NORTH LITTLE ROCK — North Little Rock overwhelmed Bryant 3-0 at North Little Rock Stadium on Friday night, creating a three-way tie for the 7A/6A-Central lead with one week remaining in the regular season.
The No. 2 Charging Wildcats (7-2, 5-1 7A/6A-Central) led No. 9 Bryant 28-0 at halftime and finished with a 405-35 advantage in total yards and a 20-4 advantage in first downs.
“There’s not a lot to say,” Bryant Coach Paul Calley said. “We played a good football team.”
Bryant (7-2, 5-1) was trying to clinch a share of its second consecutive conference championship, but instead had the Arkansas Activities Association sportsmanship rule invoked following senior quarterback Kaylon Cooper’s 1-yard touchdown run with 7:47 left in the third quarter.
Senior place-kicker Parker Fleming’s fifth consecutive extra point gave North Little Rock a 35-0 lead and started a continuously running clock.
Cooper ran 19 times for 114 yards and 2 touchdowns and completed 8 of 9 passes (all in the first half) for 95 yards and 1 touchdown.
Senior tailback Kendall Williams ran 15 times for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Bryant junior quarterback Hayden Lessenberry completed 8 of 17 passes for 43 yards.
He was intercepted twice — the second setting up Williams’ 7-yard touchdown run with 6:47 left in the first half — and sacked four times times for 42 yards in losses in the first half.
After recording three first downs in the opening quarter, Bryant’s only other first down came on a roughing-the-punter penalty with 5:28 left in the third quarter.
“Our defensive line is good,” North Little Rock Coach Brad Bolding said. “That’s why our offensive line has gotten better, because that’s who they go against every day. They make you better. It’s a fight every day in practice.”
North Little Rock broke the game open with four touchdowns in the second quarter, the first coming after junior defensive tackle Kenny Howard sacked Lessenberry and forced a fumble that was recovered by junior defensive end Josh Gosser at the Bryant 3.
Cooper scored on the next play with 11:13 left in the first half.
Williams followed with touchdown runs of 36 and 7 yards.
North Little Rock took a 28-0 halftime lead when Cooper threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Johnathan Parks with 36 seconds left in the second quarter.