Waco, Texas – The second-ranked Baylor Bears nailed 13 three-pointers and had five players in double figures on Tuesday afternoon in a 93-56 victory over the University of Central Arkansas Bears at the Ferrell Center in both teams final non-conference tune-up.

Baylor (7-0) continued its hot hand from the perimeter against UCA, making at least 13 threes in all three meetings with the purple Bears over the past four seasons, including 18 last year.

UCA (1-7) kept pace from the three-point line, making 12 of 26 (46.2 percent) but shot just 35 percent overall.

UCA was playing its fourth Power 5 team of the season, was shorthanded Tuesday, playing without two starters, senior guard Rylan Bergersen and sophomore forward Khaleem Bennett, who were at home battling illness. Bergersen is UCA’s leading scorer both this season and last.

Sophomore point guard DeAndre Jones kept the Bears within striking distance in the first half with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists, while hitting 5 of 8 from three-point range. As a team UCA was 8 of 15 from beyond the arc, but Baylor made 10 of 18 threes which led to a 53-35 halftime advantage. Jones finished with a team-high 19 points and made 6 of 9 from three-point range, the most by a Bear since Jones had six against Nicholls on Jan. 18, 2020.

“We certainly missed Khaleem and Rylan,’ said UCA head coach Anthony Boone. “But the guys that were here, they banded together. We told them, all-out effort. We have to be who we are, it doesn’t matter the circumstances. We can’t let it be because we’re playing Baylor and they’re No.2 in the country _ and I think they have a good chance at making a run at the national championship _ or whoever it is we’re playing, or we have guys not with us.

“Whatever the situation is, we have to do what we do, we have to be who we are. And for the most part our guys did that. I was pleased with our effort and their fight. It would have been easy to just come in here and lay an egg from the beginning. And our guys really fought, especially the first half.’

The Big 12 Bears, who finished 26-4 overall and 14-1 at home a year ago, pulled away from UCA in the second half. Baylor shot 55.9 percent from the field in the first half and an even 50 percent for the game. MaCio Teague led the Baers with 20 points, while All-American Jared Butler had 17 points and Jonathan Tchatchpoua had 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Baylor entered the game leading the nation in three-point shooting at 47.3 percent and went 13 of 30 for the game, with seven different players making at least one.

“They played like we expected them to,’ said Boone. “We played pretty good defense, but when they’re open, we help on drives and they kick it out. And those guys knock them down. They’re a really good shooting team. And I think we shot the ball pretty good from outside, too. But it’s just they had the size also to go with it to get some of the points in the paint that they got, and we couldn’t finish some of our opportunities.’

Baylor outscored UCA 40-14 on points in the paint but UCA managed to keep the rebounding margin close as the home team won that matchup 43-35. UCA also turned the ball over 24 times, which led to 31 Baylor points.

The Bears will open Southland Conference play at McNeese at 4 p.m. Saturday in Lake Charles, La., then return home to host New Orleans on Wednesday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. at the Farris Center.

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Central Arkansas of Central Arkansas Bears shot nearly as well in all three phases as the Ole Miss Rebels on Monday night. The problem was they attempted 17 less shots and it resulted in a 68-54 loss at The Pavilion at Ole Miss.

The Rebels (3-0) entered the game with one of the stingiest defenses in the nation, allowing just 51.5 points per game, with their opponents shooting just 35 percent from the field. UCA exceeded both the point total and the shooting percentage, but just barely. Ole Miss’ pressure defense held UCA to 35.4 percent from the field and forced 22 turnovers, leading to the discrepancy in total shot attempts.

UCA (0-5) also lost the services of senior point guard DeAndre Jones early in the second half when he picked up his fourth and fifth fouls in a span of 1:30. Jones leads the Bears in assists and is UCA’s second-leading scorer, which left an obvious void for the Bears.

“Our guys gave great, great effort,’ said UCA head coach Anthony Boone, who was returning to his alma mater and was honored with a pregame video. “And things didn’t go as well as we would have liked. We didn’t win the battle on the glass like we have been, but that team is a really good offensive rebounding team, and a really good rebounding team overall.

“ But we almost caught them. The guys were very focused on the defensive end. It was great effort. It was an ugly game, and we’ve got to learn to play in those because some teams in our conference play that way. When we play Abilene (Christian), when we play Stephen F. Austin, it’s going to be just like that. So this was great preparation for that.’

The Bears could not find their range early in the game and fell behind by as much as 20 points before cutting it to a 12-point deficit at the half as senior guard Rylan Bergersen made a three-pointer at the buzzer to make it 35-23 at the break. The Bears shot a season-low 24 percent (5 of 21) from the field in the opening half, with four of those made baskets coming from three-point range.

UCA played Ole Miss nearly even (33-31) in the second half, improving to 44 percent shooting overall despite missing all seven three-point attempts. UCA turned in some defense of its own, holding the Rebels to just 24.2-percent shooting in the second half, including 1 of 14 from beyond the arc. Ole Miss finished 4 of 25 (16 percent) from long distance.

“Our guys showed heart and never rolled over,’ said Boone.

The Rebels got two quick fouls on Jones early in the game and ended up limiting him to 2 points and 4 assists.

“We saw that on film coming in, they really pressure, especially their guards,’ said Boone. “They really pressure and they make it tough. They were keyed in on DJ, and rightly so. DJ makes everything go and they did a great job guarding him.  They have really good, athletic guards who can really keep someone in front, and there aren’t many people in the country that can keep DJ in front of them. That was their game plan and they executed it wonderfully.’

The Bears got a spark off the bench from sophomore Masai Olowokere, who had a career-high 9 points and 4 rebounds in 16 big minutes of action.

“Masia did (play well), and we’ve been waiting for him to have an opportunity to show what he can do,’ said Boone. “He’s looked really, really good in practice, maybe our most improved player from last year to this year. Really happy for him to come out and find success on the floor. That was great to see.’

Bergersen led the Bears in scoring with 14 points, while juniors Eddy Kayouloud and SK Shittu pulled down 7 rebounds each. UCA was outrebounded for the first time this season 43-39 as Ole Miss grabbed 16 offensive boards.

Boone, a West Helena, Ark., native who played at Ole Miss from 1994-98 and had his jersey retired, said he was grateful for the pregame recognition.

“Once the ball was tipped it was like any other game,’ said Boone. “I couldn’t tell the difference in being here or being at Saint Louis or at Memphis or Little Rock. It was the exact same. But before the game, and now that the game is over, it’s amazing to see what this program has become, the facilities here, all the movement that’s going on.

“And I know a lot of it is based on what we did when we were here, when me and my teammates were here, that helped to build this program up. But it was great. This is a special place for me. A lot of effort was poured into this program. And to have the warm reception was just wonderful. It’s been awhile since I’ve been here but I love this place and I’m really glad we had a chance to come here.’  

UCA concludes its three-game Southeastern Conference swing at Mississippi State at 7 p.m. Wednesday. 

Conway — Jalisa Outlaw led the Sugar Bears with a team-high 19 points in a losing effort as UCA fell to Little Rock 60-50 in the only matchup of the season in women’s basketball as part of the Governor’s I-40 Showdown on Wednesday night.

Outlaw started the game strong for the Sugar Bears by scoring the game’s first six points on back-to-back 3-pointers. Little Rock answered with a 9-0 run and made the score 9-6, in favor of the Trojans. The teams finished the quarter trading baskets as the game was tied 13-13 at the end of the period.

Outlaw continued where she left off in the second as she knocked down a 3-pointer and gave the Sugar Bears a 16-13 lead. After the score was tied at 21-21, the Trojans went on a 10-5 run and closed the half with a 31-26 lead.

“I’m very disappointed, I thought we had an opportunity to win. I thought we came out fighting and playing hard but it’s the same pattern over and over that we lose focus of our game plan if something doesn’t go right.” UCA head coach Sandra Rushing said. “We were out of sync offensively. We don’t know our offenses. I’ve got to do a better job of getting them understanding our offenses.”

At the half, Outlaw had a game-high 14 points while she shot 33.3 percent from behind the arc. Tori Lasker had two assists at the break and Briana Trigg, Jayla Cody, and Romola Dominguez were all tied with two rebounds each.

Outlaw knocked down a 3-pointer early in the third to pull the Sugar Bears within one, 33-32. After two made free throws by Little Rock, Dominguez drained a 3-pointer of her own and tied the game at 35-35, with 5:28 left in the third. The Trojans responded with a 5-0 run to close out the quarter and took a 42-35 lead into the final period.

UCA managed to pull within one on two separate occasions, the second on a jumper by Savanna Walker with 7:09 left in regulation. After Ayanna Trigg had the ball stolen from her, she did not give up on the play and ran down the Little Rock player and forced a turnover to give UCA some life.

The Sugar Bears managed to pull within five points with 1:29 left in regulation, but the inexperience of the team led to the Trojans extending their lead. Little Rock finished the game on a 5-0 run and claimed a 60-50 victory.

Bre’Amber Scott posted a game-high 24 points, with 16 coming in the fourth quarter alone. Brianna Crane was also in double-digits for the Trojans with 12 points. Mayra Caicedo collected a game-high six assists to lead the Trojans. Dariel Johnson brought down a game-high six rebounds.

Outlaw led UCA with 19 points, including a game-high four 3-pointers. Outlaw, Lasker, and Lucy Ibeh finished tied for the team lead with two assists. Ayanna Trigg and Ibeh led the Sugar Bears on the glass with four rebounds each.

The Sugar Bears look to bounce back on Friday, Dec. 18, as UAPB is set to make the trip to the Farris Center. Central Arkansas won the matchup, 74-70, earlier in the season.

“Moving forward, we just need to win. Just because we beat them (UAPB) on the road, doesn’t mean that we don’t have to prepare for them.” Rushing said. “We’ve got to come out and stick with the game plan. We are a very inexperienced team at the moment and it shows at times.”

By Mark Rico
Sports Editor

LITTLE ROCK — It didn’t come easy, but history rarely does.

Bryant outlasted North Little Rock 27-17 in a closer than expected victory in Saturday’s Class 7A championship game at War Memorial Stadium.

The win stamps Bryant as the first team to win three straight titles in 7A since Bentonville accomplished the feat in both 2014 and 2015.

A few years earlier, Fayetteville was able to string together a repeat in 2011 and 2012 and then went on to score back-to-back titles again in 2016 and 2017.

Bryant also became the first school to ever win three consecutive state championships in that classification their last loss coming in a regular season loss to NLR back in October 2018.

Pine Bluff was the last team to reel off three state titles in a row when they did so from 1993 to 1995.

“These guys have pulled together as a group and found a way to win 30 ballgames in a row and win three state championships.” Bryant head coach Buck James said. “My hat’s off to those kids, That’s a super job.”

Bryant (13-0), which averaged 46 points a contest through its first three playoff games, simply could not unleash its potent passing game against an NLR secondary anchored by Tavion Atkins and Marcus Stovall.

Instead, the Hornets leaned on the legs of senior tailback Tanner Anderson, who had 18 carries for 146 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Anderson named Most Valuable Player.

The rest of Bryant’s senior class also contributed as three-year starter Austin Ledbetter finished 11-0f-16 passing for 127 yards and no interceptions, while Jamarien Bracey carried 14 times for 94 yards and two touchdowns in his final game as a Hornet.

A strong second quarter from Bryant forced the Charging Wildcats into a deep hole in their fifth consecutive state championship game appearance.

A couple of Ledbetter completions to Bracey (19 yards), Schrader (20 yards) and then to Anderson (15 yards) culminated with a 9-yard TD run by Bracey that gave the Hornets a 7-0 advantage with 7 minutes and 21 seconds left in the second quarter.

Anderson’s 7-yard TD run on the Hornets’ next possession extended Bryant’s lead to 14-0.

Then after Northwestern State commit Kareame Cotton was intercepted by Bryant’s Malachi Graham – who returned the pick 52 yards to the Charging Wildcats 10-yard line – Bracey would score from 10 yards out for the Hornets third touchdown and a 20-0 cushion.

NLR finally got on the board with an impressive eight-play drive on a 7-yard run by Fredrick O’Donald with eight seconds left in the first half.

But in a wild second half, North Little Rock managed to seize momentum as Cotton settled in and the Charging Wildcats began to make the most of their snaps.

O’Donald finished with two touchdowns on 18 carries, and his 15-yard score late in the fourth quarter pulled NLR within 20-17 with nine minutes to go.

NLR (12-2) would have a final drive stall late in the fourth quarter as Cotton’s pass intended for O’Donald on fourth-and-goal from the Bryant 8-yard line was incomplete.

From there, Bryant would take over on downs and the Charging Wildcats would not get another chance to possess the ball.

Although their three-year run will no doubt be forever cemented in the Arkansas High School football record books, the buzz has already begun about whether or not a fourth title is possible without a stellar senior class that has dominated the opposition over the past three seasons.

An undefeated junior class will test their mettle next year against strong opposition but has a great chance to supplant the current group.

North Little Rock, Cabot and Conway will again be roadblocks in Bryant’s attempt to secure a fourth consecutive 7-A title.

Yet, James still likes his chances to return to War Memorial next December.

“We got a chance to complete a four-peat.”

by Mark Rico
Sports Editor

CONWAY — The Conway Wampus Cats were able to unleash their full offensive arsenal in their surprisingly easy blowout of Little Rock Central during a second round 7-A playoff game while delivering one of the most exciting plays of the season in the process.

In an otherwise forgettable 49-20 victory over the Tigers on Friday night at John McConnell Stadium, Bohanon got free momentarily on a third down play, outleaped two defenders and then managed to barely keep one of his feet inbounds before falling out of the back of end zone for a spectacular 16-yard TD catch that drew ooohs and aahs from the John McConnell Stadium crowd.

Bohanon’s acrobatic touchdown grab extended Conway’s lead to 14-0 early in the first quarter and from that point forward, Central never stood a chance.

But junior Jamaal Bethune was the man of the hour, rushing for 279 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries – with scoring runs of 75, 78 and 31 yards – for the Wampus Cats, who will now advance to the state semi-finals against No. 1 Bryant on Friday night.

The two teams faced off just three weeks ago in a conference match-up with Bryant winning in a shootout 70-33.

Offensive coordinator Mark Kelley, who stepped into the head coaching duties for Keith Fimple (personal business) on Friday praised the fast paced Conway offense.

“We knew they had a really good front so we tried to spread the ball around and not depend on one guy.” Kelley said. “Big night for the running game, we made some big plays and it was nice to see a lot of guys getting involved. When you have athletes like Jamaal, Bryce and Manny (Smith) it’s good to just get them the ball in space because anything can happen.”

Bohanon also hauled in a 56-yard TD pass on Conway’s first possession of the contest, while Boogie Carr also caught 19-yard pass and then scored again on on 10-yard run in the final quarter.

Senior quarterback Ben Weese got several of his offensive teammates imvolved as he completed 17 of 31 passes, throwing for 288 yards and three touchdowns for the Wampus Cats.

Conway (9-3) played its best game of the season, manhandling Central (4-5) behind an offense that finished with 568 yards, 280 through the air.

The defense was solid, too, holding Central to 265 total yards and harassing Tiger senior quarterback Lawson Gunn into four sacks. The Wampus Cats scored on four of their first-half possessions to take a 27-7 lead at halftime.

“Our mentality was to come out and finish this game no matter what.” Bethune said. “Playing without Coach (Fimple) we had the same mindset. Not to lose focus and just be one point better than Central. My offensive line did a good job of opening up holes for me to run through.”

UT-Martin commit Samuel Franklin rushed for 98 yards pn 26 carries for Central. Gunn went 19-of-32 passing for 203 yards with a pair of touchdown runs.

Engelkes’ career night paces Greenbrier to first round win over Brookland 43-28

by Mark Rico
Sports Editor

Greenbrier – Senior receiver JP Engelkes scored a career high 3 TD’s – all in the first half – as Greenbrier started strong and then held off a late Brookland charge to secure a 43-28 opening round 5-A playoff win.

The Bearcats were playing in their first-ever playoff game minus 28 players who were in Covid-19 protocol.

Greenbrier (7-4) set the tone early by recovering an onside kick to open the game.

Engelkes would haul in a 24-yard scoring strike from Cooper Wilcox to open the scoring a few plays later.

And then, following a quick three and out from Brookland, the Panthers added another score on their next possession with reserve tailback Dawson Spencer – who subbed for injured starter Trey Havens out with a foot injury – scampering in for a 21-yard touchdown.

Nick Huett’s two-point conversion run pushed Greenbrier’s lead to 15-0 with 7 minutes and 39 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.

Engelkes would also contribute two more touchdown catches to highlight an explosive first quarter that seemed to take the suspense out of the game early, putting Brookland in a 43-0 hole.

But the Bearcats came storming back to record the next four touchdowns and were dangerously on the cusp of closing within a touchdown before it was all said and done.

David York caught a 22-yard TD pass from Kolin Lamberson just before halftime to get the Bearcats on the board at 43-7.

From there, Wright would score on 21 and 12 yard runs and then Lamberson also found the end zone a short 3-yard quarterback sneak to pull the Bearcats within 15 points with 5 minutes and 47 seconds remaining in the game.

After a Panthers punt, Brookland advanced the ball to the 4-yard line but a costly fumble by Wright as he was sprinting into the end zone with under two minutes to play dashed any hopes of a miraculous comeback for the Bearcats.

Greenbrier will travel to Magnolia in the second round.

Brookland finished 3-7 on the season.

CONWAY STEAMROLLS SPRINGDALE 66-21
Senior quarterback Ben Weese completed 17 of 21 passes for 261 yards and six touchdowns as Conway throttled Springdale 66-21 in a first-round clash at John McConnell Stadium.

Conway is set to meet conference rival Little Rock Central next week at home in a quarterfinal game. The schools were scheduled to play Oct. 23, but were forced to cancel because of positive Covid-19 cases at Central.

Conway scored on each of its eight first-half possessions to build a 52-7 cushion at intermission.

Senior wideout Bryce Bohanon, junior tailback Manny Smith, sophomore tailback Boogie Carr, senior wide receiver Micah Mosby, junior wide receiver West Boudreaux and senior wide receiver Dillion Silverman-Barnes each caught touchdown passes for Conway in the rout.

MAUMELLE RACES PAST NETTLETON 19-7
Maumelle senior quarterback Jonathan Reyes’ eight-yard scoring strike to fellow senior Dashaire Ford-Burton in the third quarter broke a 7-7 tie and helped the Hornets post a 19-7 Conference 5A playoff win over Nettleton and will advance to face unbeaten Wynne in the second round.

Burton also had a game-clinching interception late in the final quarter for the Hornets (6-2).

Nettleton was competing for the first time in nearly a month after cases of Covid-19 within the program forced the cancellation of three previously scheduled games.

Scheduled match-ups with Forrest City (Oct. 23) Valley View (Oct. 30)and Wynne (Nov.6) were all scrapped and recorded as “No Contests” after a few players within the program tested positive for the virus.

Jaylon Smith rushed for 115 yards on 15 carries and scored the Hornets final touchdown on an eight-yard run late in the third quarter.

Reyes went 12-for-18 on the night while passing for 110 yards and a touchdown for Maumelle.

By Mark Rico
Sports Editor

Conway – Three plays into their homecoming game, the Central Arkansas Bears watched as their emotional leader on defense crumpled to the turf writhing in pain after making a tackle with a stunned Estes Stadium looking on in silence.

After junior linebacker Dre Matthews was carted off the field following an eight-minute delay with an season-ending knee injury, it only took Missouri Western four more plays to get on the scoreboard as Jared Scott banged his way into the end zone from a yard out.

The NCAA Division II Griffons led 7-0.

But UCA would quickly right the ship behind junior quarterback Breylin Smith – who tossed four touchdown passes in a dominating first half to pace the Bears (4-4) over Missouri Western 52-10.

Central Arkansas reeled off 38 answered points from that point forward – with Smith connecting with sophomore wide receiver Tyler Hudson for back-to-back touchdowns to close out the first quarter – one for 71 yards and then another for a 58 yards.

“After an emotional loss last week, you could have gone one of two ways with it,’ said UCA head coach Nathan Brown. “We could have felt sorry for ourselves all week, but I thought our guys had the best week of preparation we’ve had all year. We took their best punch after they had a good return and punched the ball in early. But I thought we did a good job of sustaining and not panicking.”

Smith, who completed 17 of 23 passes for 283 yards and a career-high five touchdowns, also found junior Lujuan Winningham for a 32-yard touchdown early in the second quarter to push the lead to 21-7.

The UCA defense got in on the act just 16 seconds later when freshman safety TaMuarion Wilson forced a fumble and sophomore defensive end Logan Jessup scooped it in stride and 26 yards for his first career touchdown and a 28-7 lead.

Hudson caught four passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns, while Winningham had three for 61 yards and another pair of touchdowns, giving him a team-high 11 for the season, which leaves him tied for third in school history with two games remaining on the slate.

Marshun Douglas rushed for 97 yards on just nine carries to lead UCA.

UCA’s defense held the Griffons (0-1) to 198 yards of total offense, and were held to 46 rushing yards on 31 attempts.

Missouri Western also lost its top return specialist Trey Vaval to injury in the first quarter, following a 66-yard return that set up the Griffon’s lone touchdown.

The Griffons lost four fumbles – one of which was returned for a 38-yard touchdown by sophomore Logan Jessup – to stretch the lead to 28-7 early in the second quarter.

After a sizzling start, Missouri Western could only muster eight yards of offense on 14 plays as UCA took it to another gear in the second quarter.

The Bears will host Eastern Kentucky after a bye week on Nov. 14 at 3pm in their final home contest of the season.

CONWAY, Ark. — The University of Central Arkansas women’s basketball team along with Head Coach Sandra Rushing announced the 2020-21 schedule on Thursday. The Sugar Bears start the 2020-21 campaign with four powerhouse programs.

UCA begins the season on the road with a matchup against Baylor on Nov. 25. The Lady Bears are ranked No. 4 in the preseason power 10. Baylor finished last season ranked No. 3 and had a 28-2 record with a perfect 17-0 record at home.

The Sugar Bears remain in Texas for a game against TCU on Nov. 28. The Horned Frogs finished the 2019-20 season just outside the top-25 in the No. 26 spot. Last season, TCU posted a 22-7 record.

Central Arkansas will play its first game in Arkansas with a matchup at Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 1. UAPB recorded a record of 7-22 in the shortened season.

The Sugar Bears head to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for a historic meeting with the Razorbacks on Dec. 13. Central Arkansas and Arkansas will face each other for the first time since the only other matchup in 1978 when UCA hosted the Razorbacks. Arkansas closed the 2019-20 season ranked No. 24 with a 24-8 record.

“I am excited to get this year going and looking forward to getting back into competitive action.” Rushing said. “As we all know, this year has been and will continue to be a challenge adjusting to Covid-19. We have an extremely tough non-conference schedule and it will be demanding on our players. We open up with Baylor and it does not get any easier from there. We are playing quality teams with great programs.”

UCA opens play at home with a three-game homestand that covers just a five-day span. The Sugar Bears open the homestand against Central Baptist on Dec. 14, followed by the Governor’s I-40 Showdown with Little Rock on Dec. 16. Central Arkansas wraps up the homestand with its second game with UAPB on Dec. 18.

The Sugars Bears take to the road for their final non-conference game of the season on Dec. 20, with their third matchup with an SEC powerhouse program. UCA will square off with Mississippi State for the first time in program history.

Southland Conference play begins in Louisiana, with a game against McNeese State on Jan. 2, followed by New Orleans on Jan. 6.

The Sugar Bears have a three-game stint in the Farris Center as Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, and Nicholls come to Conway on Jan. 9, 13, and 16, respectively.

UCA then heads back on the road for two games. The Sugar Bears battle Abilene Christian on Jan. 23, before a contest with Southeastern Louisiana on Jan. 27.  

Central Arkansas returns to the friendly confines of the Farris Center for a game with Northwestern State on Jan. 30. The Sugar Bears begin February at home with the second matchup against McNeese on Feb. 6. UCA then faces New Orleans for a second time on Feb. 10.

Central Arkansas closes out February with four games, three of which are on the road. UCA travels to Sam Houston on Feb. 13, followed by Stephen F. Austin on Feb. 17. The Sugar Bears stay on the road for a matchup in Thibodaux, Louisiana, with Nicholls on Feb. 20.

Abilene Christian comes to town on Feb. 27. The Sugar Bears play the final home game of the season against Southeastern Louisiana on March 3.

Central Arkansas closes out the regular season with a road game in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a matchup with Northwestern State on March 6.

“It is my hope that we grow as a team with every game, so that when conference games come along, we have developed confidence because of the competition we have faced.” said Rushing, ” We all know that Arkansas is a high-level program and we are thrilled to be able to play them. I have always respected Mike and their program. This is a great opportunity for our players and program.”

The Southland Conference Championships are scheduled for March 8-14 in Katy, Texas.

By Mark Rico

CONWAY – The Conway Wampus Cats know how to deliver big plays.

And senior Bryce Bohanon is usually right there in the mix when those game-changing plays come to fruition.

He was at it again in Conway’s 49-27 blowout of Little Rock Catholic in a Central 7A conference game Friday night at John McConnell Stadium.

Bohanon made the game’s most spectacular play when he caught a swing pass from Ben Weese and weaved through a host of defenders for 74-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter.

He also had two more touchdown catches of 50 and 25 yards for during an explosive first half for the Wampus Cats.

Conway improved to 6-2, 3-1 in conference play. Catholic is 3-6, 1-5.

Weese – certainly in the conversation for all-conference honors with one regular season game remaining – had his usual good game. He completed 16 of 21 passes for 256 yards and four touchdown passes.

The Wampus Cat defense turned in their share of big plays with Traland McClure scoring on a 28-yard interception return with 4 minutes and 53 seconds left in the first half to give Conway a commanding 28-10 advantage.

While junior cornerback Ashton Waller’s fumble recovery set up Bohanon’s second TD catch and it was never a contest from there.

“This team has done a really good job of putting mistakes behind them, getting their minds straight and going on to the next play.” Conway head coach Clint Ashcraft said. “Bryce has done those type things for us all year and we depend on him and he’s got some help with guys around him by dispersing things around but he’s a dynamic player and I am glad he’s a Wampus Cat.”

After a slow start in which he tossed an interception on his team’s first possession of the game, Weese began to pick Catholic’s defense apart. He threw three touchdown passes to Bohanon, and also fired another scoring pass to senior Micah Mosby.

Trailing 10-7 in the first quarter, the Wampus Cats scored the next three touchdowns to take a 28-13 lead at halftime.

Running back Boogie Carr, a sophomore, also scored a pair of touchdowns on the ground to help Conway maintain a balanced attack.

As for the defense, the Wampus Cats were able to cash in a pair of Sam Sanders interceptions.

Sanders kept the Rockets in the game late, though, with a 48-yard scoring strike to Hank Hatfield and then added an 11-yard TD scamper of his own for the final tally of the contest.

“Our defense is growing and we have some young guys over there but at this point in the season we have to grow up.” said Ashcraft. “We have to quit giving up big plays like that but I think it’s one of those things where we have to keep working as we are going into it and we are going to do that.”

Conway travels to top ranked Bryant on Friday.

Richmond, Ky. – The Cardiac Cats fourth quarter magic finally ran out.

No. 11 Central Arkansas rallied to take a 28-24 lead over Eastern Kentucky with 1:21 left, but ultimately left too much time as Eastern Kentucky took less than a minute to drive 77 yards in eight plays for the game-winning touchdown with six seconds remaining to secure a thrilling 31-28 victory at Roy Kidd Stadium.

The Bears (3-4) scored twice in a three-minute span to overcome a ten point deficit and take a short-lived lead, but unfortunately left the door open for the Colonels, who were led in the second half by back-up quarterback Dakota Allen after an injury to starter Parker McKinney.

Eastern Kentucky (2-4) was aided by a pair of costly penalties by the Bears on the final drive – a late hit on the sideline and then a roughing the passer penalty – both of which kept Eastern Kentucky alive and afforded Allen the opportunity to connect with a surprisingly wide open Matt Wilcox for the clinching 21-yard touchdown.

“We’ve just been so accustomed to winning games like that, just tough late games,’ said UCA head coach Nathan Brown. “Accustomed to making those big two-minute drives and (our) defense being on the field and making the plays late to make it happen. It just caught up to us tonight, and credit goes to Eastern Kentucky.

“You either got two ways to go from it, you either learn from it and get better from it, or we’ll just continue to be a good football team. We’re trying to push to be a great football team and we still have some ways to go.’

UCA’s go-ahead drive definitely looked familiar for a team that has come from behind to win nine of its last 19 games, including last week’s road victory over Missouri State.

Trailing 24-14 late in the fourth quarter, UCA junior quarterback Breylin Smith found junior receiver Lujuan Winningham for a 46-yard TD pass with 4:35 remaining to cut the lead to 24 -21.

Then after a quick three-and-out from Eastern Kentucky, the Bears took over at its own 37 with 3:03 on the clock.

Smith completed a 50-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Tyler Hudson, who was brought down just a few yards short of the end zone.

Two plays later, Smith took it in from two yards out on a quarterback keeper to give UCA a 28-24 advantage on what appeared to be the winning score with 1:21 left in the contest.

But as it turns out, the Colonels had one final scoring drive left in them.

Following back-to-back incomplete passes and a third-down run by Allen that came up a yard short of a first down, an untimely late hit penalty gave Eastern Kentucky new life at midfield.

From there, the Colonels were able to convert a fourth-and-1 at the UCA 39 thanks to a critical roughing the passer call on Central Arkansas which gave them another first down at the UCA 21.

On the following play, Allen would find Wilcox behind two Central Arkansas defenders for the final tally.

“Credit to their backup quarterback, he came in and led them to a second-half victory.” said Brown. “It took us a drive or two to get used to what they were trying to do. They started really running the quarterback with some designed runs and some zone reads. He did a good job. He’s a big kid, a physical kid and he did a good job running the football.”

Eastern Kentucky cashed in a pair of Bears miscues for a 17-7 lead at intermission.

“We turned the ball over in the red zone early in the first quarter, we had a touchdown called back because of a penalty in the first quarter,’ Brown said. “Both of those hurt. And then on that final drive, we had 30 yards of penalties that really gave them the opportunity to keep the drive alive. But credit goes to Eastern Kentucky. They had poise, they stayed with it and made big plays in the end.”

Winningham, caught nine passes for 103 yards and his team-high ninth touchdown of the season.

While Hudson had seven receptions for 106 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter.

Smith completed 30 of 45 passes for 320 yards for two touchdowns and was intercepted twice.

“They’re both just playmakers,’ said Brown. “Breylin trusts them, they got into some matchups, we took advantage of some of their corner play. That gave us an opportunity to drop the ball down the field to them and they made plays when it mattered.”

The Bears will finally return home for the first time since Sept. 26 next Saturday when they host Missouri Western for Homecoming.

Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at First Security Field at Estes Stadiuim.

“We’ve been six of our first seven games on the road,’ said Brown. “It’s been a difficult run but we knew what we signed up for. Our guys are ready to get home for the next two football games.’