CABOT -- Coach Scott Reed's Cabot Panthers defeated Fort Smith Northside 24-7 Friday night in a 7A Central game at Panther Stadium, but that was only part of the story.
""I thought we played pretty well tonight," said Reed, whose team ended a two-game losing streak. "Other than not finishing drives."
As well as Cabot played -- outgaining Northside 519 to 289 -- the complexion of the game changed before it even started.
Northside quarterback Dreyden Norwood, a four-star recruit who is committed to Texas A&M, wasn't in the huddle when the Grizzlies (4-4, 1-4) took the field after the opening kickoff.
It was a surprise to Reed, who watched him warm up in pregame.
"I thought the quarterback they played [Walker Catsavis] did well," Reed said. "That guy, Dreyden, it's a whole other dimension. When he gets in space, you're not going to catch him."
Northside Coach Mike Falleur said he's not sure when Norwood will be able to play again.
"Some kind of injury," Falleur said. "Ankle I think. I have no idea. He was hurt. I don't know how his ankle feels, so I don't know how bad it is.
"He's been our starting quarterback all year. That changes things, but we've just got to play better."
Cabot (6-2, 2-2) led 17-0 at the half and went up 24-0 when it scored on its first drive of the second half, going 81 yards in 9 plays in the first 3:24 of the third quarter.
The final 30 yards came on a pass from senior quarterback Tyler Gee (15-22, 326, 2 TDs) to Trey Birdsong, with a big assist going to crushing block by senior wide receiver Kyler Carmack (7-106 receiving) to set Birdsong free along the sideline.
Cabot, totaling more than 300 yards of first-half offense, led 17-0 at halftime.
"We didn't get the points that we should have gotten, I didn't think," Reed said. "Offensively, we had big plays. Then we just stalled out for some reason."
Cabot didn't score after its drive to open the second half, losing two fumbles and watching Northside move the ball effectively in the fourth quarter.
Northside ended the shutout, taking advantage of Cabot's first turnover, a fumble by Mason Bell, midway in the fourth quarter.
The Grizzlies drove 89 yards, the touchdown coming with 4:49 to play on a 16-yard swing pass and run from backup quarterback Walker Catsavis to Ty Massey, who also rushed for 106 yards on 21 carries.
Northside came within inches of breaking the shutout on its previous possession early in the fourth quarter.
Seth Fields took a first-down handoff at the Cabot 14 and weaved his way to the goal line, but lost the ball and Cabot recovered after a scramble in the end zone.
Reed said he wasn't sure how things would have turned out if Norwood had played.
"Our plan would have changed," Reed said. "But we've got to play anyway. At that point, we already had a plan of how we were going to play. Their still running the same structure."
Falleur said the most disappointing aspect of the Grizzlies' third consecutive loss was their turnovers -- two interceptions in the first quarter that led to 10 Cabot points, and the fumble in the end zone that negated an apparent touchdown run by Fields.
"If we get beat and play hard and play a good game, I'm OK with that," Falleur said. "What I'm not OK with is doing what we're doing."
Gee was sharp, completing 9 of 14 for 226 yards in the first half, including a 38-yard touchdown pass to Braden Jay, who finished with 4 catches, 111 yards and the touchdown.
Carmack caught 4 passes for 67 yards in the first half, his 33-yard catch in the first quarter setting up Cabot's first touchdown, a 3-yard run by Bell.
The Panthers defense came up with two interceptions that the offense turned into 10 first-quarter points.
Cabot ended the half driving 71 yards in 2 plays to score with 35 seconds to play before halftime.
Bell (20-137 rushing) went for 33 yards on first down, setting the Panthers up at the Northside 38.
Then, Gee found Jay open at he Northside 20, and Jay dodged two Grizzlies' defenders while keeping his balance along the home sideline. He stumbled into the end zone with 38 seconds left in the half.
Catsavis, playing in place of Norwood, was intercepted twice in the game's first eight minutes, the first one taken by Cabot's Houston Wiley at the Northside 47.
Jack Tebbutt kicked a 26-yard field goal with 9:36 to go to make it 3-0.
The Panthers took a 10-0 lead after a second interception of Catsavis, by Jack Carnes at the Cabot 11.
Gee led the Panthers on a 7-play, 89-yard drive, capped by a 3-yard run by Bell with 2:15 to play in the first quarter.