FAYETTEVILLE — Many of the faces are new, but the final results at Conway continues to remain the same.
The Wampus Cats, under fourth-year coach Clint Ashcraft, have developed into one of the top football programs in the 7A/6A-Central Conference. With 25 wins over the past three seasons and a 17-4 record in conference play, Conway has ignored such factors as large senior class graduations and three different starting quarterbacks each of the past three years.
AT A GLANCE
Conway at Fayetteville
KICKOFF: 7 p.m., Friday
WHERE: Harmon Stadium
ON THE AIR: EDAC (Cox cable channel 217, AT&T U-verse channel 99). Online broadcast at www.fayar.net
RECORDS: Conway 8-2, 5-2 7A/6A-Central; Fayetteville 7-3, 6-1 7A/6A-West
HOOTEN’S RANKINGS: Conway is No. 6 in Class 7A. Fayetteville is No. 3.
HOOTEN’S LINE: Fayetteville by 11.
“We’ve got high hopes and high goals here, that’s always the case,” Ashcraft said. “But we did return just one starter on defense from a year ago and we’re only allowing 14 points per game. So that’s been a nice surprise.”
Conway (8-2) will face Fayetteville (7-3) in the Class 7A quarterfinal round for a second consecutive year when the two teams meet at 7 p.m. Friday at Harmon Stadium. Last year, the Wampus Cats entered the game in Conway as 7A-Central Conference champions, but lost to the eventual state champion Bulldogs, 49-28.
This season, with senior Cody Rhoades at quarterback, Conway has been able to depend less on the passing game and turn more to an experienced offensive line and talented running backs.
“It’s an old cliché but we like to take what the defense will give us,” Ashcraft said. “We have run the ball a little bit more, I guess.
“We’ve got three seniors on the offensive line who all started last year and that’s a big key.”
Tailback Jeff Anderson is Conway’s top tailback, running behind an offensive line of Brannon Kotch, Blane Joyner, Bryton Booher, Jalin Pearson and Spencer Thomas.
Defensively, Conway returns just one starter from last year’s 8-3 team. But seniors Marcus Wright and Jerrell Credit help lead the strongest unit of the defense at the linebacker spot.
“We’re expecting a bigtime dogfight,” Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton said. “Conway is a great program with great coaches.
“We’ve got to be ready for anything. Their running back Anderson is about as good as any running back that we’ve seen. And offensively, we just have to protect the ball and find a way to score points.”
This will be the third time in the past four years Conway has faced Fayetteville in the playoffs. The Wampus Cats won a first round game at Fayetteville, 45-42, in 2009.
“The thing that sticks out when watching the film from the game last year and from other film this year is Fayetteville’s team speed,” Ashcraft said. “They have speed everywhere, and then of course they have Austin Allen. He’s the best quarterback around. I haven’t seen them all, but he’s the best one we’ve faced.”