NORTH LITTLE ROCK — The Bryant Hornets football team wrapped up their 7-on-7 summer competition with an impressive performance at North Little Rock on Monday and, because of the rainout of the Bryant Black Sox Senior American Legion team's game in the finals of the Zone 4 tournament, everyone was on hand that will be counted on this fall. Only senior receiver Chris Arnold was out as he continues to recover from
Bryant won all three games and played a JV game as well and won each of them handily. What may have been as impressive as anything was the fact that none of the teams they faced scored more than 7 points.
"We executed about as well as we have all summer," stated offensive coordinator Dale Jones. "We looked sharp, catching and throwing, executing. And we made it real hard on the other teams to score. The defense was outstanding. We gave up one big play but the rest of the time everybody had to go slow, slow, slow down the field. We just kept everything in front of us and let them make the mistakes."[more]
Junior Blake Davidson, in his first 7-on-7 of the summer, played in each game and tossed five touchdowns without an interception. Senior Jimi Easterling tossed nine touchdowns on the night without an interception.
In the opener against Augusta, Davidson threw two touchdowns to junior Caleb Garrett and another to sophomore Caleb Thomas. Stanley Oxner added to the scoring with an interception, the first of two he came up with on the night. Tanner Tolbert also picked off two passes along the way.
Garrett, who has been patrolling center field for the Black Sox all summer, wound up with four touchdown receptions to match senior Brandon Parish. Sawyer Nichols had two. Tolbert, Thomas, Chris Rycraw, and Logan Garland had one each. Garland also played well on defense for the Hornets, Jones noted. "He's just done everything we've asked of him," he said.
After the 23-7 win over Augusta, the Hornets blitzed Little Rock Central 40-7. On the first play of the scrimmage, Easterling connected with Garland for a touchdown. Two plays later, Easterling and Nichols connected for a score.
"We couldn't do anything wrong," Jones stated.
Against North Little Rock, a breakdown in coverage allowed a touchdown on the first play but that would be all the the Charging Wildcats would manage as Bryant rolled to a 30-7 win.
The Hornets finished the summer competition, 18-4. They begin fall practice on Monday, Aug. 3. A pre-season scrimmage is set for Aug. 24 at home against Pine Bluff with the season-opening Salt Bowl on Friday, Sept. 4, against Benton at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
