The Bryant Hornets football team continues spring practice today after getting in a few days last week and a workout on Monday.
“We had a few questions we had to answer last week,” reported Hornets head coach Paul Calley. “I feel like we got those answered. There were people we didn’t know if they could play or not. Now we know.”
And so far, so good.
“I’m very encouraged,” Calley stated. “I feel like, offensively, we have had a couple of guys step up at the receiver position, that have got a chance to be really good. I feel like our quarterbacks can give us quality play with what we’re doing. We’re very deep at running back and our offensive line is probably bigger than I’ve had in probably five years.
“Defensively, three of the front four are very solid,” he continued. “We’re still looking for one of those spots. I think if we get Devon Howard back healthy, it’s going to give us a pretty good linebacking corps. And, secondary-wise, you look at our speed. Three of the four were in the Meet of Champs and one is playing in the State baseball championship game. We’ve got some guys that can play.”
The coach noted that the players that ran track are just out this week. The Meet of Champs was Saturday. There are also guys that are playing for the baseball team as it heads to the State championship game in Fayetteville on Friday.
“But I think most of those guys are already solidified in my mind as to what they can do,” he stated.
Practices have been a little more physical this year, by design.
“We’ve gone live quite a bit more,” Calley noted. “We’ve tackled to the ground quite a bit more, just to make sure we’re conscious of our ball security, to make sure our quarterbacks hang onto the ball, and to make sure we can tackle. You know, we always start out slow tackling. So I think this year, we’re going to change up the way we’re doing things in practice and tackle a little bit more. We’ve got some pretty good backs but I saw a lot of broken tackles (Monday).”
The coach hopes to see a little more spark from his team today.
“We had a really lethargic practice Monday,” he related. “We’re looking for some energy and a little enthusiasm and just overall aggressiveness. You know, we’ve got a lot of good kids and sometimes, on the football field, that becomes a problem when all you’ve got is good kids. We’ve got to develop a more intense personality in some of them and get them to understand there’s a sense of urgency. We’ve got to play now. We don’t have time to wait until week five next year to turn it on. We’ve got to start now.”
Calley mapped out the plans for the rest of the spring, saying, “We’re going to go 2:55 to 4:55 (today) and Thursday, instead of Friday. We’re going to lift for an hour and practice for an hour. I’m giving them off Friday for the ones that want to go to the State baseball championship game.
“We’ll come back Tuesday,” he continued. “We’ll go Tuesday, regular practice; Wednesday, abbreviated practice; Thursday, because of graduation, abbreviated practice. Probably Tuesday, Wednesday, we’re going to scrimmage most of that time but we won’t have a game or anything. You worry about injuries. I know the kids would rather play a game. I can’t say we won’t line up and make it game-like.”
This fall, the Hornets will scrimmage at Pulaski Academy on Aug. 26, then open the regular season with the Salt Bowl against the Benton Panthers at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock on Friday, Sept. 5.
BRYANT HORNETS
2014 varsity football schedule
Aug. 26 — at Pulaski Academy (benefit scrimmage), 6 p.m.
Sept. 5 — Benton (Salt Bowl, War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock), 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 12 — Little Rock McClellan, 7 p.m.
Sept. 19 — at Little Rock Central, 7 p.m.
Sept. 26 — Russellville*, 7 p.m.
Oct. 3 — at Little Rock Catholic%, 7 p.m.
Oct. 10 — Alma*, 7 p.m.
Oct. 17 — Greenwood*, 7 p.m.
Oct. 24 — at Van Buren%, 7 p.m.
Oct. 31 — at Siloam Springs*, 7 p.m.
Nov. 7 — Conway%, 7 p.m.
*7A/6A-Central Conference games
%7A/6A-Central Conference games that count towards seeding for post-season
