The Bryant White Hornets eighth grade team of Bryant Middle School amassed 401 yards rushing in just 20 snaps on the way to burying the Russellville Whirlwinds Thursday night, 36-6.
Ahmad Adams rushed for 218 yards on four touchdowns on just nine carries. That’s over 24 yards per carry. Quarterback Derrick Rose added 144 yards on only eight totes with a touchdown.
The win improved Bryant White to 6-0 with two games remaining. The Hornets host Little Rock Henderson on Tuesday, Oct. 20, then close out their schedule at home against Conway White on Thursday, Oct. 29.
The Bryant White defense was just as stellar. Russellville netted just 32 yards rushing on 13 tries. In the first half, the Whirlwinds had tried to run seven times with a total yardage of minus-1. They hit four passes in 17 attempts for 69 yards and a touchdown on the last play of the game. But the Hornets’ Arlon Jenkins intercepted two passes and nearly had a third and Peyton Dillon picked off one.
The dye was cast quickly as Bryant White rolled to a 22-0 lead in the first quarter. On the fourth play of the game (his third carry), Adams broke a 27-yard touchdown run to make it 6-0 less than two minutes into the game.
The defense forced a punt and, on first down from Hornets’ own 25, Korbin Bailey rumbled 34 yards. Adams took the next handoff and sprinted 41 yards for a TD. Rose ran in the two-point conversion and it was 14-0.
Harrison Woodham had a good series on defense for the Hornets. He stopped a running play for a loss of a yard and, on the next snap, broke up a pass in the right flat. Moments later, the Whirlwinds were punting again.
From their 36, the Hornets went the distance again, this time in three plays. Adams rumbled for 25 and, after Bailey picked up 2, he slashed 37 yards to the end zone on the last play of the first quarter.
On the conversion, the Hornets were pushed back by a delay penalty. Rose then faded to pass but was hit deep in the backfield. The ball came loose and Adams picked it up at the 19. He powered it in from there to make it 22-0.
In the second quarter, neither team scored. Actually Adams had a 32-yard touchdown run negated by penalty.
Russellville got its first chance to score on a 34-yard pass play, which reached the Bryant White 27. But, on the next play, Jenkins made his first interception at the 2.
Adams pushed it out to the 9 and, a play later, Rose broke a keeper all the way to the other 2. But an illegal block in the back along the way clipped a chunk of that yardage off. Still, Rose was credited with an 84-yard run.
With time running out in the half, the Hornets threw three times to the end zone unsuccessfully. Rose was sacked on fourth down and Russellville took over at its own 36. Trying to go deep to get a last-second score, the Whirlwinds suffered another turnover as Jenkins intercepted near midfield as time ran out.
The second half started with Hudson Trusty making a tackle for a loss. On the next play, Dillon made his pick at the Bryant 36, returning it to the Russellville 37.
From there, Adams, picking up a big block from Catrell Wallace along the way, skirted down the left sideline for his fourth touchdown.
Stops led by Trusty and Austin Bailey along with Jenkins’ near-interception forced the Whirlwinds to punt again and the Hornets got the ball back at their own 42.
Rose broke a 23-yard run and, a play later, Adams powered for 13 on his last carry of the night. From the 19, Rose wove his way through the Russellville defense to get his touchdown, making it 36-0 with :52.1 left in the third quarter.
That set the sportsmanship rule in effect and the teams played with a running clock in the fourth quarter. With reserves playing for the Hornets, the Whirlwinds used up the entire fourth quarter driving 55 yards in 10 plays for their lone TD.
