BENTONVILLE 16, CONWAY 7
CONWAY -- Bentonville picked the right time to trust Destyn Adkins.
[HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD: Full results + recaps, photos and more]
Adkins broke off a 44-yard catch-and-run with 3 minutes remaining to set up a game-deciding field goal in the Tigers' 16-7 nonconference victory over Conway on Friday night at John McConnell Stadium.
Facing a third-and-6 at their own 34, Tigers quarterback Canaan Ross hit Adkins in the right flat. Adkins juked one defender and then outran several other would-be tacklers before he was hauled down from behind at the Conway 22. Four plays later, Bentonville kicker Hayden Moehring booted a 36-yard field goal to put the game out of reach with 1:56 to play.
"They really don't trust me catching the ball because I'm not a receiver," said Adkins, who ran for a game-high 106 yards on 16 carries. "But this time they trusted me. I said 'OK.' "
Conway's final drive ended with an interception by junior safety Jadyn Loudermilk with 1:22 remaining.
The Tigers managed 363 total yards, 185 through the air and 178 on the ground.
Bentonville (2-1) held Conway to 185 total yards, including 0 passing yards in the second half.
Conway (0-3) was on the verge of taking a lead early in the fourth. Starting from their own 3 with 4:41 left in the third quarter, the Wampus Cats used 17 plays and reached the Bentonville 3 before turning the ball over on downs with 9:22 to play.
A false start penalty with Conway on the Bentonville 4 helped end the drive.
"That was brutal," Conway Coach Clint Ashcraft said. "That false start backed us up. ... Man, we're one play away every week. It's just something we're going to keep working to correct."
Junior running back Michael George, who did not carry the ball in the first half, ran 12 times for 73 yards on Conway's longest possession. He finished with 78 yards on 13 carries.
"Michael has played well the last two weeks," Ashcraft said. "He works hard. I'm proud of him. The offensive line did a good job of giving him creases and he's very physical and he stuck it up in there. He's going to be a good one for us."
Bentonville's ensuing possession lost two yards, forcing the Tigers to punt from their own 1, but after a 42-yard punt and a 12-yard return, Conway could do little with the opportunity.
With 5:42 to play, Conway pinned Bentonville on its own 2, but this time the Tigers responded with positive yards.
Ross, who would finish 16 of 23 for 185 yards, completed a 12-yard pass to junior Kam'ron Mays-Hunt to the Tigers' 14. Five plays later, Bentonville was facing a third-and-6 at 34 when Adkins caught a short pass from Ross near the Bentonville sideline.
"I juked out one dude at first," Adkins said. "And the reason I was able to juke him was because one of our offensive linemen made a great block. I just went downfield as fast as I could after that."
Conway scored on its third possession, driving 56 yards on five plays, scoring on a 12-yard pass from Parker Teague to Jack Pillow. The touchdown was set up by a 34-yard pass from Teague to Marquis Pleasant, who led Conway in receiving with four catches for 44 yards.
Cameron Tilley added the extra point with 4:16 to play.
Bentonville scored two touchdowns in the final 4:38 of the first half. Ben Sellers took a direct snap to score from the 4 to cap a two-play drive that started after a blocked punt. Moehring's extra point was blocked, leaving the score at 7-6.
Adkins capped an 80-yard, eight-play drive with an 8-yard run with 55 seconds left in the second quarter. A 25-yard pass from Ross to junior tight end Tyler Johnson set up the Tigers' final touchdown.
Sports on 09/17/2016