Burnett, Hornets down Cabot on road
BRYANT – The Bryant Hornets (7-1, 5-0) have not been tested by an Arkansas team since the state title match with North Little Rock last season.
On Friday, the Hornets took on a physical and athletic Cabot squad which had not lost but once all year. Needing a crucial win in Week 8, Bryant would come out on top once again, trouncing the Panthers 45-20 on the road.
“Our offense played great and executed well all night long,” said Head Coach Buck James. “Cabot really didn’t have an answer for it. Defensively, I think we could have played much better. Cabot has a very physical offense and they were able to run and throw the ball a little bit. It kept us off-balance. That is a tough place to play and they have a very well-coached football team.”
Bryant began the night on defense and stopped the Panthers early attack, forcing a punt before going 69 yards on eight plays as quarterback Carson Burnett found Robert Hendrix for the 7-yard TD grab and a 7-0 lead with 5:35 to go in the opening frame.
A second Panthers punt would set Bryant up at its own 24 before its offense went wild for another score on just five snaps as Burnett and Hendrix hooked up once more, this time from 12 yards away. Bryant would lead 14-0 at that time.
Cabot, though, was finally able to string something together its third possession, using a lot of clock and 14 plays before star receiver Brayden Jay ran in from a yard to cut the Bryant lead to 14-7 with 8:27 left in the half.
The Hornets, though, would not be scathed as they too put together a lengthy 12-play series, ending again in a touchdown, this time from running back James Martin from 15 yards away. The score would make it 21-7 Bryant late in the half.
Hoping to keep some sort of
momentum, Cabot had its hopes dashed in one play as quarterback Grant Freeman threw the ball to Bryant’s Miguel Graham for the interception.
The turnover would result in another Bryant score, this time on a Burnett 14-yard strike to senior Blake
Everett for the 28-7 halftime lead.
A key point for Bryant on its last series of the half was losing running back Chris Gannaway for the game.
After the win, James said his staff held Gannaway out as a precaution and that the speedy back should be all go for next week’s home contest.
The Hornets continued to pound Cabot to start the third quarter, going 52 yards on two plays as Burnett found Hendrix for the third time in the game, this one a 44-yard pass and catch for the score and 35-7 lead with 11:12 to go in the quarter.
Following a quick threeand-out from Cabot, Bryant’s offense would suffer its first hiccup of the night due to a Burnett interception, a rarity in 2021 thus far.
Cabot, though, would mirror the turnover with a second pick from Freeman three plays later.
Needing a score, Bryant would settle for a 23-yard field goal its next drive, making it 38-7 still in the third quarter.
For the Panthers, the fight continued on offense as they battled the whole way.
Starting at their own 34, the Panthers gained nice yardage quickly to put the ball in the end zone for only the second time on the night as Freeman kept for the 2-yard TD. A missed point-after try would stall the score at 38-13 Bryant with 11:57 to go.
Following a Bryant fumble a short time later, Cabot would be back in control. However, the Panthers would turn the ball over on downs, all but ending the chance for a comeback.
Bryant would march 76 yards for the score on six plays, ending with a 3-yard run from Jaden Ashford.
The Hornets led 45-13 to that point.
With most of its starters out, Cabot would put up one last gasp as backup quarterback Abe Owen trucked in from 5 yards to make it a respectable 45-20 final.
Bryant’s offense limited Cabot’s passing attack to 12 for 28 and 105 yards with two interceptions on the night.
As far as stopping Jay, who had nearly 1,000 yards receiving coming in to the night, the Hornets allowed only three catches for 8 yards to the star-studded wideout.
“They did a great job, and to hold Cabot to seven points in the first half is quite a feat,” James said. “I just want our defense to be even better. We have to challenge those guys. If we are going to be a championship football team, then we are going to have to be better on defense than we were (Friday).”
On the ground, though, Cabot mustered 190 yards against Bryant’s defensive front.
For the Hornets, Burnett was nearly perfect, finding his man 15 of 18 times on the night for 300 yards and four touchdowns.
Hendrix would lead all receivers with five catches for 92 yards and three scores.
Everett, though, would complement well with three receptions and 81 yards, followed by Mytorian Singleton with three catches and 62 yards.
On the ground, Bryant’s backs picked up the slack with Gannaway out as Ashford rushed for 60 yards and a score on 10 carries.
Gannaway still led all Bryant rushers with 13 carries and 80 yards on the night.
As for the win, The Hornets have not lost in the Natural State since falling to North Little Rock in Week 9 of the 2018 season.
Next Friday, Bryant will take on that Wildcat team at Hornet Stadium for the seventh meeting in four years. Bryant has won the previous five contests against North Little Rock, including three straight state championships.
“They are always good and this is a big rivalry game,” James said. “This will be a very physical, hardfought game. This is going to be a challenge for our football team. It is going to be tough game.”
Bryant closes the year against two of the state’s top five programs with North Little Rock at home and Conway on the road.
The Charging Wildcats slipped past Northside 28-21 on Friday while Conway beat up on Little Rock Central 55-12. Conway remains prefect in the 7A Central, alongside Bryant at 5-0.
Next week’s kickoff will be held at 7 p.m. in Bryant.