Special to BryantDaily.com
It’s not very often that the League Championship comes down to the last game of the season in Bryant Youth Football, but that is exactly what occurred on Tuesday night Oct. 26 when the Bryant Seminoles edged the Bryant Titans, 19-18.
What was at stake was bragging rights for the current sixth graders who ended their youth football playing days.
The Seminoles include Tyler Beauchamp, Cole Clifton, Connor Davis, Grayson Ferrell, Zach Flowers, Gunner Fredrickson, Boston Heil, Brandon Hill, Austin Kelly, Kale Kimbrough, Hayden Knowles, Parker Littleton, Josh McCallister, Zach Norton, Carson Simmons, Landon Smith, Ty Stuart, London Taylor and Logan Valenstin. Head coach and defensive coordinator is Mark Knowles, offensive coordinator is Mark Akers with assistants John Kimbrough (special teams), Randy Kelly and Scott Davis.[more]
Both teams took the field Tuesday night at what proved to be one of the most exciting games of the Bryant Athletic Association season. The stands were packed with over 300 families, friends and football fans and none were disappointed. It was obvious from the start that both of the teams were well deserving of the spotlight that was shown on their teams.
The Titans, coached by Matt Bonner (a recent Bryant Hornet football player and graduate) and the Seminoles, coached by Mark Knowles (a much older Hornet football player and graduate) coached their teams to what turned out to be a nail-biting performance that wasn’t decided until .16 seconds left in the game.
The Seminoles won the coin toss and elected to receive. The Seminoles marched down the field behind the direction of quarterback Landon Smith and the running of Hayden Knowles, Austin Kelly and Connor Davis. After eating up much of the first quarter, Davis scored from 6 yards out that put the Seminoles up 6-0, the extra point was good from 3 yards out.
When the Titans received the ball it looked much like their opponent when they marched 70 yards downfield and scored on a long run from the running back Michael Crockett.
Before the half the Seminoles scored on a 50-plus yard run from Hayden Knowles to put the Seminoles up 13-6.
The Titans repeated their earlier performance and scored on a long drive that ate up most of the second quarter. Halftime came with the Seminoles leading 13-12.
The second half clock was chewed up by both teams’ offenses, and defensive battles with the Titans scoring first to make the score 18-13, but the Seminoles weren’t done and what proved to be the winning score Austin Kelly took the ball and scored from 60 yards out.
The Titans took the field on offense with a little over two minutes to play. On the Titans’ final offensive play, it was third down from the Seminoles’ 21. A Titan running back broke to the left side of the field and was hit by a Seminole defender and coughed up the ball. When the pile was unstacked the Seminoles were holding the ball, with .16 seconds left the Seminoles offense took over and dropped to a knee to end the game.
After the game BAA Football Commissioner Terry Speer presented a second place trophy to the Titans team and then met the Seminoles at midfield and presented them with the League Championship Trophy.
Both teams played with great effort and the character that is taught through the Bryant Athletic Association. The level of play was shown bright to what turned out to be a great night of football for these future Hornet football players.
The Seminoles scored 249 points this season with opponents only managing 80.
