Jonesboro Stops Late Conversion to Hold Off Cabot
Jonesboro 14, Cabot 12
JONESBORO — Jonesboro scored on its first possession of each half and stopped a tying two-point conversion with five seconds left to beat Cabot 14-12 on Friday at Cookie John’s Field.
The Hurricane went 74 yards in four plays on its opening drive. C.J. Lovelace hit Jaylen Heard for 50 yards to move the ball deep into Cabot territory, and O’Jay Cullins finished the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run. Alex Glomski’s extra point made it 7-0.
Cabot answered with a 13-play, 80-yard drive. Quarterback Tyce Fletcher converted multiple first downs with his legs and capped the possession with a 9-yard touchdown run with 46 seconds left in the first quarter. Jonesboro blocked the extra point, keeping a 7-6 lead.
Cabot also recovered an onside kick after its first touchdown, but Jonesboro forced a punt early in the second quarter.
The defenses controlled the second quarter. Jonesboro end Will Marlin, who shared a sack with Asher Webb earlier in the period, pressured Fletcher on the final play of the half and helped force a fumble as time expired.
Jonesboro opened the third quarter with an 85-yard, 14-play drive from its own 15. Lovelace converted third-and-11 with a scramble, Angel Feliz converted a fourth-and-4, and Cullins scored from 1 yard on fourth-and-goal. Glomski’s kick made it 14-6 with 6:04 remaining.
Cabot stayed within one possession, but a third-quarter fumble inside the Jonesboro 10 and a missed 27-yard field goal kept the Panthers off the board until the final seconds.
Starting from its 48 with three minutes left, Cabot moved 52 yards behind Fletcher and Cannon Moore. A Moore reception gave Cabot first-and-goal at the 5. After three runs, Cabot scored on fourth-and-goal with five seconds left. The two-point pass was incomplete, Jonesboro recovered the onside kick, and Lovelace took a knee.
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
Jonesboro – O’Jay Cullins 6-yard run (Alex Glomski kick), Jonesboro 7-0
Cabot – Tyce Fletcher 9-yard run (Liam Neal PAT blocked), Jonesboro 7-6
2nd Quarter
No scoring.
3rd Quarter
Jonesboro – O’Jay Cullins 1-yard run on fourth-and-goal (Alex Glomski kick), Jonesboro 14-6, 6:04
4th Quarter
Cabot – Short fourth-and-goal touchdown run, ball carrier not identified on the broadcast (two-point pass incomplete), Jonesboro 14-12, 0:05
Players Who Stood Out
O’Jay Cullins, Jonesboro TE/RB — Scored both Jonesboro touchdowns, on runs of 6 and 1 yards. His second came on fourth-and-goal and completed an 85-yard, 14-play third-quarter drive.
C.J. Lovelace, Jonesboro QB — Was 2-of-3 passing for 56 yards at halftime and had 3 carries for 23 yards. His 50-yard completion to Jaylen Heard set up Jonesboro’s first touchdown, and his third-and-11 scramble extended the third-quarter TD drive.
Will Marlin, Jonesboro DE — Shared a second-quarter sack with Asher Webb and pressured Fletcher on the final play before halftime, helping force the fumble Jonesboro recovered.
Tyce Fletcher, Cabot QB — Scored on a 9-yard keeper, completing Cabot’s 13-play, 80-yard first-quarter drive. He also directed Cabot’s 52-yard final possession that produced a touchdown with five seconds remaining.
Cannon Moore, Cabot RB — Made three major plays on Cabot’s final drive: a first-down run on a delayed draw, a reception on second-and-19 that advanced the Panthers near the Jonesboro 30, and another catch that produced first-and-goal at the 5.