By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
It's almost automatic or so it seems.
Another AAAAA-East football campaign and another conference championship for the Cabot Panthers.
As surely as the sun rises each morning, you can bank on the fact that Mike Malham's Panthers will be playing beyond the regular season's final game.
Last Friday night at Panther Stadium, Cabot (ranked first in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette poll and second in the Associated Press) cruised past Jonesboro 41-7 and right into their 12th consecutive playoff appearance picking up the East championship along the way.
They did have a little help, even though they probably didn't need it.
While the Panthers were winning at home, West Memphis was shutting down Jacksonville 15-12. That combination made Cabot the league champs.
That issue would have been decided Thursday night anyway. That's when Cabot and Jacksonville will meet at Jan Crow Stadium.
Cabot is 8-1 overall and 6-0 in league play and has a two-game cushion on Jacksonville (5-4, 4-2).
After the loss to West Memphis, the Red Devils are playing for second place, rather than a share of the league crown.
Jacksonville enters Thursday's game tied with Little Rock Mills for second place in the conference.
For Cabot, this year's East title is the seventh league crown the school has won since 1991. In five seasons, Cabot has lost just twice on their home field. And in case anyone has forgotten, Cabot is the defending Class AAAAA state champions.
Cabot will host the fourth seeded team from the AAAAA-Central in a first-round playoff game which could be either LR Catholic, LR McClellan or Mountain Home on Friday, Nov. 9.
Against Jonesboro, Cabot was attempting to record it's fourth consecutive shut out victory. The Panthers has beaten Forrest City 35-0, Sylvan Hills 35-0 and Blytheville 38-0. But Jonesboro sophomore John Fullington ended Cabot's streak with a six-yard run up the middle to put the Golden Hurricane (4-5, 2-4) on the board.
Still, Cabot has held five opponents scoreless this season and has given up just 55 points for the season.
By the half, Cabot had 230 total yards. They finished with 406 for the night with 22 first downs. All on the ground.
Cabot has been led all year by what many have started calling the "Panther triple-headed monster" -- Ryan Bayles had 11 carries for 116 yards and three touchdowns; Chris Robertson had 91 yards on 11 carries, and Adam Baker finished with 88 yards on 14 rushes.
CITY LEAGUES
Youth Flag Football
Monday's Scores
Vikings 27, Bears 25
Tigers 26, Lions 6
Razorbacks 26, Indians 14
Final Season Records
Bears 4-2
Tigers 4-2
Lions 3-3
Vikings 1-5
Indians 5-1
Razorbacks 1-5
Co-Ed Adult Softball
Thursday's Results
Wynne Cinema defeated Movie Madness
Boar's Head defeated Kemps
Monday's Results
Kemps defeated Movie Madness
Wynne Cinema defeated Boar's Head
Final Standings
Wynne Cinema 9-0
Boar's Head 4-5
Movie Madness 3-6
Kemps 2-7