Defense kick-starts Bryant win

BRYANT 31, FORT SMITH SOUTHSIDE 14

FORT SMITH — Once the Bryant offense stopped turning the ball over, the Hornets began to roll.

Bryant scored 28 unanswered points in a 14-minute span Friday to pull away to a 31-14 7A-Central victory over Fort Smith Southside at Rowland Stadium.

The Hornets (6-1, 4-0) gained 531 yards in the game, but it was the defense that kick-started the offense, killing two potential Southside scoring drives with turnovers before the offense finally got on track.

“That is what we do a lot [on offense]. We play in spurts,” Bryant Coach Buck James said. “Our defense made plays until our offense played well. When our offense plays well, we are pretty good.”

The Mavericks (3-4, 1-3) led 7-0 in the first quarter, and it could have easily been 14-0 or more. Two interceptions by defensive back Mason Gregory gave Southside a first-and-goal at the Hornet 6 on one possession and inside the Bryant 40 on another.

“It’s frustrating early on to get the opportunities [to score],” Southside Coach Jeff Williams said. “We’ve been getting turnovers early and we don’t capitalize on them. To beat a good team like Bryant then you are going to have to take advantage of your opportunities.”

Hornets running back Latavious Scott rushed for 209 yards on 26 carries while quarterback Ren Hefley passed for 257 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Bryant scored 21 unanswered points in the second quarter to take control of the game and lead at halftime 21-7.

The Mavericks scored on a 46-yard run by Ricardo Savoy 85 seconds after the opening kickoff.

Gregory’s first interception gave the Mavericks possession at their 33. Southside marched to the Bryant 5, but Andrew Hayes picked off a Taye Gatewood pass in the end zone to end the scoring threat.

Gregory’s second interception gave the Mavericks possession at the Hornet 35. The drive stalled and on the first play of the second quarter, Jake Wright intercepted a Gatewood pass on fourth down at the Hornet 29.

The Bryant offense finally got on track, keyed by the running of Scott and the play-action passing of Hefley.

Three straight runs by Scott got the ball inside Maverick territory and then Hefley finished the drive by hitting Jaeger Burks for a 12yard touchdown with 8:21 left in the second quarter to tie the game.

The Mavericks marched again, moving from their 26 to the Hornet 23. But on fourth down, the Bryant defense stopped a fourth-and-3 pass from Gatewood to Savoy for no gain.

Three plays later, Hefley hit Josh Robinson for a 49yard touchdown pass to give the Hornets their first lead at 13-7 with 3:20 left before halftime.

Hefley’s 15-yard pass to Jake Meaders with 13.4 seconds left in the first half capped a 63yard drive for a 21-7 halftime lead.