Bryant reigns in Class 7A
But several schools stand in way of Hornets’ three-peat bid.
The discussion about the best team in Class 7A entering the 2020 season starts with Bryant.
The Hornets, with eight starters back on offense, have won the past two Class 7A state championships under Coach Buck James. They also are the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s preseason No. 1 team not only in Class 7A, but in the entire state.
J.R. Eldridge is in his first year at North Little Rock after spending the past nine years at Arkadelphia, but he’s aware of what the Hornets have accomplished.
“Buck James and his team have done a great job,” Eldridge said. “He’s installed a culture in that program. They’ve got great players. They play hard. They’ve won a lot of games.”
Bryant is 24-2 over the past two seasons, including 13-0 in 2019. The Hornets defeated 7A-Central Conference rival North Little Rock in both of their state title victories.
Fayetteville Coach Casey Dick saw the Hornets twice last season, with the Bulldogs losing in the regular season 42-13 and in the quarterfinals 42-14.
“Coach James does a great job with his kids,” said Dick, who is in his second season at Fayetteville. “They buy into what Coach James is
establishing. They do a great job all across the board.”
James said with the coronavirus pandemic forcing schools to shut down in March and football programs not having in-person workouts until June, the Hornets are a “shell” of where he wants them to be going into the season.
“It’s the nature of the pandemic,” said James, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s All-Arkansas Preps Coach of the Year for the 2019-20 school year. “It’s the nature of us not doing anything since March.
“We still have to compete when they turn on the lights. I want us to play at a high level. I want our kids to be excited about playing. We may not play long, but we have to go out there and play.”
Bryant has eight starters returning on offense and is led by senior quarterback Austin Ledbetter.
Ledbetter threw 43 touchdown passes last season in his first full season as the starting quarterback. James praised him for his play and leadership.
“Austin has gotten better,” James said. “He’s got more velocity on the ball. He can make all of the throws. He can do everything you want as a high school football player.”
James said Bryant’s offense, which also includes senior wide receiver Hayden
Schrader, should be the Hor- nets’ strength.
“We’ve got all the ingredients,” James said. “We just have to put it together.”
Teams expected to challenge Bryant this season include North Little Rock, Bentonville, Bentonville West, Fayetteville and Cabot.
North Little Rock dealt with injuries last season, but still found a way to reach the Class 7A state title game for the fourth consecutive season. The Charging Wildcats return senior quarterback Kareame Cotton and senior linebacker Jordan Owens as they look to have another deep run in the playoffs. Eldridge’s team will play a tough nonconference schedule with Springdale Har-Ber on the road Sept. 4, and home games against Fayetteville on Sept. 11 and West Memphis
on Sept. 18. He wants the Charging Wildcats prepared for 7A-Central Conference play.
“I really want to see great energy, great effort and great focus,” Eldridge said. “The team that plays hard and plays the best will be successful.”
Bentonville won the 7A-West title for the fourth year in a row last season, but the Tigers’ season was ended by North Little Rock in the semifinals, denying them their first trip to the state title game since 2017.
The Tigers bring back senior linebacker Cole Joyce, who has orally committed to Central Florida. He led the Tigers with 104 tackles in 2019.
In four seasons as a program, Bentonville West already has reached two state semifinals, including last season. Senior quarterback Dalton McDonald will enter his third season as the Wolverines starter.
Fayetteville hopes it can improve on a 6-6 season in which it lost at Bryant in the quarterfinals.
Junior wide receiver Isaiah Sategna, one of the state’s top sprinters, could emerge as the Bulldogs’ best wide receiver.
Dick said Fayetteville has an opportunity to be a contender with good health.
“I love where we’re at,” Dick said. “If the kids can stay on the same track and keep making progress, we’ll be good.”
Cabot was one of the state’s best passing teams a year ago thanks to senior quarterback Tyler Gee.
Gee threw 24 touchdown passes as the Panthers reached the Class 7A playoffs. He’ll have senior wide receiver Marlon Crockett, who transferred from Searcy in the offseason, as a top weapon.
But the Hornets stand in the way of the rest of Class 7A.
Bryant has an opportunity to be the first school since Pulaski Academy in 2014-17 to win three consecutive state titles, but James is focusing on the present.
“We have more people who talk about it than we do,” James said of a possible third state title. “I’ve told our guys that the guys who have won before you are not here. It’s on their shoulders.
“It’s easy to be a hunter. But it’s not as easy to be the hunted.”