CABOT -- Cabot wasted little time getting its offense going Friday night.
Tailback T.J. Rogers scored on a 75-yard run on Cabot's first offensive play, and Noah Sorrell scored on a 68-yard run on the Panthers' second offensive play as Cabot beat Springdale High 43-21 in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs at Panther Stadium.
The Panthers also intercepted four passes from Springdale quarterback Layne Hutchins, the last endingthe Bulldogs' final drive to set up a second-round meeting at Bentonville High next Friday.
Cabot's Dead-T gave Springdale problems, something Springdale coach Zak Clark admitted.
"You just can't simulate it," Clark said. "The scout team did a good job ... but they've got a system and Coach [Mike Malham] does a good job with it."
Malham said the his team concentrated on pass defense all week.
"We knew they were going to throw it a lot," Malham said. "They caught us a couple of times on those tunnel screens. We were in the wrong defense, and they broke a couple of good plays on it."
Early on, it was the old-school Cabot offense that gave some momentum to the Panthers, going for touchdowns on its first two offensive plays.
"The first two plays they hit it and they got 28 points on those two plays and the two pick-sixes," Clark said. "The credit obviously goes to them."
Springdale (6-5) needed 11 plays to go 70 yards on its first possession when Darrell Parchman scored from 1 yard out for a 7-0 edge. It didn't last long.
The Bulldogs were called for offsides on their first defensive play, then watched as Rogers ran straight up the middle for the touchdown and a 7-7 tie.
Springdale turned it over on downs after six plays on its second possession. Sorrell, who was injured late in the first half and sat out the second half, scored his touchdown to give Cabot a 14-7 lead.
The Bulldogs took the ball from their 20 to the Cabot 18 before Hutchins threw his first interception, this one picked off by Zhanecq Harper at the 20. But Cabot turned the ball over on downs at the Springdale 39.
Springdale needed 12 plays to move down the field for Jonathan Lopez to score on a 2-yard run, tying the game at 14-14.
Starting at its own 23, Cabot (6-5) needed only four plays for quarterback Tommy Oaks to put the Panthers back in front on a 54-yard touchdown run. A failed kick left Cabot up 20-14.
Springdale used three completions from Hutchins, the last one a touchdown coming on a 39-yard pass to Alex Thompson, to put Springdale up 21-20.
The Panthers added a 45-yard field goal on their first possession of the second half, then wasted a 45-yard punt return by Rogers, who rushed for 216 yards on 13 carries, to the Springdale 9. Penalties moved them to a fourth and 30 before turning it over.
Lucas Crumbly intercepted a first-down pass and returned it 36 yards for a Cabot touchdown and 30-21 lead after three quarters.
Brad Morales added another touchdown for the Panthers in the fourth quarter, then Jessie Windemaker intercepted another Hutchins pass and returned it 49 yards to the Springdale 1. Quarterback Cody Skinner, in for an injured Oaks, scored on a 1-yard sneak for the final margin.
Sports on 11/12/2017