FORT SMITH — Fort Smith Southside debuted a new turf field Friday night, but the Rebels had a finish reminiscent of plenty of games on the old field at Jim Rowland Stadium.
Southside quarterback Austin Nolan found Landon Lee for a 15-yard touchdown pass with 32 seconds remaining as the Rebels beat Conway 32-27 in a game befitting of its status as the one to watch on the state's opening weekend.
"I think that showed an experienced team, which we are," Southside coach Jeff Williams said. "They have good experience and they've been in this situation many, many times. To come back and win the ball game is huge.
"This is one of the craziest first games I've seen."
Nolan, starting at quarterback for the first time in two years, finished the game 13 of 22 for 196 yards and four touchdowns, and also added a rushing score.
After watching departed quarterback Hunter Whorton compile 11 come-from-behind wins in the two previous seasons - including several at home - Nolan notched the first of his own.
"I've played in a lot of games with come-from-behind wins," said Nolan, a starter at receiver last year for the Rebels. "It's been nice watching and learning from the older guys. It helped me out in the fourth quarter."
Southside (1-0) missed a 40-yard field goal off the foot of Yoni Cerritos with a little more than four minutes left, but got the ball back when Conway failed to convert a fourth-and-2 from its own 39 with 1:48 remaining.
"In the second half they had moved the ball a lot better on us," Conway coach Clint Ashcraft said. "Every third- or fourth-and-1 we had tonight, we converted. They had no timeouts and we think if we get that there, it's over.
"We didn't make the play when we needed to make it."
That set the stage for Southside's final drive, which took only five plays and 1 minute, 16 seconds off the clock.
In a back-and-forth affair, the Wampus Cats (0-1) looked to have scored a go-ahead touchdown of their own moments after Southside, but Tyler Langley's 81-yard scoring strike to Rashad Shepherd with 10 seconds left was called back because of holding.
"I was kind of in shock and couldn't believe it," Nolan said. "I saw the flag and was just hoping it was on them."
The Rebels, which lost to Conway 53-35 in the opener last season, trailed 21-6 at one point in the first half Friday but battled their way back after making adjustments on both sides of the ball, and with a momentum swing before the break.
Southside got on the board just before halftime on Nolan's 17-yard touchdown pass to Lee with 28 seconds remaining. That cut Conway's lead to 21-13 at halftime.
Nolan single-handedly kept the drive alive two plays earlier, breaking three tackles on a fourth-and-3 scramble to give the Rebels a first down.
The Rebels slowed the Wampus Cats' high-octane offense after halftime and found a powerful rushing attack with David Price. The junior finished with 148 yards on 21 carries as senior all-state running back Julius Jones watched from the sideline with a hamstring injury.
Price had 92 of those yards on the ground after halftime, including 54 on a 10-play drive midway through the third quarter that resulted in a 3-yard Nolan touchdown run to pull the Rebels within 21-19 after a failed two-point try.
"The first half I didn't feel like I did my job," Price said. "The thing is, with Julius out, I had to step my game up to the next level.
"We worked hard during the summer and we earned this win."
Southside took its first lead later in the quarter on Nolan's third touchdown pass of the game - a 27-yard strike to Issac Jackson with 15 seconds remaining in the period put the Rebels ahead 26-21.
Conway struck again, though, with a no-huddle attack on the ensuing drive.
Corven Alexander, who in the first half returned a punt 70 yards for a score, put the Wampus Cats deep in Southside territory with a 41-yard run to the Rebels 12.
Cordarius Irby, who finished with 118 yards and two touchdowns, scored three plays later, giving Conway a 27-26 lead with 10:09 remaining.