Three Takeaways Carry #1 Bentonville Past #2 Conway
Bentonville 20, Conway 14
CONWAY — Bentonville forced three turnovers and erased a halftime deficit Friday night, defeating Conway 20-14 at John McConnell Stadium. Quarterback Evan Canode threw two touchdown passes, and the Tigers shut out the Wampus Cats after halftime to improve to 2-0. Conway dropped to 0-1.
Blake Stroud opened the scoring with a 32-yard field goal at 8:22 of the first quarter. Conway answered with 19 seconds left when Ryder Cook scored on an 11-yard midline-option keeper. Crosby Kear’s extra point gave Conway a 7-3 lead. Stroud missed a 31-yard attempt wide left in second-quarter action.
Braxton Rupert swung the second quarter by intercepting Cook and returning the ball about 16 yards to the Conway 14. Three plays later, Canode found Nathan Clouston for a 14-yard touchdown on third-and-10, putting Bentonville ahead 10-7 with 3:53 remaining.
Conway responded immediately. Atraio McJoy returned the kickoff from his 20 to the Bentonville 34. Cook converted third down with a scramble, then found Kambrien Blackmon on a back-corner fade. Kear’s kick restored Conway’s 14-10 lead with 2:04 left. Aiden McCarthy returned the ensuing kickoff from Bentonville’s 8 to Conway’s 27, and Stroud’s 25-yard field goal cut the margin to 14-13 one second before halftime.
Bentonville drove 86 yards after Conway’s opening second-half punt. On third-and-13 from the Conway 35, Canode’s pass deflected off another receiver and landed with Sam Dunn, who ran in for the go-ahead touchdown. Stroud’s extra point established the final score with 5:27 left in the third.
Conway threatened twice late. Silas Brock intercepted Cook with 3:19 remaining, but Conway’s defense produced a fourth-down stop with 51 seconds left. Cook then completed a deep pass to McJoy at the Bentonville 17. With 22 seconds remaining, Cook fumbled and Garrett Wolfe recovered for Bentonville, allowing Bentonville to kneel out the road win.
Watch Game Highlights Here
Scoring summary
First quarter
- 8:22 — Bentonville: Blake Stroud 32-yard field goal. Bentonville 3-0.
- 0:19 — Conway: Ryder Cook 11-yard touchdown run; Crosby Kear PAT. Conway 7-3.
Second quarter
- 3:53 — Bentonville: Evan Canode 14-yard touchdown pass to Nathan Clouston; Stroud PAT. Bentonville 10-7.
- 2:04 — Conway: Cook touchdown pass to Kambrien Blackmon; Kear PAT. Conway 14-10.
- 0:01 — Bentonville: Stroud 25-yard field goal. Conway 14-13.
Third quarter
- 5:27 — Bentonville: Canode 35-yard touchdown pass to Sam Dunn; Stroud PAT. Bentonville 20-14.
Fourth quarter
- No scoring.
Players of the game
- Evan Canode, Bentonville QB: Threw two touchdown passes—14 yards to Nathan Clouston and 35 yards to Sam Dunn.
- Blake Stroud, Bentonville WR/K: Made 2 of 3 field goals and both PATs, scoring eight points. His field goals covered 32 and 25 yards.
- Braxton Rupert, Bentonville ILB: Recorded one interception and returned it to Conway’s 14, creating Bentonville’s first touchdown possession.
- Silas Brock, Bentonville safety: Made one interception with 3:19 remaining, high-pointing a pressured throw. It was his second interception of the season.
- Ryder Cook, Conway QB: Accounted for both Conway touchdowns with an 11-yard run and a scoring pass to Kambrien Blackmon. His late completion to Atraio McJoy gained approximately 53 yards.