6A-Central teams meet in boys final
BENTON — For the first time since 2018, a team from the 6A-Central Conference is going to win the 6A boys soccer state championship.
That’s the dream for Conway Coach Matthew Page, whose Wampus Cats will take on Fort Smith Northside in the title game today.
With Springdale winning the past two championships, Page said he is ready for the trophy to make its way back to the 6A-Central for the first time since Fort Smith Northside won it in 2018.
“We knew [Northside’s] one of the toughest teams you could play, and we knew that as soon as the bracket came out,” Page said. “It’s been us or them at the top of our conference for the past six years, so that’s where we lie again. Now, finally, a Central team is going to win no matter what.”
Page and Conway will look to their captain, senior Ty Fisher, to lead the team’s set piece-driven offense that Page has instituted since arriving. It’s a system that has found success for Conway, making the 2021 6A state final, and helping to beat Bentonville in the last week’s state semifinal.
“We score in [open play] a lot, but set pieces are what we practice a lot and that’s what we’re set up for,” Page said. “That’s been by design since I got here at Conway, so we just keep running it and it keeps working, so don’t fix what ain’t broke.”
Conway will have to deal with Fort Smith Northside’s Cesar Perez, a junior forward who is the sole focus of his team’s attack — and for good reason.
Perez totaled 2 goals and an assist between victories in the state tournament quarterfinals and semifinals. He went down injured against Rogers Heritage in the semifinals but managed to return in time to score the winning goal to send Northside to its first championship game in four years.
Northside Coach Mauricio Maciel said he believes that his team’s recent performances should pay dividends in Benton.
“We have a young team,” Maciel said. “But knowing that we beat two quality teams gives us the momentum and the hope that we can play against anybody in the state.”