George steps in, steps up for Conway
CONWAY — There was room for improvement for Michael George.
The Conway senior running back split time with McCall Dail and Kip VanHoose, both seniors a year ago. While George had a teamhigh 643 yards in 2016 and 3 touchdowns, Conway’s coaching staff knew that with the graduation of Dail and VanHoose, they were going to rely on George to head the Wampus Cats’ rushing attack.
Assistant coach Scott Schwartz told George that he needed to step up and be Conway’s leader at running back. Conway Coach Clint Ashcraft said George took the meeting to heart.
“They told me I had to be the main guy,” George said. “They wanted to feature me more. I had to be ready for that.”
George was more than ready, as he’s rushed for 2,055 yards and 25
touchdowns on 263 carries. He’s also averaged 7.8 yards per carry and 186.8 yards per game. George has 10 100-yard games this season, with his top game being Sept. 22 against Fort Smith Southside (31 carries, 354 yards, 4 touchdowns).
An ankle injury kept him out of Conway’s Class 7A first-round game against Rogers on Nov. 10, but George returned for the Wampus Cats last Friday at Bentonville West in the quarterfinals to help lead Conway to one of its biggest playoff victories in more than two decades.
In Conway’s 48-40 victory over the Wolverines, George had a career-high 40 carries for 274 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Wampus Cats advanced to today’s Class 7A semifinals at North Little Rock.
George surpassed the 2,000-yard mark last week, a feat that he wasn’t sure he would achieve.
“It wasn’t really my plan,” George said, “but it happened.”
Conway trailed Bentonville West 17-7, but the Wampus Cats used a 28-point second quarter to take a 35-17 halftime lead. George had a 18-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and also scored from 57 yards out in the first quarter and 10 yards out in the third.
“He did everything he needed to do to get back,” Ashcraft said. “He knows he has to play. He’s willing to fight through some pain to help our football team.”
George’s performance in the weight room has led to him being one of the state’s top running backs. He bench-pressed 310 pounds and squatted 500 pounds during the offseason.
“He’s phenomenal in the weight room,” Ashcraft said. “It began in the offseason. His strength in the weight room really stands out. It helps motivates the guys around him. If you work hard and you get stronger, bigger and faster, good things will happen.
“He leads by example in there. That’s a big reason why he’s having the season he’s having.”
Conway senior quarterback Andrew Hreha has enjoyed seeing George turn into the Wampus Cats’ top offensive weapon this season.
“He got a lot better and matured a lot,” Hreha said. “He’s always had that great ability.”
Conway has not advanced to a state championship game since 1993, when it faced Pine Bluff in the Class AAAA title game. For George, he would like for nothing more than to be part of a team that plays in the state championship game.
“Everybody would know who we are,” George said. “We could show that we can compete with the best.”