CABOT, Ark. — Cabot High School football is no stranger to success.
For the past four seasons, the Panthers have made the Class 7A playoffs, Arkansas's highest football classification, but they have failed to advance past the quarterfinals.
This season, players and coaches alike are ready for 2024 to be the year they finally get over the hump and take home some hardware.
"We're winning state," Cabot senior Brett Jay said. "That's the expectation."
And that state championship vision has been contagious in the locker room.
"[Being] state champions is our goal," Cabot senior running back Keegan Vest said.
Vest and Jay's coach, Scott Reed, who is entering his sixth year, agreed that his team's expectations are sky-high.
"Every team in Arkansas right now, their goal is a state championship, and our expectations are really high," Reed said. "You're glad to be in a position or at a place where that's the way it is... In 7A, there are a number of teams who have a chance this year. I think we're in that group, and that's all you can ask for."
A big reason for Cabot's high expectations is partly due to the return of quarterback Maddox McCrory.
In last year's season opener at Fayetteville, the eventual state champions, McCrory, came off the bench and threw three touchdowns, albeit when the Bulldogs had the game won and were already up by multiple touchdowns.
Although the Panthers lost 43-21 to the eventual state champions, they had high hopes the following week against Bentonville West when McCrory was named the starter. That game marked McCory's first career start as only a sophomore, but the flame-thrower went down with an injury on the game's first drive that sidelined him for the rest of the season.
Now, in 2024, McCrory is back and poised for a comeback junior season.
"Having Maddox healthy or ready to go is important," Reed said. "He gives us a real threat in the pass game. He's sharp, makes good decisions."
The Panthers will also return Vest, who rushed for 1,034 and 11 touchdowns in 2023.
With McCrory and Vest in the backfield, Reed said he's got a balanced offense.
"If we can run it and throw it, that's going to make us hard to deal with," Reed said. "We're excited and optimistic about our offense."
With a new season comes new players and younger talent. The team's seniors, like Vest and Jay, are ready to lead the underclassmen.
"Got to make sure they're doing the right thing, got to help them, make sure they're learning the playbook," Vest said. "Just encourage them, build them up, just be a great teammate."
Jay and Vest will undoubtedly be the team leaders who want to surprise people this season and win it all. Their quest for a state championship begins on Aug. 30 when Cabot welcomes Fayetteville to Panther Stadium.