Cats put it on line at the end
CONWAY 42, VAN BUREN 35
VAN BUREN — With the game on the line in the second half, Conway’s offensive line refused to yield to Van Buren’s defense.
The Wampus Cats had only four possessions in the second half, but they scored on three of them and ran out the clock on the other to hold off the Pointers 42-35 in a 7A/6A-Central game Friday at Blakemore Field.
Conway (3-2, 2-0) had success running the ball in the second half but still converted 3 of 6 third downs and 2 of 2 fourth downs to keep drives alive.
“Our offensive line did a tremendous job,” Wampus Cat Coach Clint Ashcraft said. “We converted a couple of fourth downs that led to score, and that was big. We had to keep the ball away from them because they have some play-makers on offense. To keep the ball, eat the clock and score was huge.”
Van Buren tied the game at 21-21 when Barlow hit receiver Caleb Salisbury in the end zone on the final play of the first half.
“We get up [14-0] early and we relaxed and Van Buren kept battling,” Ashcraft said. “We needed to match their effort and we didn’t. I told them at halftime we needed to keep battling.”
Pointers Coach Greg Werner said he thought his team had gained momentum with the late surge in the first half.
“The late score was huge,” he said. “I thought we were set up nicely for the second half, but we could not shut them down or stop them in the second half.”
Conway got the ball to start the second half and drove 70 yards in 12 plays, capped by a 3-yard run by McCall Dail, who finished with 119 yards and three scores, for a 28-21 lead.
Seemingly in control at 4221 after Dail’s 1-yard run with 5:59 left, the Pointers mounted one last rally.
Jaylynn Dye scored on a 6-yard pass from quarterback Jordan Barlow with 4:38 left. Van Buren’s Dominic Guillen then recovered the onside kick at the Conway 48. After Salisbury hit Dye on a flanker pass for 37 yards, Barlow threw another touchdown pass, this one an 11-yarder to Zack Wornkey, to pull to within 42-35 with 4:12 still left.