Hornets overcome turnovers to expel Devils
EDITOR’S NOTE: Because the look back at each day in Bryant athletic history has been so favorably received during the time when there was no sports during the COVID-19 shutdown, BryantDaily.com will continueposting past stories of Bryant athletics either posted on BryantDaily.com (from 2009 to the present) or published in the Bryant Times (from 1998 to 2008).
By ROB PATRICK
BRYANT TIMES
It was all so strange and wonderful in 1999. The Bryant Hornets hadn’t had a winning season in a long time and there they were undefeated and ranked No. 1 going into the Class AAAAA playoffs. No one knew what to expect. Emotions were deliriously high especially with the Conway Wampus Cats coming to town for the first round. Already a budding, intense rivalry, the Hornets had opened the season with a win at Conway and the tradition-rich Cats were bent on bursting the Bryant bubble. In an emotional game, however, the Hornets prevailed, 21-14, only to let down a little the next week and lose 14-0 to eventual state champ Fort Smith Northside.
Last year, Bryant’s second-ever playoff win over AAAAA-South Conference co-champion Camden Fairview was almost the opposite situation. The Hornets were the No. 4 seed from the AAAAA-Central, loose, with nothing to lose and they stunned the Cardinals 20-7. Suddenly thrust into the pressure cooker of the quarterfinals, they lost the next week to the eventual State runner-up West Memphis, 42-25.
Fast forward to Friday, Nov. 12, 2004. The Hornets are a No. 1 seed from the Central conference, ranked No. 2 in the state with a 9-1 record and riding a six-game winning streak as they open the playoffs against the Jacksonville Red Devils. And this time, the experienced Hornets are in a business-as-usual mode as they dismiss Jacksonville 34-12.
It was definitely different than the previous playoff wins. Could that be an indication that the second-round might be a little different too?
We’ll see when the Hornets host, once again, the Fort Smith Northside Grizzlies on Friday, Nov. 19, in search of the school’s first trip to the State semifinals or beyond.
“It wasn’t one of our best performances, but we were happy,” commented Bryant head coach Paul Calley after the win over Jacksonville.
It was a victory that came despite five turnovers, a couple of which may have been missed calls that would’ve, no doubt, made it a much less competitive-looking outcome.
As it was, it took a 98-yard interception return for a touchdown by Travis Queck with 5:23 left in the game to make it completely comfortable. Queck, who may have never run so far so fast, made a nice cutback along the way, picked up blocks from Todd Bryan and Zach Sanders near midfield and kept his balance after the last would-be tackler clipped his heels inside the 20.
It was, not surprisingly, the longest interception return in school history, topping Matt White’s 67-yard dash after a pick against Pine Bluff that sealed a 55-31 win in 1999.
The Hornets made a bid to take all the mystery out of the outcome in the first half. After losing the ball on a fumble on their second snap of the game, the Hornets scored on three consecutive possessions.
It was 17-0 before Jacksonville’s offense managed its initial first down of the game.
After that early fumble, the Red Devils had possession at the Bryant 27 and, in four plays, wound up losing a yard.
Bryant took over at the 28 and after running back Brandon Butler dashed 22 yards, quarterback Anthony Mask scrambled away from pressure, aided by a nice peel-back block by tackle David Hollis, and found Dustin Holland behind the defense for a 50-yard touchdown.
Butler, Bryant’s leading rusher on the season, finished with a season-high 118 yards on 14 carries in the game. Mask finished 21 of 34 for 257 yards and three TDs. It should have been four.
The Hornets added to their lead when Mask and Richie Wood combined on a 14-yard touchdown pass that capped a 76-yard drive in seven plays.
After an interception by Hunter Nugent, his third in the last three games, Bryant drove to the 2 where Bryan came on to kick a 19-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter.
Jacksonville’s initial first down came on its subsequent possession, a 48-yard burst by fullback Carlton Moragne.
The Devils reached the 16 but Tommy Byington and Corey Caldwell stopped Moragne for a loss and, a play later, Jonathon Holt brought down quarterback Daniel Hubbard at the 21. A fourth-down pass was incomplete when Colby Landers pressured the quarterback.
The Hornets were on the march again after that. A pass for 23 yards to Jon Isbell reached the 44 and a connection between Mask and Holland had the Hornets in Jacksonville territory. Though it looked on film like Holland was already down, the ball came loose and Jacksonville’s Terrod Hatcher scooped it up and sprinted to the Bryant 4.
The teams traded penalties and the Hornets made a bid at a goal line stand but a third-down swing pass from Hubbard to Hatcher found paydirt from 6 yards out to get Jacksonville on the board. A try for two ended when Bryan Griffith intercepted Hubbard’s pass.
Queck recovered the subsequent onside kick at the Bryant 49 and the Hornets quickly drove to another score. Mask completed four passes in a row along the way capped by his 14-yard toss to Wood for the points. Bryan kicked it to 24-6 with 3:37 left in the half.
And, on the Hornets’ kick, Travis Cockerham squibbed it perfectly allowing Bryant’s Zach Hannahs to recover at the Devils’ 39. A pass interference penalty took it to the 24 then Butler burst for 19 to the 5.
A play later, Mask threw up a lob towards Wood in the back of the end zone and it appeared that Wood and defensive back Marcus Hildreth both came down with the ball. By rule, a dual possession of the ball results in the offense retaining control. But instead of awarding Bryant with a touchdown, the officials conferred and awarded the ball to Jacksonville with a touchback.
So, instead of it being 31-6, it remained 24-6 and, on the next play, the Red Devils completed a 78-yard pass to the Bryant 2. From there Hatcher scored to make it 24-12 which held until the half.
“I thought we should’ve put the game away in the first half,” Calley acknowledged. “We got the interception in the end zone that would’ve put us up three scores. I thought Richie had the ball but it was ruled an interception and the very next play they throw the bomb then score. It kind of made a game out of it.”
But the Bryant defense shut out Jacksonville in the second half despite the fact that much of the time, the Red Devils had the ball in Hornets territory.
The two teams started the half by exchanging punts. But Jacksonville’s kick was muffed by Wood at the Bryant 17 and the Devils recovered.
But four plays from the 17 netted 4 yards and Jacksonville turned the ball over on downs.
In turn, the Hornets pushed out to the 39 where, Holland was separated from the football again and Jacksonville recovered.
Again, the Devils were unable to pick up a first down despite great field position.
“Our defense had their backs to the walls several times and didn’t allow any points and that was big,” Calley noted. “They bailed us out.”
The Bryant defense has allowed just 6 points in the third quarter all season.
The Hornets drove to the Jacksonville 20 and, with 11:45 left in the game, Bryan booted his second field goal of the game, this time a 37-yarder. It was his 11th field goal of the season, two short of his school record for a season set in 2002, and the 34th of his career, extending his state record.
The Red Devils’ last bid to score came after Bryant punted them back to the 20. A major penalty helped then a 36-yard pass from Hubbard to Hildreth got the 10. Two plays later, Queck’s oskie and long return resulted.
A subsequent possession ended with an interception by Zack Kitchens with 2:00 left.
