After defeating Fayetteville in the quarterfinals of the Class 7A playoffs two weeks ago, Bryant Coach Buck James wasn't happy with the way his team struggled offensively, but he made it clear his Hornets played "championship-level" defense.
On Friday night, Bryant ensured James' claim came true.
The Hornets' defense gave up 203 yards of offense and came away with turnovers in the most opportune times to beat 7A-Central rival North Little Rock 21-7 and win a second consecutive state title at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
"Championship teams have championship-caliber defenses," James said Friday. "Our defense has been confident the whole year, and they've played that way since Game One."
Bryant's defense played with added conviction in both of their games against North Little Rock. During their 35-21 victory Nov. 1, the Hornets forced five turnovers and slowed the Charging Wildcats' ground-and-pound attack. In the rematch, it was more of the same.
Of North Little Rock's 13 possessions, five ended in punts, four resulted in turnovers and one concluded with a missed field goal. One other drive ended on downs while another was a kneel down before halftime.
Bryant also held North Little Rock standout senior running back Brandon Thomas -- a University of Memphis commitment who'd rushed for 1,157 yards coming in despite missing a few games with injuries -- to just 68 yards on 21 carries. The Hornets also had nearly as many interceptions (three) off junior quarterback Kareame Cotton as he did completions (four).
"We pride ourselves on not being whipped on the line of scrimmage, and they did that," North Little Rock Coach Jamie Mitchell said. "They dominated up front, and that's what was really disappointing. They did a great job of bottling us up for the most part and making it hard for us to get consistency after that first drive."
The Charging Wildcats moved the ball 53 yards in 10 plays on the game's opening series but wasted it after Liam Selhorst was wide left on a 45-yard field goal attempt. Three of North Little Rock's next five possessions ended in interceptions.
"We had to make a few adjustments," said Bryant senior linebacker Austin Bailey, who finished with 12 tackles. "[North Little Rock] changed a few things up on the blocks, which was really something we hadn't practice for. They were wanting to hit us down the middle, but we were able to run them outside the box after we adjusted."
That change in strategy was noticeable during a key drive late in the third quarter. Down 14, North Little Rock was facing a second and 5 from Bryant's 14 when Thomas was stripped of the ball by Hornets junior defensive end Rodricho Martin after bouncing an inside run to the edge. The fumble was recovered by Bryant senior safety Tamuarion Wilson, and the Charging Wildcats got no further than the Hornets' 44 the rest of the way.
"We knew we had to make a play," said Bryant senior linebacker and University of Arkansas commitment Catrell Wallace in reference to forcing Thomas' fumble. "We had some mistakes we had to fix, especially after that touchdown they scored. They were able to move down the field some, but we stepped up when we had to.
"We grinded all summer for moments like that, and we ended up with another championship because of it."
Sports on 12/07/2019