Cox scores three TDs for Conway

CONWAY — The Conway Wampus Cats excelled in all three phases of the game in a 27-7 victory over the Russellville Cyclones on Friday.

Desmond Cox opened the game with a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, the Wampus Cats (7-2, 5-1 7A/6ACentral) limited the Cyclones to just 124 yards of total offense, and the Conway offense was efficient, providing more than enough scoring to top the Wampus Cats’ longtime rivals.

“We had several three-andouts,” Conway Coach Clint Ashcraft said. “Our guys did a good job of making plays on third downs and getting off the field. We did a good job of rotating guys in and out, and I think that showed in the second half. We work a lot on special teams and it’s nice to see it pay off in a game.”

Cox accounted for three touchdowns, and set up Conway’s fourth, taking a thirdquarter punt 44 yards to the Russellville 18. Five plays later, Colin Fluesmeier ran in from 2 yards out on a sweep, and the Wampus Cats led 21-7.

In the fourth quarter, Russellville set up Conway at its 44 following a 4-yard punt. Langley capped the scoring, connecting with Cox for 24 yards and his third touchdown. Langley completed 18 of 27 passes for 239 yards and 2 touchdowns. Rashad Shepherd caught seven passes for 104 yards.

Russellville (0-6, 1-8) pulled even early in the second quarter. A short Conway punt set up the Cyclones with a short field. Mitch Mullen completed three consecutive passes to get the Cyclones to the Conway 28. Kendall Bond took care of the rest, carrying the ball five consecutive times, including a 1-yard scoring run.

Conway regained the lead just before halftime when Langley connected with Cox on an out pattern for a 15-yard score, and the Wampus Cats never trailed again.

Combined with North Little Rock’s victory over Bryant, Conway pulled into a three-way tie for first in the conference with those two teams. Conway meets Little Rock Catholic on Thursday at War Memorial Stadium.

“This puts us back in the mix,” Ashcraft said. “I don’t think anything will be settled until next week. That game is big for us.”