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The Goshen Eagles saw their 2024 season come to a close on Friday night with a 52-24 loss to the Cottonwood Bears (12-0) in the second round of the Class 2A State Playoffs.

Goshen took an early 7-0 lead but Cottonwood took over from there. After the Eagles were forced to punt on their first drive, Cottonwood drove down to the Goshen 17-yard line before turning the ball over on downs. The Eagles proceeded to march on an 83-yard drive, capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run from Jayden McNabb to put GHS up 7-0 with 3:20 left in the first quarter.

That lead would last less than one minute as Cottonwood responded with an 85-yard touchdown pass from Braylon Morris to Ty Booker. The two-point conversion gave the Bears an 8-7 lead with 2:22 left in the second quarter. Cottonwood would never trail again.

The Bears added a 47-yard touchdown run from Klete Meadows and then Sage Kaita scored on a 56-yard run in the second quarter. A pair of two-point conversions gave Cottonwood a 24-7 lead with 7:39 left in the first half.

Goshen got back on the scoreboard with a 26-yard field goal from Zion Picatoste to cut the lead to 24-10 with 1:17 left in the half. Cottonwood answered right back, however, as Morris threw a 63-yard touchdown pass to Kane Brown. The two-point try failed but Cottonwood led 30-10 at halftime.
Cottonwood opened the second half with a 1-yard touchdown run by Morris. The two-point conversion extended the lead to 38-10. Goshen answered with a 41-yard touchdown run by McNabb to cut the lead to 38-17 with 8:04 left in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Cottonwood scored on a 2-yard run from Kaita and a 54-yard run from Memphis Rister. The Bears converted 1-of-2 two-point tries and led 52-17 with 8:28 left in the game. The final score of the game came on a 51-yard touchdown run from Goshen’s Szemerick Andrews with 6:35 left to bring the final score to 52-24.

Cottonwood rolled up 644 yards of offense with 330 yards on the ground, while Goshen totaled 327 yards with 234 yards rusing. Goshen turned the ball over twice, while Cottonwood didn’t have a single turnover. The Eagles were also penalized nine times for 81 yards, while the Bears were penalized 13 times for 105 yards.

McNabb rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, while completing 7-of-13 passes for 93 yards and an interception. Andrews rushed for 52 yards and a touchdown on eight carries along with four catches for 83 yards. On defense, Landon Chandler tallied 13 tackles, while Tyler McLendon earned six tackles and one tackle-for-loss. Andrews recorded three tackles and one sack.

For Cottonwood, Kaita rushed for 117 yards and two scores on 14 carries, while Morris completed 8-of-12 passes for 317 yards and two touchdowns. Brown caught two passes for 106 yards and one touchdown.

Cottonwood will play Reeltown in the third round next Friday, Nov. 22.