Cabot Runs Past Conway in 7A-Central Opener

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

The Conway Wampus Cats have come a long way since week 1, and that showed in Friday night’s 7A-Central Conference opener at Panther Stadium.

The rushing attack of third-ranked Cabot, even without starting fullback Michael James, proved to be too much in the Panthers’ 38-21 win. But that doesn’t mean Cabot coach Mike Malham hasn’t taken notice of the direction these Cats are going.

“I’m glad we got them now and not week 10,” Malham said. “They’re getting better every week, and they’re going to be a good football team.”

But that first conference win under Clint Ashcraft will have to wait.

The Panthers amassed 401 yards on the ground, consuming large chunks off the clock each possession, and scored four rushing touchdowns. One run in particular Ashcraft pointed to as a turning point in the game.

With Cabot leading 17-7 late in the second quarter and after Conway seemingly had momentum in its favor, the Panthers used a little trickery. Panther quarterback Seth Bloomberg ran left, as did the rest of the players on the field, but Spenser Neumann ran right, taking a reverse 66 yards to set up a 6-yard touchdown run by Bloomberg before halftime.

“That trick play right before the half hurt us,” Ashcraft said. “It deflated us a little bit, but I was proud to see the kids not quit and keep on fighting.”

Xavier Acklin led a strong fighting charge of his own.

The senior quarterback posed a dual threat for the Panther defense, as he rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown and was 11-of-24 passing for 139 yards and threw a touchdown and was intercepted twice.

Whether the play resulted in a big gain or a mistake, Acklin’s play helped spark the Cat offense.

“We’re leaning on Xavier,” Ashcraft said. “He’s not used to doing what he’s doing, but it’s what we think gives us the best chance.”

It was enough to cause Malham some grief.

“It makes it tough facing a quarterback like that,” Malham said. “It’s like you have to defend 12 people out there. He did a great job.”

Leading 24-7 at halftime, the run-heavy Cabot offense extended its lead through the air. Bloomberg hit a wide-open Hunter Sales for a 28-yard touchdown. A successful PAT by Logan Spry gave the Panthers a 31-7 lead at the 8:24 mark in the third.

Sure, Malham was happy with the result. However, getting back to the basics is what the Cabot coach liked to see the most.

“We showed that we could throw a little bit,” Malham said. “I prefer us moving the ball on the ground, though. You complete a lot more handoffs than you do passes.”

Conway responded with a strong drive of its own, 80 yards in nine plays. Cameron Azumara, who’s been limited as of late, made the most of his first two carries of the game, capping the drive with an 11-yard touchdown at the 6:16 mark.

A 30-yard run by Acklin and then an 8-yard run by Azumara set up the score. Ben Riner’s PAT cut the deficit to 31-14.

The Cats appeared to be poised for another score after forcing the Panthers to go three and out. However, a fumble on first down quickly ended those hopes.

But Cabot fumbled three plays later, and Ben Tusson’s recovery set up Conway at its 27. The Cats got as close as the Cabot 30, but a missed field goal left Conway empty-handed.

Spencer Smith scored on a 43-yard run on the next possession, and the Panthers went on for the win.

But as has been the case so far, Conway has something to build on. The second-half performance is what stands out the most to Ashcraft.

“The second half should give the kids some confidence,” Ashcraft said. “I think one of the biggest things we showed was character. We showed in the second half that we’re not going to quit and are going to keep fighting.”

Cabot jumped to a 17-0 lead to start the game before Acklin found Hunter Moix in the back of the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown with 41 seconds left in the first half. That, though, was followed by Neumann’s long run and the ensuing Panther touchdown.

Other than Acklin’s runs, the Cats had just 23 yards rushing.

“We knew we weren’t going to be able to run much on them,” Ashcraft said. “They do a good job of stacking the box, so we knew we’d have to beat them passing.”

That was most effective though a hurry-up offense. That style of offense seemed to stymie Cabot a little and could have even led to more points for Conway.

“If (Acklin) would have put a little more touch on some of those passes, they (the Cats) probably would have scored some more,” Malham said.

Chase Calcagni led Conway in receptions with four for 51 yards. Moix added 24 yards.

Smith paced the Panthers’ ground game with 119 yards on 19 carries. Matt Bayless rushed for 91 yards on 15 carries.

The Cats return home next week to host North Little Rock for their homecoming game.


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