Almost every pundit across the state believes that the Conway Wampus Cats are one of the top contenders for the Class 7A crown in 2026.
Last Friday night, the Marion Patriots got an up-close look at them.
Marion rushed for more than 100 yards, at 4.4 yards per carry, but Conway made the most of its possessions, pulling away for a 48-0 win at Southern Bancorp Stadium.
"I thought we did a lot of things really well," said Conway coach Buck James. "I know we won tonight, but I like what Coach (Claude) Johnson is doing here at Marion. It's not an easy thing to lose the kids they lost the past few years, have a coaching change and all that, but those kids played hard."
The Wampus Cats (2-1 overall) capped their first drive of the night with an 18-yard scoring dart from junior quarterback Ryder Cook to senior receiver Atraio McJoy, giving the visitors a 7-0 lead with 7:11 left in the first period.
Conway doubled its advantage following a Marion punt when Cook covered the final 24 yards with a run, hitting paydirt with 5:05 left in the first for a 14-0 advantage, and that tally held at the end of the first 12 minutes of play.
Cook found Ellijah Collum for a 2-yard TD toss with 7:15 left in the second quarter, but an errant snap froze the Conway lead at 20-0.
Following a Marion first down on the ensuing drive, sophomore linebacker Jackson Braden picked up a Patriot fumble and returned it 42 yards to paydirt to give the Wampus Cats a 27-0 bulge with 5:08 remaining in the first half.
After a three-and-out on Marion's next possession, a short punt was fielded by Conway's senior playmaker Kambrien Blackmon, and he took it 54 yards to the end zone with 1:59 left in the first half to give the visitors a 34-0 advantage at halftime.
"The great thing about the defensive score is it's a sophomore who was in the right place and knew what to do with the ball," said James. "With Kambrion, we know what type of player he is. Our staff felt like he was a step or two away earlier from breaking a couple, but we know what he's capable of when he's out there, and that was a great play."
Conway triggered the Arkansas Sportsmanship Rule 3 plays into the second half when senior QB Wit Griffin hit senior Jeremiah Carey for a 74-yard TD toss and a 41-0 lead after 3 quarters.
The Wampus Cats capped the scoring in the fourth period when Jacquez Joshua ran 36 yards to paydirt with 7:31 left in regulation.
"The best thing I can say about a team is they played hard," said James. "Not necessarily clean, and we gave up too much on first down more than I'd like, but I thought we competed and played hard all night, and that goes a long way."