FAYETTEVILLE -- Defense was the catalyst for Fayetteville on Friday at Harmon Stadium.
[HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD: Full results + recaps, photos and more]
The Bulldogs (10-1) bottled up the Conway rushing attack, and the Wampus Cats rarely crossed midfield in a 35-0 rout in the Class 7A quarterfinals.
The Bulldogs advance to host Bentonville (10-2) in the semifinals next Friday.
"I thought we really played well defensively," Fayetteville Coach Bill Blankenship said. "I challenged them at halftime. I thought we were playing good. I didn't think we were playing great. They were getting a few too many first downs by just a little bit.
"But I thought our guys really cranked up the intensity in the second half."
Fayetteville worked hard against Conway's defense for much of the first half, as the Bulldogs' only scores came on Terrance Rock's 29-yard touchdown reception and a Cody Gray 19-yard touchdown catch for a 14-0 lead at halftime.
The second half was more offensive for the Bulldogs.
Fayetteville drove 73 yards in eight plays to open the third quarter, with Dan Hinton capping the drive with a 7-yard run for a 21-0 lead with 9:04 left in the quarter. Quarterback Taylor Powell, who finished 13-of-21 passing for 226 yards and 4 touchdowns, then found Rock on a screen pass for a 38-yard touchdown and a 28-0 lead with 4:09 left in the third.
Conway never had an answer.
Wampus Cats quarterback Jovoni Johnson finished 16-of-25 passing for 97 yards but was limited to short-route completions. Running backs McCall Dail, Michael George and Kip Vanhoose combined for 83 rushing yards on 36 carries, with much of that total coming with a running clock in the fourth quarter.
"We struggled up front, and we knew coming in it was going to be a big chore," Conway Coach Clint Ashcraft said. "Their guys up front [on defense] are really good, and they played great."
Rock finished with 77 rushing yards on 15 carries and added 3 catches for 72 yards and 2 touchdowns for Fayetteville.
Brennon Lewis added a 55-yard touchdown catch with 11:13 left in the fourth quarter for the 35-0 lead and finished with 3 receptions for 74 yards.
The Fayetteville-Bentonville Class 7A semifinals is a rematch of a Week 4 game won by the Tigers 24-21.
"We've always just talked about going 1-0," Blankenship said. "To practice and play through Thanksgiving is a huge deal and a huge celebration, and our guys understand that."
Sports on 11/19/2016