Conway Coach Keith Fimple was not going to accept another off week.
The Wampus Cats already had missed one 7A-Central Conference game Sept. 25 against Little Rock Southwest because of Southwest's covid-19 situation, and they couldn't find a replacement.
After learning about Little Rock Central's covid-19 situation and cancellation of Friday's game, Fimple worked to prevent a second set of idle hands on game night.
Last Sunday, Conway agreed to play Christian Brothers from Memphis at John McConnell Stadium in Conway.
"For our seniors, every game is precious," Fimple said. "To have an eight-game season wouldn't be right."
Conway (5-2) erased a 14-0, first-quarter deficit to win 49-42 behind senior quarterback Ben Weese's six touchdown passes.
Fimple was proud of how his team responded.
"We've been down this season," Fimple said. "But the kids have shown the resiliency and persevered through adversity. Their heads were never down. They settled down."
Weese completed 19 of 28 passes for 324 yards against Christian Brothers. He's thrown 25 touchdown passes in seven games this season.
Sophomore running back Boogie Carr scored from 2 yards out to break a 42-42 tie with 8:32 to play.
Senior wide receiver Bryce Bohanon caught 5 passes for 118 yards and 3 touchdowns, while junior Manny Smith had 5 receptions for 137 yards and 2 scores for the Wampus Cats.
Dallan Hayden, the brother of former University of Arkansas running back Chase Hayden, had a game-high 325 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns on 43 carries to lead Christian Brothers.
"You can see why he's been offered by almost every SEC school," Fimple said of Hayden, a junior who has received 12 SEC offers, including Arkansas.
Conway returns to 7A-Central action Friday against Little Rock Catholic, then travels to Bryant on Nov. 6.
Fimple hopes the Wampus Cats can maintain their offensive momentum. They've scored at least 40 points in their past three victories.
"We want to keep growing like we have been," Fimple said. "Every week, we're getting better. We're going to attack this week like we always do."
Long time coming
Monticello had defeated Warren once in the 21st century before the Billies earned the elusive second victory Friday night in the Saline River Shootout.
Keon Smith's go-ahead 10-yard touchdown run in overtime and a fourth-down stop helped the Billies take an 18-12 victory in Monticello for their first victory over the Lumberjacks since 2009. The Billies won the Class 4A state championship that season under former coach Van Paschal.
Despite a 1-18-1 record against Warren this century, Monticello Coach Randy Harvey believed the Billies had the right attitude to knock off the Lumberjacks.
"The trophy has been at Warren a long time," Harvey said. "The kids are super excited."
The Saline River Shootout trophy, which has been given to the winner since 2010, Harvey said, finally resides with Monticello.
Senior Keon Smith led the Billies with 87 yards and 2 touchdowns on 20 carries.
Junior Stran Smith -- not related to Keon Smith -- had 90 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, and completed 5 of 13 passes for 69 yards. All five completions came on Monticello's first drive, which ended with his 14-yard touchdown run with 8:00 left in the first quarter.
Keon Smith gave the Billies a 12-6 lead with 1:49 left in the third quarter on a 7-yard touchdown run.
Warren tied the game at 12-12 with about 6:00 left. The Lumberjacks had an opportunity to take the lead with six seconds remaining, but missed a 32-yard field goal.
In overtime, Keon Smith scored from 10 yards out, then the Billies stopped the Lumberjacks on their next possession to win.
Monticello (5-3, 2-1 4A-8 Conference) has two games left against Dumas on Friday and at DeWitt on Nov. 5. Harvey thinks the victory over Warren will boost the Billies as they get ready for the Class 4A playoffs.
"It's a program-changer to get over the hump against them," he said. "Our team from last year to this year, it's a great turnaround."
Looking ahead
It's finally acceptable to talk about the anticipated showdown between No. 1 Bryant and No. 2 North Little Rock.
Bryant and North Little Rock have been the state's top two teams since the preseason rankings came out in August. Both 7A-Central Conference teams are 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the league after victories against Cabot and Fort Smith Northside, respectively.
Bryant has won a state-best 24 consecutive games. During that span, the Hornets have defeated North Little Rock three times, including the past two Class 7A state championship games.
North Little Rock is led by new Coach J.R. Eldridge, who is no stranger to big games after leading Arkadelphia to two consecutive Class 4A state championships in 2017 and 2018. But the Charging Wildcats will have to find a way to beat the Hornets for the first time since the regular season in 2018.
Other key games to look forward to Friday night include Lake Hamilton at Benton and Jonesboro at Sylvan Hills in Class 6A; Ashdown at Joe T. Robinson in Class 4A; and Hoxie at Osceola in Class 3A.
Rank 'em
Every No. 1 team in the state held serve Friday night
The six No. 1 teams – Bryant (Class 7A), Greenwood (Class 6A), Pulaski Academy (Class 5A), Shiloh Christian (Class 4A), Harding Academy (Class 3A) and Fordyce (Class 2A) -- remain on top of their respective classifications entering the 10th week of games.
Meanwhile, a new team enters the overall top 10 in Springdale Har-Ber.
The Wildcats (4-4) improved to 4-1 in the 7A-West Conference with a 28-19 victory at Fort Smith Southside thanks to Hudson Brewer's 249 rushing yards. They are No. 7 in the overall top 10.
Har-Ber is one of six new No. 6 teams in their respective Super Six rankings this week.
Class 6A welcomes Sylvan Hills, which won 33-7 at El Dorado on Friday. Watson Chapel joins the Class 5A Super Six, while Arkadelphia (Class 4A), McGehee (Class 3A) and Clarendon (Class 2A) are the other new No. 6 teams.