Photo by Kevin Nagle
It’s been 11 years since a Bryant Hornets football team has played at Little Rock McClellan. In 2004, the Hornets pinned a 23-0 loss on the Crimson Lions and it was a big win. McClellan was a powerhouse back then. It was just the fourth time in 11 games that the Hornets had come away with a victory. (The Lions still hold a 7-6 lead in the on-again, off-again series that dates back to 1967.)
The Lions fell on hard times after that. Attendance fell and wins became hard to come by. In fact, the three they managed in 2014 were as many as they’ve had in any year since 2003. And this year, they’re hoping to build on that under third-year head coach Maurice Moody.
As a Class 5A school (in the 5A-Central with Pulaski Academy, Beebe, Sylvan Hills, Jacksonville, Mills and Fair), they opened the season with a 37-14 win over Class 6A Sheridan and this week, they’ll challenge the only 7A foe on their schedule, Bryant.
The Hornets are coming off an exhilarating 37-13 win over arch-rival Benton in the Salt Bowl, with over 34,000 fans on hand at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Tonight, it’s the same town but a far cry from last Friday.
“It’s a tough place to play,” stated Bryant defensive coordinator Steve Griffith about the Lions’ stadium. “The atmosphere is not, obviously, what we had last week. So we’ve got to come with a business-like attitude, take care of our work and get things done.
“McClellan’s got a really large offensive line,” he noted. “They’ve got some good skill kids. They gained some confidence throughout the year last year. We expect them to look at this as an opportunity to step up against 7A competition. We expect them to give a great effort.”
The Lions amassed nearly 400 yards of offense against Sheridan, 377 on the ground with running back Pierre Strong (4.4 in the 40) accounting for 308 of that and four touchdowns on just 16 carries.
“We’ve got to tackle better and have better communication,” Griffith said. “We had some breakdowns in communication that cost us (against Benton). We’ve got to get things communicated, make sure alignment’s proper. Then we’ve got to execute and tackle.”
The Hornets ran for 245 yards including 111 in just six tries by Savonte Turner. Sheridan rushed for 264 yards against the Lions but McClellan made two goal-line stands.
“I think we want to continue to be a dominant running team, make sure we’re hanging onto the ball,” said offensive coordinator Lance Parker. “I want to throw and catch some more. We need to get confidence in that area, make sure we’re sharp and, when it’s time to throw it, we can throw it with effectiveness.
“Last year, (McClellan) tried to give us a ton of different looks so it’s going to be really important for our guys to follow their rules,” he added. “It’s really difficult when you’ve got guys walking around everywhere, just trying to secure it inside, making sure we can take care of the down guys and let our backs run. I think if we can keep people from coming through scot-free up the middle, we can have a good night. That’s going to be a big key to beating them, not getting behind the chains.”
Asked how he assessed the Hornets’ offense after grading the film of the win over Benton, Parker was particularly pleased with the blocking.
“They did a good job,” he said of the line and H backs. “It’s a very difficult defense to pick up, especially with the personnel (Benton) had up front. I thought our offensive line did a good job. We had to roll some guys around a little bit.”
Senior center Zach Knapp, who missed the opener, will be out again tonight. Noah Love will get some time there and so will left tackle Cole Fritschen.
“I thought when it was time to throw and catch, we hit what we needed to hit,” Parker continued. “We knew we were going to have some shots we were going to have to hit and, if we didn’t hit them, it might be a long night for us. But we hit the ones we had to hit.
“I’m just proud of the guys for hanging in there in front of that crowd, a lot of them in their first game to ever play,” he mentioned. “You just never know what you’re going to get sometimes. I was proud of them in the pressure situations. They did a good job of responding. Hopefully, we’ll keep progressing.”
Head coach Paul Calley mentioned he was hoping to avoid the rain and a sloppy field.
The game will be broadcast on KBIS FaithTalk 99.5 FM and streamed live on TheCube.com
