Wampus Cats recover from first loss

CONWAY 63, FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE 20

CONWAY — Conway bounced back in a big way Friday night.

Jaylle Chambers and Donovan Omolo each scored twice in the first half as the Wampus Cats rolled to a 6320 victory over Fort Smith Northside in a 7A- Central game at John McConnell Stadium.

“I did, I think our staff did and I think our team did (learn from last week),’’ said Conway Coach Keith Fimple, whose team suffered their first of the season the previous Friday night at Cabot. “You can learn a lot from winning and you can learn a lot from losing. You just have to open your eyes, write it down and get it corrected.”

Conway ( 6-1, 3-1) broke from a 7-7 tie and scored the game’s next 27 points. The Wampus Cats led 34-14 at the half.

“We controlled what we needed to control.’’ Fimple said. “I thought we came out a lot cleaner than what we were last week. Of course we had some turnovers we didn’t want and we didn’t have those tonight. That is a positive right off the bat. I don’t remember very many big plays that we gave up on defense. That is another thing that we talked about all week.

“We’re just improving and hope we will keep doing that the next three weekends until we get to the playoffs.”

Daemarion Savoy hit Camron Massey with a 10yard scoring pass with 3:50 left in the first quarter to allow Northside (3-4, 2-2) to pull into a 7-7 tie with the Wampus Cats.

Conway took over from there.

Chambers broke the tie with a 27-yard touchdown run with 1:51 left in the first quarter. Adrian Mejia kicked the extra point.

Chambers added a 4-yard TD run that was set up by Quadrell Wilson’s 39-yard punt return. Omolo, who scored Conway’s first touchdown on a 1-yard run, added another scoring plunge and the Cats led 28-7 with 4:54 left in the half.

A blocked punt was returned 4 yard by Wade Simpson for the next score, and after a failed two-point try, it was 34-7.

Northside added a score with 8 seconds left in the half on a 10-yard run by T’kavion King. Saul Rodriguez added the extra point.

In the second half Omolo hit Cris O’Neal with a 24-yard TD pass and Boogie Carr scored on an 11-yard run to cap a 93-yard drive that started with a fourthand-goal stop by the Conway defense.

At 49-14, Northside added its final score on a 52yard pass from sophomore McLane Moody to King.

Caden Henderson added the final two Conway scores. He caught a 3-yard pass from Greyson Allen and then capped the night with a 13yard touchdown run.