The Cass Colonels beat the Ridgeland Panthers on Friday night by a score of 30-6.
Both teams opened up the game with run-heavy offenses, and both teams’ defense played exceptionally well in the first quarter. This combination limited the scoring as the score was 0-0 heading into the second quarter.Both offenses heated up in the second quarter, though, and Ridgeland kicked off the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown run from their fullback Chase Watkins. Unfortunately, Cass blocked their PAT, so they settled for a 6-0 lead with around 10 minutes left in the second quarter.
Cass struggled to reach the endzone on their next possession, but they responded with a field goal to make the score 6-3 with around six minutes left in the second quarter. Cass’ field goal marked the beginning of a huge run, and the Colonels followed it up with a 59-yard touchdown pass from their sophomore quarterback Devin Henderson to take a 10-6 lead with 4:45 left in the third quarter. The Colonels’ defense continued to stand firm as they held the Panthers scoreless. Their offense went back to work, and Devin Henderson threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to take a 17-6 lead with 1:03 left in the first half. Cass recovered a fumble right before halftime and had a chance to extend their lead, but a few untimely penalties cost them points, and they went into halftime with a 17-6 lead.
The third quarter was just like the first quarter as both teams struggled to get into the endzone. Ridgeland had an opportunity to put points on the board when they recovered a fumble on Cass’ 46-yard line with 7:42 left in the third quarter. However, Cass got the stop and forced them to punt. This was a huge missed opportunity as Cass went into the fourth quarter leading 17-6 Cass faced a fourth down early in the fourth quarter, and they elected to go for it. The Colonels were successful as they scored on a short touchdown pass from Devin Henderson. Unfortunately, they messed up the snap on the PAT and failed to get into the endzone, so they settled for a 23-6 lead with 10:21 left in the fourth quarter.
The Colonels scored again inside Ridgeland’s 20-yard line with around three minutes left in the fourth quarter as Devin Henderson completed a short pass to Sacovie White, who gave Cass a 30-6 lead. The Panthers had a chance to score on an untimed play after time expired, but they threw an interception as Cass secured the victory and won 30-6.
Cass is now 3-2 on the season and will face the Cartersville Hurricanes on October 10th in the Bartow Sports Zone game of the week, with kick-off set for 7:30 PM.