CONWAY - Sophomore quarterback Breylin Smith completed 22 of 26 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns as the Conway Wampus Cats defeated the Russellville Cyclones 38-24 on Friday.
Seven of those completions and two of the touchdowns went to sophomore DJ Johnson, who finished with 124 yards receiving.
“[Smith] is just getting better every week,” said Conway Coach Clint Ashcraft. “People don’t realize he has just played four high school football games in his life. Every week DJ is seeing his snaps go up. We’re learning on the job. We expect great things from them.”
Conway (3-1, 1-0 7A/6A Central) looked to be in control at halftime with a 21-7 lead. But Russellville (3-1, 0-1) scored 10 quick points in the third quarter. A lengthy opening drive stalled inside the Conway 5, and Allen Daiber’s field goal made it 21-10. The Cyclones forced a three and-out, and Jalen Curtis’ 72-yard run set up Cody Jones’ 3-yard touchdown pass to Drew Smith to get Russellville within 21-17.
Karlil Johnson set up Conway with great field position with a kick return to midfield. Four plays later, Smith passed to Sidney Moore, who managed to get a foot down in the end zone for the touchdown.
The Wampus Cats led just 28-24 to open the fourth quarter after Russellville scored on a 30-yard strike from Jones to Antonio Jones. Conway recovered the squib kick, and Smith hooked up with Johnson three times on the ensuing drive, including a 7-yarder for the score.
Sports, Pages 26 on 09/28/2013