The Conway Wampus Cats' mindset changed after an 0-5 start last season.
Conway won three of its final five games and earned a Class 7A first-round victory over Rogers before losing at Fayetteville in the second round.
Today’s game
CONWAY AT
NORTH LITTLE ROCK
WHEN 7 p.m.
WHERE Charging Wildcat Stadium, North Little Rock
RECORDS Conway 3-1, 1-0 7A-Central; North Little Rock 4-0, 1-0
COACHES Conway: Clint Ashcraft; North Little Rock: Jamie Mitchell
RANKINGS Conway: Not ranked; North Little Rock: No. 3 overall and Class 7A
The loss that put Conway at 0-5 was courtesy of North Little Rock, which defeated the Wampus Cats 38-7 on Sept. 30, 2016, at John McConnell Stadium in Conway.
A year later, Conway is 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the 7A-Central Conference as it enters today's game at North Little Rock (4-0, 1-0).
[HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD: Live updates and scores from tonight's games]
Conway Coach Clint Ashcraft attributes part of the Wampus Cats' strong start to last year's beginning.
"They handled adversity," Ashcraft said. "They've been through some tough times.
"It's like life. If you stay the course, then things will go in your favor."
Springdale handed Conway its only loss, 19-17, in Week 1.
But the Wampus Cats rebounded with victories over defending 6A-East champion Jonesboro 49-18 and 35-16 at traditional Class 7A power Bentonville. Then, there was last week's 54-47 overtime victory over Fort Smith Southside.
Senior running back Michael George rushed for a career-high 354 yards and 4 touchdowns on 31 carries, scoring on runs of 4, 27, 35 and 9 yards, in Conway's victory over Southside.
George, 5-8, 188 pounds, leads the Wampus Cats offensively with 704 yards and 9 touchdowns on 81 carries.
Conway's early success has impressed North Little Rock Coach Jamie Mitchell, who said he understands how difficult the 7A-Central Conference can be this season, with the emergence of the Wampus Cats.
"Every week in our conference is a slugfest," Mitchell said. "They're going to come over here and get after our rear end, I know that much."
North Little Rock's offense this season is led by three running backs -- juniors Oscar Adaway and Tyler Day and sophomore Brandon Thomas.
Thomas has a team-high 371 yards and 5 touchdowns on 43 carries.
Adaway, a transfer from Little Rock Central, is second with 347 yards and 4 touchdowns on 45 carries. He had 165 yards and 1 touchdown in the Charging Wildcats' 31-20 victory at Central last Friday.
Day has compiled 243 yards and 3 touchdowns on 32 carries.
"We've got three pretty good running backs," Mitchell said.
Ashcraft recalled last year's game against North Little Rock and said the Wampus Cats have to do a better job of slowing down the Charging Wildcats.
"It's a chore," Ashcraft said. "Last year, they averaged 5.0 yards a carry. When you can get five yards a clip, good things are going to happen. We have to slow them down and limit the big plays. Make them earn everything and play mistake-free."
Mitchell said he believes Conway and North Little Rock are similar teams.
"They're built like we are," Mitchell said. "They believe in running the ball downhill. They're going to run it right at you."
North Little Rock is 4-0, but Mitchell and the Charging Wildcats aren't satisfied.
"We're a highly frustrated 4-0 team," Mitchell said. "A lot of teams would love to be where we are. But we haven't put it together yet. But the bright side is knowing that you're ceiling is still out there. The encouraging thing is what we can potentially do.
Ashcraft, meanwhile, said he has been pleased with his team through four weeks.
"Our guys are playing hard," Ashcraft said. "They're playing with a lot of confidence. We've got a group of hard-working kids that play with a lot of energy. They've got a strong desire to win."
Sports on 09/29/2017