The Cass Colonels (9-2) survived a turnover-plagued night to defeat the Mays Raiders 21-12 in the first round of the 4A GHSA Football Playoffs Friday night.
The game opened with a nightmare for Cass: they fumbled the kickoff, and Mays recovered deep in Colonels territory. Cass’s defense bailed them out with a critical stop, keeping the score at 0-0. The mistakes continued midway through the first quarter when quarterback Brodie McWhorter and his receiver miscommunicated on a pass, resulting in an interception that Mays returned to the Cass 48-yard line. Once again, the Colonels’ defense rose up, forcing another punt and preserving the tie.
Sloppiness defined the opening frame. Cass gifted Mays multiple takeaways, but the Raiders sabotaged themselves with a string of penalties, squandering every chance to capitalize. When the dust settled on a forgettable first quarter, the scoreboard still read 0-0.The second quarter offered more of the same—offenses sputtering, no turnovers but no rhythm either. Neither team sniffed the red zone until the final minute of the half. With 48 seconds left, McWhorter found Jah Abdullah-Kortey on a simple hitch route; Abdullah-Kortey shook a tackle and raced 30 yards for the game’s first touchdown, staking Cass to a 7-0 lead.
The Colonels weren’t done. Their defense stuffed Mays on the ensuing possession, forcing a quick three-and-out. Starting at their own 40 with 12 seconds remaining, McWhorter launched a deep strike that pinned the Raiders inside their 10. On the next snap, he floated a short pass to Bear McWhorter in the end zone as time expired, sending Cass into halftime up 14-0.
The third quarter mirrored the first half’s lethargy until its closing moments. With the clock winding down, Kalil Charles powered in from two yards out, stretching the lead to 21-0.
Mays finally answered early in the fourth on a fluky deep shot: the ball caromed off a defender’s hands, landed in a Raiders receiver’s grasp, and was carried into the end zone. The extra point clanged off the upright, leaving the score 21-6.
Cass’s offense then went into clock-killing mode, grinding out nearly six minutes and handing Mays the ball with under three minutes to overcome a 15-point deficit. The Raiders responded with a 20-yard touchdown pass, narrowing the gap to 21-12 after a failed 2-point try. Desperate, Mays attempted an onside kick. The ball ricocheted off a Cass player and into Raiders hands, giving them one last gasp inside Colonels territory. Cass’s defense slammed the door, forcing an incompletion as time expired to seal the 21-12 victory.
Cass will head to Savannah next Friday night for a second round matchup against the highly touted Benedictine Cadets at 7:30. You can hear the game by streaming Bartow Sports Zone with pregame coverage beginning at 7:00.