Cascade wins game and district title

Cascade tailback Matt Henderson (1) follows the block of teammate Brandon Jarrell (53). Henderson totaled nine carries for 121 yards. (T-G Photo by Danny Parker) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

The win gives the tenth-ranked Champions the District 9-A title, their third straight season earning at least a share of a district/region plaque.

"That was our motto all week, we broke down on 'Gold Ball' all week," Cascade coach Kenny Parker said.

It was Cascade's fourth straight victory over their neighbors to the south. They had 13 plays of 10 yards or more.

After the Orange and Black fumbled the opening kickoff, the defense got the ball right back when Gerald "Happy" Johnson recovered a fumble two plays later.

Cascade (6-3, 5-0 9-A) didn't take long getting the train back on the tracks with tailback Matt Henderson engineering the locomotive. The senior's first four carries yielded 67 yards and two touchdowns (18, 24). He finished with 121 yards on nine attempts, adding a 32-yard TD run in the third quarter.

"We wanted to come out and get it going quick to try to establish some momentum, didn't want to let (Moore County) start feeling good," Parker said.

Ricky Hord took a short pass from Jared Carkuff and turned it into a 13-yard TD to make it 21-0 with 5:57 left in the half.

Late in the half, the Champs went to work in their two-minute offense after getting the ball back on their own 31-yard line. The distance to paydirt was made up in a hurry as Carkuff dropped back and launched one of the better passes of his first year starting at quarterback. His bomb softly landed into the hands of Tyler Bowen, who coasted to a 59-yard score.

A backwards pass was mishandled on the next play by the Raiders. Linebacker Caleb Chavis alertly scooped up the lifeless pigskin and carried it 13 yards for Cascade's second score in a 16-second span, effectively putting the game away with a 34-0 lead at intermission.

"We told them any time that happens to make sure we scoop and score and that's what Caleb did," Parker said.

Champion linebackers Caleb Chavis (4) and Christian Edmondson (6) upend Raider running back Shawn Worthey. (T-G Photo by Danny Parker) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Hord's second TD reception covered 35 yards and came less than four minutes into the third quarter.

Henderson's final carry equaled his team's last TD with 4:43 left in the third.

The Raiders (4-5, 1-4) had trouble moving the ball most of the night. They completed just 2-of-8 passes for 23 yards and were intercepted once by Bowen.

They didn't have much better luck on the ground for a majority of the game. Their first 33 carries totaled but 75 yards. However, they did pile up 135 yards in the last 13 minutes versus Cascade's second-team defense.

Two other scores came via a Bowen 21-yard reception and a Ryan Rippy 63-yard run, but both were negated due to penalty flags.

Montrell Berry ran in both Moore County scores in the last 10 minutes.

Carkuff finished 9-of-12 passing for 185 yards with three TDs and an interception. He also kicked 5-of-7 extra points successfully.

Cascade looks to finish off an undefeated regular season versus teams that will be in Class 2A for the postseason when it hosts Huntland on Friday night at 7:30. A victory should provide them with a bye in the first round of the TSSAA state playoffs.

"The thing about this new Z-plan is that every win is important. The more wins you have, the better off you are," Parker said.

Senior Night festivities will take place prior to kickoff.

"I want our fans to be there," Parker said. "This has been a great senior bunch. These seniors are 30-2 in region and district play for their four-year career with three championships."