Fletcher sparks Conway victory

CONWAY 38, SILOAM SPRINGS 24

CONWAY —Junior Nick Fletcher gave Conway the spark it needed Friday against Siloam Springs.

With Conway trailing 3-0 after two offensive turnovers and Siloam Springs on the move, Fletcher returned a Ricky Hughes fumble 84 yards for a touchdown to give the Wampus Cats a 7-3 lead.

Conway would go on to score on its next three offensive possessions of the first half and the Wampus Cats defeated the Panthers 38-24 in a 7A/6A-Central Conference game at John McConnell Stadium.

“That was huge momentum changer in the first half because they ( Siloam Springs) were having some success moving the football,” said Conway coach Clint Ashcraft. “To get that ball and score was big.”

Conway, which struggled offensively in a 37-7 loss to Har-Ber last week, would go on to have a balanced night offensively.

The Wampus Cats (2-2, 1-0 7A/6A Central) rushed for 221 yards on 35 carries, while quarterback Breylin Smith completed 9 of 20 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns.

“We’ve got some guys in new places, and a lot of guys that played tonight it was their first meaningful game,” said Ashcraft, who improved to 2-0 against his former team. “We’ve got a lot of things we need to clean up, but just proud to get any win you get.”

McCall Dail had a nineyard touchdown run in the first quarter as Conway took advantage of a short field after a shanked punt to go up 14-3.

Siloam Springs (3-1, 0-1) answered with a scoring drive capped by a Luke Lampton touchdown run to pull within 14-10 in the second quarter. But Conway scored twice

more before halftime to lead 28-10.

Smith converted a fourth down with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Marquis Pleasant for a 21-10 lead. Shamar Harper had a 25-yard touchdown run later in the half.

Christian Underwood kicked a 26-yard field goal in the third quarter, and Smith fired an 81-yard touchdown strike to Pleasant as Conway pulled ahead 38-10.

Siloam Springs scored a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter to cut the margin to 38-24. Hughes had a one-yard touchdown run and Lampton scored again from 15 yards out. The Panthers lost

several key players to injury throughout the game, including senior safety Matt Downing who was carted off on a stretcher in the third quarter.

“We’re not going to quit,” said Siloam Springs coach Bryan Ross. “As far as the injuries and stuff, we’ll just have to re-evaluate a little bit later. I hope none of them are very serious, but yep we had several tonight. That’s always a concern.”