CABOT - Junior fullback Jack Whisker rushed 26 times for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns as No. 7 Cabot beat No. 5 Conway 23-9 on a damp Friday night at Panther Stadium.
Cabot (3-0) dominated the line of scrimmage with its clock-draining Dead-T attack and finished with 287 total yards, including 276 rushing on 58 attempts.
The Panthers trailed 9-7 after three quarters in the Class 7A nonconference game, but broke it open with two touchdowns in the final 2:22.
“I think they kind of grinded us out there,” Conway Coach Clint Ashcraft said. “I think their offensive line was really … we couldn’t get any penetration on them. Those guys did a good job. You’ve got to get penetration and stops at the line of scrimmage, and everything just seemed to be falling forward.”
Cabot senior quarterback Kason Kimbrell ran 14 times for 102 yards and 1 touchdown.
Cabot opened the game with a 16-play, 80-yard drive - all on the ground - capped by Kimbrell’s 8-yard keeper around right end with 4:21 remaining in the first quarter.
A 65-yard drive ended with Whisker scoring the goahead touchdown on a 2-yard run with 2:22 remaining.
Whisker added a 13-yard touchdown run with 1:19 left.
Whisker, 5-10, 177 pounds, replaced standout senior fullback Zach Launius, who didn’t play after complaining of headaches, Cabot Coach Mike Malham said.
“He did a good job,” Malham said of Whisker. “Nothing big. He’s not going to hit the home run, but it’s back to 3 and 4 yards. Sometimes that’s not bad when their offense has to sit over there, and it helps your defense a little bit.”
Cabot had three turnovers, including two lost fumbles in the first half.
The Wampus Cats (2-1) finished with 223 total yards.
Junior tailbacks Karlil Johnson (68) and Kevin Chamorro (61) rushed for a combined 129 yards. Sophomore quarterback Breylin Smith scored Conway’s only touchdown on a 1-yard run with 16 seconds left in thefirst quarter.
Trailing 7-6 at halftime, Conway took its only lead, 9-7, on a 40-yard field goal by junior place-kicker Matt Cummins with 6:38 left in the third quarter.
Conway had a chance to extend the lead after Cabot botched a snap in punt formation, but gained only 1 yard after taking possession at the Panthers’ 43 late in the third quarter.
Another opportunity fizzled when Conway ran out of downs at the Cabot 35 with 7:35 remaining.
The first half ended with Conway at the Cabot 4 when the Wampus Cats, out of timeouts, were unable to get off another play following a completion.
“I was so proud of our defense,” Malham said.
Sports, Pages 26 on 09/21/2013