Bryant remains unbeaten
Junior tailback LaTavion Scott ran 23 times for 154 yards and 2 first-half touchdowns in unbeaten Bryant’s 35-20 7A-Central victory over Little Rock Central on Friday night at Quigley Stadium at Bernie Cox Field in Little Rock.
The Hornets (6-0, 3-0 7A-Central) dominated both sides of the line of scrimmage in beating the Tigers (1-5, 0-3) for the 11th consecutive season.
Bryant, which never trailed, finished with a 479-202 advantage in total yardage and limited Central to 10 rushing yards on 23 attempts.
Scott helped Bryant lead 2113 at halftime with touchdown runs of 2 and 8 yards.
“He’s a good player,” Hornets Coach Buck James said. “He’s able to jump stop. He’s got great vision. He’s quick through the hole and able to accelerate.”
Junior Ren Hefley completed 21 of 39 passes for 209 yards and 1 touchdown before leaving the game early in the fourth quarter with what James described as an injury to the quarterback’s nonthrowing shoulder.
Hefley, who was injured on a fourth-down sack, padded Bryant’s halftime lead with a 29-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Randy Thomas with 6:12 remaining in the third quarter.
Senior utility back Cameron Vail put the game away, 35-13, on a 7-yard touchdown run with 4:50 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Vail finished with 36 yards rushing on eight carries. His 3-yard touchdown run with 10:26 remaining in the first half stretched Bryant’s lead to 21-6.
But Bryant’s next two possessions ended with a punt and interception, and it lost a fumble at the Central 14 to open the second half.
The Tigers converted the interception into a touchdown to trail 21-13 at halftime. Their first touchdown — a 34-yard pass from senior quarterback Jacob Howard to senior wide receiver Antonio Brown with 4:59 left in the first quarter — came one play after Bryant botched a snap in punt formation.
Howard finished 12 of 31 for 192 yards and 3 touchdowns.
“Our offense sputtered a little bit,” James said. “We couldn’t get off the field on third down on defense. But you’ve got to give those guys a lot of credit. They’re an athletic, well-coached football team.”