By Rob Patrick

Bryant head football coach Paul Calley was reflecting on his team’s impressive 21-13 win over the fourth-ranked Little Rock Catholic Rockets on Friday night: “I can’t overstate how important the crowd was. Every time we needed a lift they were on their feet, going wild. They were awesome. We couldn’t hear on the sideline. We were trying to talk to the kids during the change of possession and nobody could hear. That’s how loud it was.”

It was as good an atmosphere for a high school football game in Bryant as there has ever been. The house was packed and the football was contested to the nth degree.

Though there are still plenty of challenges ahead, Calley wouldn’t play down the importance of the outcome either.

“The kids saw and heard what was being said in the media, that we’re unproven and untested because of the teams that we have played,” the coach acknowledged. “I’m sure in the back of their minds they had the same questions. I think now we put that to rest. We are tested. I told them that right after the game. We were tested and we came through.”

It’s about confidence.

“With us, the type of players we have, we’re not big and strong, we’re small and we’re fast,” Calley explained, “and you realize that you can play with those bigger, stronger teams because you can make up for lack of size with speed. I think (Friday night) that was evident.”

By Rob Patrick

Perhaps the most amazing thing about Chris Rycraw’s school-record rushing performance in 2008 was the fact that, after quarterback Jimi Easterling was injured at Cabot, there was really no mystery about what the Bryant Hornets were going to do and who was going to have the ball.

And yet, Rycraw continued to rack up the yardage including 192 in the final regular-season game against Little Rock Central and 213 against Springdale in the first round of the playoffs.

It was a credit to him, of course, but also to the Hornets’ veteran offensive line and the ingenuity of the team’s offensive coaches.

If the Bryant Lady Hornets look back on their 2009 volleyball season, it may be they’ll point to Thursday, Sept. 24, as a turning point.

They were just a few points away from suffering their fourth disheartening loss in a row. In fact, they were in that predicament three times. But in each instance, they found a way to rally and the result was a dramatic victory over the North Little Rock Lady Charging Wildcats, 21-25, 18-25, 25-23, 29-27, 16-14.

Head coach Beth Solomon stated, “The girls probably played the best match they’ve played.”

The win improved the Lady Hornets to 3-4 over the first half of the 7A-Central Conference schedule, 3-6 overall going into a trip to Jonesboro on Saturday for the annual Arkansas State Playday.

The Bryant JV took their match to the wire as well but North Little Rock prevailed at the end, 28-26, 24-26, 15-13.

The two teams visit Little Rock Central on Tuesday, Sept. 29, in a return to conference play.

By LANA CLIFTON

On Saturday, Sept. 26, the Bryant Area Chamber of Commerce will host its 22nd annual Fall Fest at Mills Park in Bryant. The event will begin at 8 a.m. and will last until 4 p.m. Fall Fest participants will be able to engage in a variety of family friendly events, activities and contests and will be entertained by dance and cheer exhibitions and live music.

Fall Fest will kick off with a parade that will begin at Sullivan and Reynolds Road and will go down Reynolds Road to Mills Park Road and follow Mills Park Road to the park. The parade will feature floats from area schools, businesses and clubs. A first place prize of $50 and second place prize of $25 will be awarded in each of three categories: business, school and organization. Only those entries who registered with the Chamber before Saturday, Sept. 12, will be eligible for a prize. Jimmy Morgan will be the grand marshal of the parade.

By Rob Patrick

Bryant Hornets coach Steve Griffith will tell you, there have been only a couple of times since he took over as defensive coordinator that he was really disappointed with his squad, when, he said, they just didn’t compete.

Once was in the playoffs, 2003, when the West Memphis Blue Devils came to Bryant and put up 42 points to end the Hornets’ season, 42-25.

The other time was just last season at War Memorial Stadium in a 27-21 loss to the Little Rock Catholic Rockets to open 7A-Central Conference play.

He fully expects a different effort this season and the Hornets will need one against a veteran Rockets team that sports many of the players that helped put together that victory.

Once again, Bryant and Catholic open league play tonight, this time on the rain-soaked sod at Bryant Stadium.

Both teams come in with 3-0 records but Bryant’s three wins have come against a trio of teams that have yet to post a victory among them. Catholic’s victims include perennial powers Fort Smith Southside and Fort Smith Northside.

By Rob Patrick

Every season since 2002 except one, either the Bryant Junior Hornets or the Lake Hamilton Junior Wolves, or both, has won or shared the championship of the South Division of the Central Arkansas Junior High Conference. And some years, it’s come down to which one beat the other.

In 2008, Lake Hamilton won the game 21-3 (amid some late-game controversy when the Wolves called a timeout to add a meaningless touchdown) but it was Bryant’s lone loss of the season and the teams wound up tied for the Division title with identical 9-1 records.

In 2007, the Hornets drubbed the Wolves 35-14 on the way to an unbeaten run through the Division.

By Rob Patrick

The Bryant White Hornets eighth grade team limited their counterparts from Lake Hamilton to just 54 yards of total offense and three first downs in their game at rain-soaked Bryant Stadium Thursday evening.

The Wolves managed only two forays into Bryant territory and never got closer than the 40 to paydirt.

Unfortunately for the Hornets, despite three second-half drives that got inside the Lake Hamilton 15, couldn’t get across the goal line either as the two teams battled to a scoreless tie.

In an effort to raise funds to support over 400 kids who attend the Boys and Girls Club of Bryant, Board members are planning a Fish Fry on Friday, Sept. 25 from 5 to 7 p.m., at the Bryant Middle School Cafeteria.

“If you’re already planning to come to the Bryant vs. Catholic game on Friday, come a little early and join us for some delicious food and support a wonderful organization that is truly making a difference in the lives of children in our community,” said Mike Rushing, Board President.

The event will be catered by Dorey’s Catfish in Bryant. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased by calling (501) 653-5434. They are also available at the Bryant Chamber of Commerce, Saline Memorial Hospital or any Summit Bank location. Kids six and under eat free.

The Boys and Girls Club of Bryant depends on grants and donations to support the many programs and services tailored to promote and enhance the development of boys and girls by instilling a sense of competence, value and belonging.

By LANA CLIFTON

Around 20 citizens from the Bryant area began classes to learn more about the city’s police department on Tuesday night, Sept. 22. The Citizen’s Police Academy (CPA) began at the Bryant Police Department and was conducted by Sergeant Jenceson Payte.

Chief of Police, Tony Coffman, spoke to the group in attendance about the reasons he promotes the CPA program.

LITTLE ROCK — Coming off a second-place finish in the Conway Invitational Tournament over the weekend, the Bryant Lady Hornets freshman volleyball team returned to action in the South Division of the Central Arkansas Junior High Conference on Monday and came away with a tough victory on the road. Bryant edged the Mount St. Mary’s Mounties, 29-27 in the first game of the match, then lost game two, 25-15 before rallying to win the match, 25-22, in game three.

The win improved the Lady Hornets to 6-2 overall and in divisional play this season, going into the Thursday, Sept. 24, match at home against Sheridan.

In eighth grade action, Bryant Blue won 25-15, 25-15 over Rose City while the seventh grade team prevailed 25-18, 17-25, 15-8.