Wildcat win sets up big Week 10 showdown; mayhem could ensue

Cashion dispatched Hinton 49-14 on the road Friday and kept alive its chances to win a district title.

But it won’t be easy. The fifth-ranked Wildcats churned out 440 total yards and scored the game’s first seven touchdowns as they improved to 8-1 overall and 5-1 in District A-I-1.

That sets up a major home showdown with No. 3 Fairview on Friday in the final regular season game.

The Yellowjackets are currently 8-1 and 6-0.

A win by Fairview gives the Yellowjackets the district title and drops Cashion to third in the district.

However, a win by 15 or more by Cashion could bring a rarity into play.

Hooker - ranked fourth in the class - is also a part of the equation.

The Bulldogs are currently 7-2 and 5-1 and will wrap up their regular season at Crescent.

A likely Hooker win by 15 or more points will put the Bulldogs at 6-1 and give them 75 district points.

Hooker’s lone district loss this season was at the hands of Fairview.

Cashion’s only loss came at the hands of Hooker, meaning a Cashion win over Fairview would bring the district points into play.

Like Hooker, Cashion has 60 points going into Week 10.

Fairview has 90. The most a team can earn or lose each week is 15.

Therefore, if Cashion were to win by 15 or more, that would put Cashion, Fairview and Hooker all at 6-1 with 75 district points each.

Since neither team would have beaten the other two, it would be a legitimate three-way tie for first place.

By OSSAA rules, the order would then be chosen “by lot.”

If Cashion wins by 14 points, it would still finish third in the district (Fairview would have 76 points, Hooker would finish with 75 and Cashion with 74).

Therefore, the Wildcats need to win by 15 or more to have a chance at a home playoff game in the first round.

“That’s a lot easier on paper than on the field,” said Cashion coach Lynn Shackelford. “Fairview is obviously really good again.”

The Yellowjackets beat Hooker 35-8 a week after Hooker downed Cashion 49-28.

Hinton didn’t appear difficult on paper, nor was it on the field.

The Comets entered winless and left that way after amassing just 139 total yards.

Cashion scored all its points in the first half and cruised through the rest of the game.

Kellen Smith was efficient with his 8 of 9 passing. The passes covered 199 yards.

He had touchdown tosses of 48 yards to Grayson Davis, 27 to Slade Williams and 7 yards to Ethan Waswo.

Davis also caught a 65-yard TD from Andrew Stockton to wrap up Cashion’s scoring.

He hauled in five total passes for 160 yards.

The Wildcats added 176 yards on the ground.

Rival Fields needed just two carries to rack up 58 yards. He scored both times as he found the end zone from 57 yards out on Cashion’s first drive and then from a yard out later in the first to make it 14-0.

Jayden Bolton also had a 56-yard run in the game while Smith scored on a 19-yard run.

Colson Cotter led Cashion’s defense with seven stops.