CONWAY -- Defense ruled at John McConnell Stadium on Friday night.
The Conway Wampus Cats limited the Jonesboro Hurricane to 272 yards offensively in a 14-7 victory in the teams' final nonconference game of the season.
Conway (2-1) held Jonesboro scoreless in the second half and had two key fourth-down stops in the final four minutes of Friday's game.
Wampus Cats Coach Keith Fimple said he was proud to see his defense shine against one of Class 6A's top offenses.
"Anytime you're playing high school football, you've got to be a little lucky," Fimple said. "Jonesboro had a great scheme. They've got some great players. We had to go into halftime and make some adjustments. We played a little faster."
Senior linebacker Reed Hughes led Conway's defense with six tackles.
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That defense allowed sophomore Manny Smith's 56-yard third-quarter touchdown run to stand up.
The game was tied at 7-7 with 3:48 left in the third quarter when Smith eluded three tackles at midfield, then ran down the left sideline into the end zone for a 14-7 advantage.
"Manny has been able to provide momentum for us," Fimple said. "It's nice to have a tenth-grader do that for us."
Jonesboro Coach Randy Coleman lamented his team's inability to get much done offensively Friday.
"It was death by a million papercuts," Coleman said. "We couldn't do anything right to sustain anything to get the big play on them because they're so sound defensively."
Senior quarterback Nick McCuin went 9-of-25 passing for 171 yards with one touchdown and one interception for the Wampus Cats.
Smith rushed 78 yards and one touchdown on 8 carries to lead Conway. Junior Jamaal Bethune had 53 yards on 12 carries.
Jonesboro junior quarterback Cross Jumper finished with 158 yards of total offense. Jumper completed 14 of 29 passes for 85 yards and 1 touchdown, and had 73 yards on 17 carries.
Junior running back Albert George rushed for 56 yards on 11 carries and senior Dontarius McDonald had 42 yards on 12 carries for Jonesboro (2-1).
Senior wide receiver Dryden Bartels, who led Jonesboro's receivers with 5 receptions for 41 yards, had the only touchdown for the Hurricane, a 22-yard reception in the second quarter.
For Jonesboro defensively, senior defensive end Jashaud Stewart, who has orally committed to the University of Arkansas, finished with six tackles.
Conway took a 7-0 lead with 9:34 left in the first quarter. McCuin's 34-yard pass to junior Bryce Bohanon set up his 20-yard touchdown pass to Smith to cap an eight-play, 72-yard drive that lasted 2:26.
After senior Will Hogue missed a 46-yard field attempt, Jonesboro responded with a 13-play, 80-yard drive that resulted with Jumper's 22-yard touchdown pass to Bartles that tied the game at 7-7 with 10:03 left in the second quarter.
Conway was held to 278 yards offensively. But the Wampus Cats ended Friday's game with two victories in its nonconference schedule that also featured Class 6A El Dorado and Class 7A Bentonville, both perennial powers in their classifications, and Fimple is ready for some time off for his team.
"We get to work on ourselves this open week," said Fimple, whose Wampus Cats return to action Sept. 27 against Fort Smith Southside to open 7A-Central Conference play. "But it was good for us to get those tests and to see the physicality part."
Sports on 09/14/2019