Conway routs Fort Smith Southside

FORT SMITH -- In less than three minutes of game time, Conway turned a close game into a blowout Friday night. The Wampus Cats scored 24 points at the end of the first half and the start of the third quarter to pull away and opened the 7A-Central conference slate with a 45-19 win over Fort Smith Southside at Rowland Stadium. Played in heavy rain the entire game, Conway (4-0, 1-0) forced three of its four turnovers in the scoring binge that turned a slim 14-13 lead into a 38-13 advantage that the Mavericks (2-2, 0-1) could not overcome. "It was all about turnovers," said first-year Conway coach Keith Fimple, who was a longtime assistant coach at Southside. "We've talked about finishing at halftime with this bunch because sometimes we get lackadaisical. Anytime you get a win in this league -- home or on the road -- is huge." Quarterback JoVani Johnson scored six touchdowns to lead the Wampus Cat offense that gained 404 yards on the ground and 413 total yards. Johnson rushed for 128 on 19 carries while Cary McClain led his team with 145 yards on 21 attempts. "Both of those guys we have out there are weapons for us," Fimple said. Conway was holding on to a 14-13 lead over the Mavericks late in the second quarter. Thanks to a pass interference penalty, the Wampus Cats kept a drive alive that led to a 5-yard Johnson touchdown run with 20 seconds left in the first half. Then came three consecutive Southside turnovers that allowed Conway to pull away. After the touchdown, Conway recovered a squib kick at the Mavericks 28 that was converted into a 36-yard field goal at the end of the first half for a 24-14 lead. The Wampus Cats recovered another muffed kickoff at the Southside 23 and Johnson scored three plays later on a 2-yard keeper at 11:25 of the third quarter for a 31-13 lead. Two plays later, Conway got another Southside fumble at the Mavericks' 23, and Johnson would keep for a 3-yard touchdown blowing the game open at 38-13 with 9:55 left in the third period. "We got good field position with the turnovers and it was a priority for us to hold on to the football," Fimple said. Johnson scored on touchdown runs of 28 and 45 yards in the game's first four minutes to give the Wampus Cats a quick 14-0 lead. The Mavs, though, answered with a Taye Gatewood 13-yard run late in the first quarter and a 6-yard Gatewood scoring pass to Tyrese Solomon to get within 14-13 with 4:41 left before halftime. Gatewood finished the game with 133 yards rushing and was 14 of 26 passing for 148 yards. Conway hosts top-ranked North Little Rock next week while Southside hosts Cabot.

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CONWAY ROUTS FORT SMITH SOUTHSIDE

WALTER WOODIE

NWA Democrat Gazette | 9/24/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Staff