BRYANT -- Buck James was anxious to see how his Bryant Hornets would respond after his team blew an 11-point, fourth-quarter lead in a 36-35 loss to Fayetteville last week.
He got his answer Friday night against Fort Smith Northside -- albeit an abbreviated one.
Running back Latavion Scott carried 14 times for 107 yards and two touchdowns to push Bryant to a 16-7, rain-shortened victory over the Grizzlies in the 7A-Central Conference opener for both teams at Hornets Stadium.
James, however, was almost forced to wait an additional week to see how his team would bounce back from its first setback of the season, thanks to a powerful storm system that rolled through the state.
The start of the game was delayed for nearly 30 minutes because of lightning near the stadium. Play finally began at 7:27 p.m., but was stopped again at 8:16 p.m. with 57.3 seconds to go before halftime because of more rain and lightning. James mentioned there was talk of postponing the game until early next week, but it was eventually determined it would be in the best interest to call the game and make Bryant the winner.
"[Northside administration] just didn't see where it would benefit [Northside coach Mike Falleur's team to come back and play a half," James said. "They're healthy for the most part. He's got a few guys bumped up and didn't want to risk that for a half of football, drive back next week and then try to play another game on Friday.
"I get that, and I think that's the best decision for his team. It would have been hard to come down here and play, then go back and try to get ready to play again. If I was in the same boat, I would've probably done the same thing."
Although he didn't get to see a full game's worth of action, James was pleased with what he saw out of his Hornets.
Bryant (3-1, 1-0) managed to generate 165 yards of offense, with Scott shouldering a bulk of the load despite miserable playing conditions. Quarterback Ren Hefley also completed 6 of 14 passes for 71 yards and 1 interception.
Quarterback Derrick Wise carried 12 times for 17 yards with 1 touchdown and went 6 of 9 passing for 54 yards with an interception for Northside (3-1, 0-1). Running back Jackson King added 4 catches for 51 yards, but a slow start ruined the Grizzlies' chances early.
Northside gave up a safety on the game's opening possession after the ball sailed out of the back of the end zone on a punt. The Grizzlies then started their next series on their own one and after getting just three yards in three plays, shanked a 16-yard punt. That, in turn, resulted in 1-yard touchdown for Scott with 4:23 remaining in the first quarter. His two-point conversion run gave Bryant a 10-0 lead.
Northside did get on the board with 10 seconds left in the quarter when Wise capped a 9-play, 79-yard drive with a 17-yard score, but that would be all the scoring the Grizzlies could muster. Scott later polished off an 11-play, 90-yard march with a 4-yard touchdown run moments before officials halted the game.
"We'll take a win however we can get it," James said. "I thought we played well and came out aggressive. I think we imposed our will on them a little bit in that first half, and I felt good about where we were before things stopped.
"But I think our team responded well after that debacle last week."
Sports on 09/22/2018