Hornets run away with title
Buck James sat back and watched his team enjoy the moment — keeping his mind focused on the future.
James’ Bryant Hornets won the 2022 edition of the 7-on-7 Shootout of the South on Saturday at Pulaski Academy, defeating Conway 15-4 in the championship to cap an 8-2 record for the tournament.
James and Bryant are the four-time defending Class 7A state champions, so he won’t get too excited about winning a tournament for what he calls “a different sport.” The skills his team showcased, however, are what got James excited Saturday.
“To be a complete football team you have to be able to throw it as well as you run it,” James said. “We’ve always hung our hat on running the football, but we’re gonna throw it as much as we run it. It’s what has gotten us to where we’re at is being able to do what we need to do when we need to do it. When you gotta throw it, you gotta be able to throw it. It ain’t because you have to throw it, it’s because you can. I think that’s the difference between teams that do it and win championships versus teams who don’t.”
Bryant is currently holding a quarterback battle and junior Gideon Motes put his name at the top of the pecking order as he led the Hornets to their second Shootout championship and won the quarterback of the tournament award. Fellow junior Mytorian Singleton followed suit, taking home the wide receiver of the tournament award.
It wasn’t just the offense that impressed James. His defense was able to match the offense throughout the tournament, and its championship game performance was just what he wanted to see.
“Being able to hold [Conway] to four points in a championship game is amazing,” James said. “With good football teams, you have to have a great defense, and our defense played outstanding this weekend.”