Jace Washburn had a highlight reel 91-yard touchdown run to start the scoring Thursday night and later threw for a touchdown in a 42-8 win over Atkins.
The win moves the Bearcats to 5-0 in Conference 3A-4 play, clinching at least a share of the league title with one game to play.
Perryville, who the Bearcats beat in the league opener, beat Paris 22-13 Thursday to finish league play 5-1.
Bearcat head coach Whit Overton took a time out after Atkins reached the Bearcat 17-yard line with a first down on the game’s opening possession. The Red Devils would turn the ball over on downs at the 13.
The Bearcat offense would the go on to amass 362 yards, but first lost four yards on an errant pitch from Washburn to Conner Lentz.
From the 9, Washburn kept the ball and went 91 yards to make it 6-0.
Following an Atkins punt the Bearcats again scored in two plays.
Hunter Warren got 6 yards and Chase Shelton made two nifty moves in a 50-yard touchdown run. Washburn added a two-point conversion for a 14-0 lead.
Atkins kept the ball the next 6:03 and cut the lead to 14-8 on a fourth-and-1 score and a two-point conversion pass.
Warren recovered a fumble to save the ensuing possession and had 10 and 12 yard runs before Lentz went 38 yards for a touchdown with 1:05 left in the half. Lentz also added a two-point conversion for a 22-8 lead.
The Bearcats spent the entire second half on the Atkins side of the field.
Lentz returned the second half kickoff to the Atkins 42 but Washburn would suffered his second interception of the night in the end zone.
An errant snap on a punt attempt gave the Bearcats the ball deep in Atkins territory.
Washburn hooked up with Shelton for 16 yards and a touchdown to cap a penalty riddled possession – the teams combined for four flags in a stretch that saw one play completed. Lentz ran for another two-point conversion to make it 30-8.
Washburn had 33 yards passing on his two completions, to go with his 105 yards rushing.
A Trevor Karow sack forced the Red Devils into a fourth down conversion attempt from their 38 and an incomplete pass gave
the Bearcats a short field again.
Including Karow's sack there were five tackles for a loss with Demari Poole having 1.5 and Warren and Seth Wilson both recording one.
A 2-yard touchdown run by Dylan Todd made it 36-8 with 4:37 to play.
After a Noah Harrel interception Rhett Nietert handed to Preston McKinney and McKinney went 42 yards for another touchdown to make it 42-8.
The Bearcats can wrap up an outright league title by winning in Paris next Thursday. They close the season with a game at Charleston on November 3.
WASHBURN, JUNIOR BEARCATS CLINCH SHARE OF 3A-4 TITLE
