By Rob Patrick
Photos by Rick Nation and Kevin Nagle
Coming into the Hornet Bowl on Thursday night, the Bryant White Hornets eighth grade team of Bryant Middle School had surrendered 32 points to Lake Hamilton, 28 points to Cabot South and 28 more to Conway White. Meanwhile, the Conway Blue Hornets of Bethel Middle School had put up 34 on Conway Blue and 22 on Benton.
So it was a bit of a stunner when Bryant White shut out Bryant Blue until late in the game and wound up capturing the Hornet Bowl trophy with an 18-6 victory.[more]
As seventh graders last year, Bryant Blue had whipped Bryant White behind a big night from Brushawn Hunter but, this year, after Hunter broke a 29-yard run to start the game, the White Hornets held him to 20 yards rushing the rest of the game.
Meanwhile, White running back Mar’kevius Nelson racked up 141 yards on 17 attempts and quarterback K.J. Hill rushed for 82 more on 11 tries. Bryant White attempted just one pass in the game (other than a two-point attempt). It went for 2 yards and a touchdown.
And that defense, which had struggled so much this season forced three Blue turnovers along the way.
The first of those came on the first series of the game, when Hunter had dashed inside the White 20. Bryant White recovered at the 14 and proceeded to drive for a touchdown.
The big play of the drive was Nelson’s 39-yard scamper. Hill picked up 10 on one play and 14 on another.
On a second-and-4 at the Blue 8, Hill fumbled the snap but scrambled to cover the loose ball at the 10. The next play, Nelson took it in to make it 6-0.
The Blue Hornets got a break on their next possession. They picked up a first down on a run by Hunter and a pass from Brandon Warner to Brendon Young. From the White 41, however, they were unable to move it. They faced a fourth-and-9 at the 40 when Warner’s pass was intercepted by Drew Tipton who returned it to the 26 only to have it jarred out of his grasp and recovered by Blue’s Kyle Lovelace.
Despite getting the reprieve, the Blue Hornets were unable to overcome a procedure penalty and, on a third-and-16 at the 32, Warner’s pass was picked off again. This time Hunter Lawhon got the interception and returned it to the 38.
And the White Hornets began once again to grind out first downs. They covered the 62 yards in nine plays, capped by Hill’s 6-yard keeper. A try for two failed, leaving it 12-0.
Blue made a bid to score right before the half. Their march form their own 42 to the White 4 featured Warner’s passing. He completed passes of 10 and 8 yards to Luke Brantley but the big play was a 26-yard connection with Hunter.
On a first-and-goal at the 4, however, White’s Conner Chapdelaine knifed through and sacked Warner at the 12. After a timeout with :24.3 showing, Warner found Trey Breeding for 8 yards back to the 4. On the last play of the half, however, Warner’s pass into the corner fell incomplete.
It was a frustrating first-half finish for the Blue Hornets and an emotional charge for the White Hornets.
And White got the ball to start the second half. Blue tried an onside kick but Kylan Mace covered it for White at the Blue 49. A play into the possession, Nelson broke a 16-yard run to the 29. Lovelace and Young made stops for short games on the following two plays but then Hill powered his way 25 yards to the 1 to convert the third down.
Lovelace dropped Nelson for a yard loss but then Hill threw his lone pass of the game and found Daniel Bradford for the touchdown.
A pass attempt at a two-point conversion fell incomplete but Bryant White was up 18-0.
Warner, who finished 12 of 20 for 136 yards passing, led the Blue Hornets on a drive from their own 35 to the White 38. But, on first down there, a bad snap cost Blue. Warner covered it but the play lost 13 yards and, as the fourth quarter got underway, they were unable to make up the difference despite an 18-yard pass from Warner to Jason Hastings.
That set up a fourth-and-5 at the White 33. Hunter got the call but Hill forced the play on the edge and Chapdelaine and Darquel Grey made the stop for a yard loss.
Bryant White took over on downs and when Nelson broke a 23-yard run to the Blue 40, the team started a drive that would eat up over four minutes of game time. They reached the 25 but consecutive lost-yardage plays came there as the White coaches began filtering in reserves.
Blue took over on downs with 1:48 to go and drove 59 yards in five plays to break the shutout. Warner and Hastings team up on a 25-yard pass and, a play later, Warner hit Brantley for 13 to the 11. That duo connected again to the 2 and, from there, Warner sneaked it in with :38.4 left to play.
Bryant Blue will try to bounce back on Thursday, Oct. 21, at Cabot North. Bryant White is scheduled to return to action on Tuesday, Oct. 19, at Lakewood.
BRYANT WHITE 18, BRYANT BLUE 6
Score by quarter
Bryant White 6 6 6 0 — 18
Bryant Blue 0 0 0 6 — 6
Scoring summary
First quarter
BRYANT WHITE — Nelson 10 run (run failed), 2:25
Second quarter
BRYANT WHITE — Hill 6 run (run failed), 2:42
Third quarter
BRYANT WHITE — Bradford 2 pass from Hill (pass failed), 3:49
Fourth quarter
BRYANT BLUE — Warner 2 run (run failed), 0:38.4
Team stats
White Blue
First downs 11 10
Rushes-yds 32-207 18-48
Passing 1-1-0 12-20-2
Passing yds 2 136
Punts 0-00.0 0-00.0
Fumbles-lost 2-1 2-1
Penalties-yds 2-10 4-20
INDIVIDUAL STATS
Rushing: BRYANT BLUE, Hunter 9-49, Young 1-3, Neal 2-2, Warner 6-(-6); BRYANT WHITE, Nelson 17-141, Hill 11-82, Lemons 1-1, Schrader 1-0, Jones 2-(-17).
Passing (C-A-I-Y): BRYANT BLUE, Warner 12-20-2-136; BRYANT WHITE, Hill 1-1-0-2.
Receiving: BRYANT BLUE, Brantley 5-51, Hastings 3-46, Hunter 1-26, Breeding 2-9, Young 1-4; BRYANT WHITE, Bradford 1-2.
