No due for these Devils
Cashion run game, defense too much for Texhoma in playoff’s second round
TEXHOMA QB Trenton Mitchell (12) sits dejected after Ryan Baker (57) and the Cashion defense made one of several big plays in the Wildcats’ 45-6 victory last Friday night in the second round of the Class A playoffs. [Photo by Brad
If Forrest Gump were describing Cashion’s football team, he’d say the Wildcats were like a box of chocolates.
You truly never know what you’re going to get.
Well, except wins, that is.
Cashion broke its second-round hex last Friday by thumping Texhoma 45-6 in a Class A playoff matchup at Maxon Field.
It’s the first time for the Wildcats to reach the Class A quarterfinals since 2015 when it advanced to the title game for the second year in a row.
One week after quarterback Ben Harman threw for nearly 400 yards and six touchdowns, the Wildcats ran the ball 48 times against the visiting Red Devils.
“We always want to run the ball and establish it,” said Cashion coach Lynn Shackelford when asked about the game plan going in.
“But I didn’t think we’d give it to Alex (Nabavi) and Brexten (Green) so much.”
Nabavi and Green do most of their damage hauling in passes from Harman, but against Texhoma, the two combined for 13 carries for 234 yards.
Who knew?
Nabavi got nine of those rush attempts and scampered for 144 yards and a touchdown.
That was a 24-yard run in the second quarter as the Wildcats were in the midst of turning a scoreless fi rst into a 20-0 lead in the second.
The senior had put his team on the board earlier in the quarter with a 19-yard scoring reception from Harman.
Texhoma cut it to 20-6 at halftime, but Cashion put the game away with 25 points in the third.
Green got it going with a 43-yard touchdown run. He had four carries for 90 yards.
Like Nabavi, Green also did some damage through the air as he caught a 30-yard touchdown later in the quarter.
He finished with three catches for 76 yards.
But make no mistake, Cashion’s damage was done on the ground.
The Wildcats toted it 48 times for 410 yards.
T.J. Roberts got 13 carries and turned them into 76 yards. Cade Harrell had another 74 yards on 12 touches. They each had a rushing touchdown.
“We threw some things at them with our run game that they didn’t adjust to very well,” Shackelford said. “So we stayed with it.”
In all, Cashion (11-0) racked up 519 total yards.
“There’s not many times you see us get that many yards and only score 45,” said Shackelford. “But we wanted that clock to run in the second half, so we continued to run it.”
Nabavi and his brother, Nick, got it done on the defensive side as well.
Nick Nabavi returned an interception 22 yards for a touchdown in the third.
Alex stripped a Red Devil ball carrier and returned it to the 3 to set up another Cashion TD.
Going into the game, Shackelford and defensive coordinator Tony Wood praised Texhoma’s abilities on offense.
The Red Devils managed just 183 total yards, nine first downs and turned it over three times.
“We worked all week on being able to maintain coverage from the moment the ball was snapped until the moment the whistle blew,” Wood said, noting Texhoma quarterback Trenton Mitchell’s ability to make plays with his arm after his protection breaks down.
The Red Devils (9-3) had one such play in the second quarter, but Cashion gave up little outside of that.
“We just mostly played sound defense,” Wood said.
Justice Broadbent led the squad with 12 tackles while Jacob Farrow added 11.