Bryant defense bears down this time in win

LITTLE ROCK — Bryant’s student section is dubbed The Swarm.

The same could be said for Bryant’s defense in the Class 7A state championship game Saturday night at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

Bryant swarmed North Little Rock from the start, recording a 27-7 victory to end the Charging Wildcats’ 25-game winning streak and bid for a second consecutive state title.

North Little Rock was limited to 187 total yards — roughly 2 ½ times fewer than its bullish output in last year’s 7A final against Bentonville – and managed — single first down in the first half.

The Hornets (11-2) punctuated their first state championship with a defensive score when senior end Nate Wallace returned a fumble 78 yards for a touchdown with 1:06 remaining to play.

The fumble was the result of a sack by Kajuan Robinson, a 300-pound senior defensive tackle.

North Little Rock had won the regular-season meeting between the 7A-Central rivals, 34-28, on Oct. 26 at home.

The rematch ended with the Charging Wildcats’ second-lowest point total since Jamie Mitchell became the coach in 2015.

“I said it about seven times tonight, but we had to play John Wayne football,” Bryant coach Buck James said.

“We had to play tough. Our kids played tough. The last time they hit us in the mouth and we didn’t like it. … We bled a little bit and we spit the blood out and ran a little bit. This time they hit us in the mouth, we bled a little bit and got up and got after them.”

James said Bryant didn’t tweak any schemes from the first meeting and instead relied on being more sound fundamentally.

“We didn’t get where we were supposed to be and stay square and tackle,” James said.

“We had people there to make the play, but we just got out of the way for the most part. Our guys just basically manned up. They John Wayned up.”

North Little Rock (121) had scored at least 29 points in its previous games this season, including 48 in playoff victories over Fort Smith Southside and Bentonville West.

The Charging Wildcats managed 21 total yards in the first half and trailed 13-0 at halftime.

“They’re incredible defensively — really built to defend us,” Mitchell said. “We just couldn’t get anything going. All the credit to them. We’ve been able to hit a couple of big pass plays on them in the past. We just couldn’t generate it tonight. They deserved to win.”

In 56 plays, Bryant’s swarming defense finished with 4 sacks for 31 yards in losses, 9 other tackles for 40 yards in losses, 1 forced fumble and 3 pass breakups.

Senior linebacker Jakob Neel, who missed most of the regular season following ACL surgery last summer, finished with a teamhigh 10 tackles, including six unassisted.

“It was communication,” said Neel, who played with a brace on his right knee. “The first game, we didn’t have good communication. We were all talking and all on the same page tonight. We didn’t change a whole lot. Communication, that’s what it was.”