BRYANT BLOWS AWAY SPRINGDALE

Bryant's first playoff game under Buck James was a successful one Friday night at Hornet Stadium, defeating Springdale 45-14 in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs. It was a dominating effort by Bryant, which led 36-0 at halftime and invoked the Arkansas Activities Association's sportsmanship rule for the entire second half. "We had a great week of practice," said James, who is in his first season at Bryant and led Camden Fairview to the 2012 Class 5A state championship. "Our history here hasn't been too great against 7A-West teams. But our guys had a really good week. They prepared well. I could tell they were focused in pregame." Bryant (8-3), the No. 3 seed from the 7A-Central, will travel to the 7A-West's No. 2 seed Springdale Har-Ber next Friday. "What we haven't done this year is we haven't beaten anybody better than us," said James, whose team's losses are to Fayetteville, North Little Rock and Fort Smith Northside -- all with Class 7A first-round byes. "We've beaten teams that we're as good as or better than. It's a big challenge for our young football team to play those guys. "We have to see where we're at, growing from the wins we've had but also the losses we've had." Sophomore quarterback Ren Hefley and senior quarterback Beaux Bonvillain each passed for a touchdown. Hefley, who passed for 83 yards, also scored a rushing touchdown. Defensively, Bryant had an interception return for a touchdown by senior linebacker Marvin Moody and a safety in the first half. The Hornets took a 7-0 lead with 5:37 remaining in the first quarter as Hefley threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Reece Coates. Hefley's 15-yard run helped Bryant extend its lead to 14-0 with 2:20 left in the first quarter. Senior placekicker Hayden Ray's 18-yard field goal with 11:58 left in the second quarter gave Bryant a 17-0 lead. With 10:59 left in the first half, Moody intercepted Springdale backup quarterback Wil Mueller and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown, making it 24-0 Bryant. Bryant pushed its lead to 31-0 on senior Cameron Coleman's 1-yard run with 3:04 left in the second quarter. The Hornets made it 33-0 on a safety, as sophomore A.J. Williams tackled Springdale's Garrett Vaughan in the end zone. Ray set the halftime score at 36-0 with a 42-yard field goal. Bonvillain's 80-yard touchdown pass to Randy Thomas made it 42-0 with 2:00 left in the second quarter, with the point-after attempt by Ray no good. In place of senior quarterback Layne Hutchins (apparent left leg injury), Mueller threw a 32-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to Kamond Robinson. Vaughan had a 1-yard run, also in the fourth quarter. It was a tough and bittersweet season for Springdale (4-7). Senior wide receiver Kyler Williams, one of the state's top wide receivers, was killed in an one-car wreck Sept. 24 on Arkansas 21. The Bulldogs were 3-1 before Williams' death, but finished the season winning once in their final seven games. "It's certainly been tough," Springdale Coach Zak Clark said. "It's something no kid should have to go through, but we did. The kids fought through it. They loved each other. They learned a lot. They learned a lot of lessons you shouldn't have to at 15-, 16-, 17-, 18-years-old. But I'm very proud with how these kids responded."

BRYANT BLOWS AWAY SPRINGDALE

Photo Credit: Mitchell PE Masilun

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