By Rob Patrick

Despite wet footballs and muddy hands on a sloppy track, the Bryant Hornets’ freshman team made the most of a few passes against the Sheridan Stingers on Thursday at the quagmire that is the Bryant Stadium field.

Hayden Lessenberry threw just four passes for the Hornets but three of them went for touchdowns and the other set up a fourth in a 35-15 victory over the Stingers.

By Rob Patrick

When Little Rock Catholic freshman quarterback Carson Case broke a 50-yard touchdown run on an option keeper to answer the Bryant Hornets opening score on Thursday night, it looked like there might be another high-scoring shootout in the offing.

The two combatants from the South Division of the Central Arkansas Junior High Conference were tied 6-6 at the time but, the Bryant defense stepped up at that point and didn’t allow another Rockets first down (let alone a score) until the fourth quarter. They lay claim to three turnovers during that stretch.

In the meantime, the Bryant offense piled up a 33-6 lead. With the reserves finishing up, Catholic trimmed the margin to a final score of 33-18.

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

CONWAY — There's nothing like a punch in the nose to get your attention.

On Thursday, Sept. 17, Conway White and speedy running back Brandon Cox provided the proverbial shot to the schnoz of the Bryant Hornets freshman team when, on the very first play of their game at Centennial Bank Field in John McConnell Stadium, he sprinted 65 yards for a touchdown.

With Connor Prout's extra point, the game was less than 20 seconds old and the Hornets found themselves trailing 7-0.

But it wound up being a wake-up call for the Bryant defense which didn't allow another score all night as the Hornets soared to a 35-7 victory in the battle of unbeaten teams.

There was a time that, at the end of the Central Arkansas Junior High Conference season, there was kind of a unique playoff. The winners of the two divisions, North and South, played a championship game but also every other team played a corresponding team in the other division. In other words, the two second place teams played, the two third place teams played, etc.

But that doesn’t happen anymore. So the games before divisional play opens are often the best barometer of the strengths and weaknesses of the two divisions.

Tonight, there will be one of those meetings when the Bryant Hornets freshman team visits Conway White.