BRYANT -- In his first season in Saline County, Buck James has the Bryant Hornets one victory away from their first Class 7A state championship game appearance.
James, who was hired by Bryant in December to replace Paul Calley (now at Benton Harmony Grove), has seen the Hornets progress from a team that struggled offensively in a 10-7 victory over Benton in the Salt Bowl on Sept. 2 to a team that eliminated last year's Class 7A runner-up Springdale Har-Ber in last week's Class 7A quarterfinals 23-16.
Bryant at North Little Rock
WHEN 7 p.m.
WHERE North Little Rock Stadium, North Little Rock
RECORDS Bryant 9-3, North Little Rock 11-0
SEEDS Bryant No. 3 7A-Central, North Little Rock No. 1 7A-Central
COACHES Bryant: Buck James; North Little Rock: Jamie Mitchell
KEY PLAYERS Bryant: QB Ren Hefley (So., 6-1, 185), WR Reece Coates (6-0, 166), S Cameron Vail (Jr., 6-0, 175), K/P Hayden Ray (Sr., 5-11, 155); North Little Rock: QB Trey Cox (Sr., 6-0, 170), RB Alex Day (Sr., 5-10, 195), RB/WR Wynton Ruth (Sr., 5-8, 200), K Savana Melton (Jr., 5-10, 160)
Bryant (9-3), the No. 3 seed from the 7A-Central Conference, will be at 7A-Central champion North Little Rock (11-0) today in the Class 7A semifinals. The winner will face Bentonville or Fayetteville in next Friday's Class 7A state championship game at War Memorial Stadium.
"Our kids have really embraced the week," James said of the Hornets' preparation for North Little Rock. "They're excited about the opportunity to be in the semifinals. Hopefully, our community is as equally excited. These guys have worked their tails off to get to this point. I've been excited by what they've been able to bring to the table to get here."
From the spring to Thursday's Thanksgiving Day practice, the Hornets have taken on the mentality of James, a Pine Bluff native who has won previously in Star City and Camden Fairview and now has Bryant among the top teams in Class 7A.
"There were times where there were gut-checks," James said. "[I thought] they could do more than they were expected to do. They could do more than they thought they could do.
"Sometimes, you have to prune a tree to get it the way you want it to grow."
Bryant senior wide receiver Reece Coates, a Pocahontas transfer, said Bryant has had the element of surprise in Class 7A, with it being James' first season with the Hornets.
"When we first got here, we had a lot of improvements in the summer," said Coates, who has more than 600 receiving yards this season as the Hornets' top receiver. "We struggled early on. About the halfway point, we came on and played well as a team. That's where it all started. Our offensive line got closer and the team came together as a family. That's what's kept us moving on."
Last Friday, Bryant forced six turnovers, including three interceptions, in its victory at Har-Ber despite committing 18 penalties for 160 yards.
"Our defense played great," James said. "It's amazing what those guys were able to do. Our defense had six turnovers. They held them to 52 yards of rushing. I don't know if that's ever happened to a Springdale Har-Ber team.
"It was probably one of the best efforts I've ever coached. The guys just did a tremendous job of competing. A lot of times, they could've said, 'Good year. This is good enough.' But they kept battling."
North Little Rock won the first meeting against Bryant 38-7 on Oct. 28, recording five sacks in a game that James said the Charging Wildcats physically dominated. The Charging Wildcats led 31-0 at halftime and held the Hornets to 237 yards offensively.
If Bryant is to knock off North Little Rock, James, who led Camden Fairview to the Class 5A state championship in 2012, said his team has to start better than it did almost a month ago against the Charging Wildcats.
"They're so talented, offensively, defensively and special teams," James said. "They've got speed at every position. They're big and strong. We've got to have some success.
"We have to battle the complacency of the 'It's great to be here. This was good enough' type of thing. We have to go hit it square in the nose and stay with it and keep battling. We have to make something good happen for us to allow us to have a chance to fight the entire four quarters."
Coates agreed with his coach on the Hornets' plan for the Charging Wildcats.
"When you're playing a team like North Little Rock, the No. 1 team in the state, undefeated, you have to walk in with a perfect focus and play the best football game you've played all year," Coates said.
Sports on 11/25/2016