Austin Ledbetter of Bryant is the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Player of the Week.
Bryant Coach Buck James has seen his share of top-tier high school quarterbacks filter through the state
Very few rank higher on his list than the one who’s steering the Hornets this season.
“He’s got intangibles that a lot of guys don’t have,” James said about senior signal-caller Austin Ledbetter. “He sees the field, understands the coverages and throws guys open. I said it on the field last Friday night, and I’ll say it again, I feel you can make an argument for him being one of the better quarterbacks who’s ever played in the state of Arkansas.
“He does the things that I think the great ones do.”
Great may not be a strong enough adjective to describe his quarterback’s play last week.
Ledbetter completed 24 of 38 passes for 542 yards and 5 touchdowns to push No. 1 Bryant to a decisive 58-21 road victory over previously unbeaten and then-No. 2 North Little Rock.
The 6-2, 205-pounder, who was named this week’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette player of the week, said the Hornets had added motivation going into the game, especially since the teams are 7A-Central Conference rivals that have played in the past two state finals.
“We knew going in that is was going to be a big game,” he said. “They’re really talented, but we were just ready. We were confident going into it and were just ready to go from the start.”
That type of preparation has helped Ledbetter post impressive numbers since he took over the starting job as a junior, when he finished with 3,329 yards, 43 touchdowns and 9 interceptions to help the Hornets go 13-0 and win a second consecutive Class 7A championship.
Bryant was so dominant with Ledbetter at the controls that he rarely played four complete quarters. Twelve of the Hornets’ victories were by 28 points or more.
There’s hasn’t been a drop-off in 2020.
Ledbetter has completed 105 of 170 passes for 2,018 yards, 27 touchdowns and 2 interceptions for the Hornets (8-0), who have won 25 games in a row.
“He’s only played in three full games in the last two years,” James said. “His numbers would be unbelievable if he could play a full game every once in a while.
“He’s got a great concept of the offense, and a lot of that just comes off repetition and knowing the process and all the things that go along with it. I think he watches enough film to understand what’s going on.”
James mentioned that he and his team felt like they had some things in their game plan that would work against North Little Rock but weren’t completely sure they’d pan out until they went out and executed. But that’s precisely what Ledbetter and Co. went out and did.
After trailing 14-9 with less than five minutes left in the second quarter, Ledbetter tossed two touchdowns over the next 2:41 to give Bryant a cushion. He added three more in the second half.
“As a team, we have the same mentality,” said Ledbetter, who’s committed to play baseball at the University of Arkansas. “We just try to go out there and win by as many points as we can. Every game is the same for us, as far as our preparation.
“We just try to go out there every week on Friday, do our job and play to the best of our ability. We’ve got to stay smart and healthy. Just keep doing what we’re doing.”