The Cabot Panthers drove over three hours north to play the Fayetteville Bulldogs in their first game of the season. Since there was no school on Friday, many students made the drive to support their football team.
But the Bulldogs put it to the Panthers 66-24, and invoked the Mercy rule in the fourth quarter.
Panther Maddox McCrory started off the first quarter with a throw to the 30-yard line, and with Cooper Powell grabbing the hand-off and running it to the 10-yard line.
McCrory ran the ball into the endzone from the 10-yard line to score the first touchdown of the night. With the extra point being good, the starting score of the game was 7-0 with the Panthers up.
With the ball in the Bulldogs’ possession, they decided to start their own momentum for the night, with the Bulldogs running the ball into the endzone to score their first touchdown. With the extra point being good, the ballgame was now tied.
Powell kept Cabot’s next drive alive by moving the ball across the 50-yard line, giving the Panthers a much-needed push into Bulldog territory. With a holding penalty from the Bulldogs, the Panthers were able to advance farther down the field.
An illegal formation occurred by the defense, making it manageable for a third down. However, while the Panthers were trying to push forward, Bulldog Will Casten intercepted the ball, giving the momentum back to Fayetteville.
With the ball in Fayetteville’s hands, Keyton Johnson scored yet another touchdown, with the extra point being good, updating the score to 14-7 with the Bulldogs in the lead.
With just 2 minutes left in the quarter, McCrory threw the ball to Powell, who made it to the 20-yard line. With a catch in the end zone from Aeneas Arnold, the Panthers were able to tie up the score 14-14. The Panthers’ defense held steady to end the first quarter with the momentum in their favor.
However, this momentum was soon squandered, with the first touchdown of the second quarter going to the Bulldogs. With the extra point being good, the score was changed to 21-14 with Fayetteville in the lead. The Bulldogs didn’t look back, with them picking off the ball and scoring yet another touchdown. The extra point was not good, however.
The Bulldogs decided to capitalize on the lead, with a catch at the Panthers’ 10-yard line. The Panthers’ defense forced them to just make a field goal, which updated the score to 30-14 with Fayetteville still in the lead.
Keeping the drive alive, Bulldog Jaiden Nickleson was able to catch the ball at the 20-yard line. Teammate Charles Whitlow caught the ball in the endzone, helping extend Fayetteville’s lead to 36-14.
The Panthers tried to come back with just 5 seconds left on the clock; however, an interception by the Bulldogs ended the second quarter.
At the start of the third quarter, Powell was able to scoop up the ball at the 50-yard line, moving the Panthers into Bulldog territory. Brayden Davenport was able to run the ball to the 10-yard line, putting the team into a scoring position.
With the help of McCrory, Powell was able to tiptoe into the endzone to score a
touchdown for the Panthers. With the extra point being good, the score was updated to 36-21.
This didn’t lower the spirits of the Bulldogs. With a throw and a catch all the way to the 10-yard line, they were able to move against the Panthers’ defense. Cabot was able to hold the Bulldogs to a field goal, putting the score at 39-21.
McCrory was able to throw the ball over to Powell, who ran the ball to the 30-yard line. Even with the momentum, they weren’t able to hold onto it. However, Panther Dean Heyer was able to kick a field goal, causing the Panthers’ score to go up by 3.
The Bulldogs quickly reacted, with Johnson running 74 yards to score a touchdown. The Panthers were able to block the extra point attempt, making the final score of the third quarter 45-24 with Fayetteville in the lead.
The Bulldogs spent no time waiting to score at the beginning of the fourth quarter, putting up yet another 7 points with just 11 minutes on the clock.
Keeping that momentum, the Bulldogs were able to score another touchdown on a run. With the extra point being good, the score was updated to 59-24.
With the running clock rule applied, the Bulldogs were able to score another touchdown by running the ball into the endzone. With two minutes left on the clock, the score was updated to 66-24 with Fayetteville still in the lead.
Both teams held each other at a stalemate for the rest of the game, with the final score being 66-24, with the Fayetteville Bulldogs coming out on top. The Panthers’ next game will be held next Friday against the Bentonville West Wolverines at home.
