Fayetteville 66, Cabot 24

FAYETTEVILLE — Fayetteville turned a 14–14 first-quarter shootout into a statement opener, piling up explosive plays to pull away from Cabot on Friday at Harmon Field. Junior quarterback Hank Hendrix carved up the secondary with a barrage of deep shots, including touchdowns to Catavion Taylor and Kenyan Johnson, while senior tailback Kaleb Johnson powered in for three scores behind a physical offensive line. The Purple Dogs’ tempo and balance were on full display as they mixed quick game, RPOs and play-action to keep the chains and the scoreboard humming.

Cabot showed plenty of punch early. Quarterback Maddox McCrory (rush TD) directed two red-zone drives in the opening quarter, and running back Cooper Powell hurt Fayetteville repeatedly as a receiver out of the backfield before cashing a short wildcat touchdown after halftime. Bentley Harrell and Ayden Tatum moved the sticks outside, while kicker Dean Heyer added a 38-yard field goal and perfect PATs. The Panthers matched pace through 12 first downs and multiple chunk gains before the game tilted.

The hinge moment came from the Fayetteville defense. Junior linebacker William Caston jumped a route for a pick-six and added another interception to snuff out a Cabot march, flipping momentum for good. From there, Hendrix dialed up more explosives—Taylor’s breakaway and Johnson’s 74-yard catch-and-run—before sophomore Terrence Garden iced it with a late 62-yard burst.

For Fayetteville, this was a tone-setter: explosive, disciplined, and deep. For Cabot, there’s plenty to build on—physical up front, creative in space, and dangerous when Powell and the perimeter get touches. Both programs leave Week 0 with clear identities and a runway to sharpen them.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter
Cabot – Maddox McCrory 5 run (Dean Heyer kick), Cab 7–0
Fayetteville – Charles Whitlow 30 pass from Hank Hendrix (Ethan Farthing kick), 7–7
Fayetteville – Kaleb Johnson 39 run (Farthing kick), Fay 14–7
Cabot – Aeneas Arnold 15 pass from McCrory (Heyer kick), 14–14

2nd Quarter
Fayetteville – Kaleb Johnson 10 run (Farthing kick), Fay 21–14
Fayetteville – William Caston 25 interception return (kick failed), Fay 27–14
Fayetteville – Ethan Farthing 21 FG, Fay 30–14
Fayetteville – Whitlow 8 pass from Hendrix (pass failed), Fay 36–14

3rd Quarter
Cabot – Cooper Powell 6 run (Heyer kick), Fay 36–21
Fayetteville – Farthing 25 FG, Fay 39–21
Cabot – Heyer 38 FG, Fay 39–24
Fayetteville – Kenyan Johnson 74 pass from Hendrix (kick blocked), Fay 45–24

4th Quarter
Fayetteville – Kaleb Johnson 6 run (Farthing kick), Fay 52–24
Fayetteville – Catavion Taylor 70 pass from Hendrix (Farthing kick), Fay 59–24
Fayetteville – Terrence Garden 62 run (Farthing kick), FINAL 66–24