards, but only completed 50 percent of his passes and was picked off three times total.
Harman threw two interceptions. He was 9 of 13 for 112 through the air.
Two of the biggest completions were on that game-winning drive.
“We made the plays when we needed them,” Shackelford said. “But we’ll need to play better on offense going forward and take better care of the football.”