The Cabot Panthers went up against the Bentonville West Wolverines in their first home game of the season. High school principal Mike Falcinelli got the school amped for the game by hosting the first pep rally of the season during 2B1 in the courtyard, with exclusive showings from the cheer, dance, and band teams.
However, the Wolverines dulled the excitement by ripping through the Panthers, 52-14, and even invoked the mercy rule for the second week in a row.
The Panthers won the coin toss and decided to start with receiving the football. However, their first session with the ball went nowhere, and they went over to the Wolverines.
Wolverine Tre Thompson threw the ball to Ryan Adjam, who ran it into the end zone, scoring the first touchdown of the game. The extra point was good, 7-0 Wolverines.
The Panthers soon responded with a wide-open shot to Ayden Tatum to place the Panthers on the 10-yard line. A touchdown pass to Aeneas Arnold and an extra point tied the game at 7 each.
Panther Ethan Carter was able to make the Wolverines fumble. However, this didn’t faze the Wolverines, with Adjam making a catch across the 50-yard line to transport the Wolverines into Panther territory. Adjam soon grabbed in the end zone to give the Wolverines another touchdown. The kick was good, making the score 14-7.
The Wolverines’ defense kept up with their offense, keeping the Panthers from scoring. When they got the chance, Wolverine Kai Hollis ran the ball into the end zone, giving them yet another score. The extra point was good, upping the Wolverines’ lead to 21-7.
The Wolverines completed an onside kick and recovered the ball. Building off of this momentum, Wolverine Asher Swoboda ran the ball into the end zone, completing yet another touchdown with the extra point being good as well. The score to end the first quarter was 28-7, Wolverines.
The Wolverines started off the second quarter with a recovered fumble. Thompson hit Swoboda on a pass, and he ran it into the endzone, giving the Wolverines another touchdown. With the extra point, Bentonville West stretched the score to 35-7.
With the ball back in the Panthers’ possession, Maddox McCrory was able to make a perfect pass to the 20-yard line, catapulting them into Wolverine territory. However, the Panthers’ momentum was soon squandered by the Wolverines’ defense, stopping their advances.
Thompson made yet another touchdown pass. This time to Braden Nash. The extra-point kick was good, and the score moved to 42-7.
Keeping up with this momentum, McCrory’s pass was intercepted by Wolverine Dane Renick. Adjam was able to make another catch in the endzone, adding on to the Wolverines’ score, 49-7.
Panthers’ Cannon Moore was able to make a diving grab in the end zone by a pass by McCrory, giving the Panthers their second and last touchdown of the night. The extra point was good. The second quarter had a score of 49-14.
The third quarter started with the mercy rule being invoked ( meaning the clock didn’t stop, so the game would end sooner).
The Panthers were able to stop the Wolverines on their first possession of the second half. But defenses for both teams sparkled and held each other to a stalemate for the rest of the quarter.
The Wolverines tried to keep their touchdown streak going, but it was cut short by the Panthers’ defense, causing them to kick a field goal. Wolverines now up 52-14.
The entire fourth quarter was a stalemate, with the game ending at 52-14.
The Panthers will be playing the Ruston Bearcats from Ruston, La., at home this coming Friday.
