Class 7A State Championship • 2020 • War Memorial Stadium
BRYANT 27, NORTH LITTLE ROCK 17 Attendance 7,828 • Sunny 58 degrees • Kickoff noon • Time 2:30 DECEMBER 5, LITTLE ROCK — The James Gang rode into history on a sunny Saturday afternoon. The Bryant Hornets and head coach Buck James completed a perfect season with a 27-17 win over North Little Rock for the Class 7A championship before 7,828 at War Memorial Stadium. Bryant finished the season 13-0 for its third-straight state title, marking the first three-peat in the state’s largest classification since Pine Bluff in 19931995. “I told our coaches that I know how good one felt and how good two felt, I couldn’t imagine how three’s going to feel,” James said. “We’ve got a chance to four-peat. That gives these guys in the offseason a chance to come back and do some great things themselves. It leaves a legacy. That’s what high school athletics should be about.” The Hornets also finished the season with a 30-game winning streak, the longest in the state’s largest classification since Little Rock High, and Central, won 35 straight from 1955 into 1958. Bryant started the season No. 1 in the Arkansas Sports Media Poll, stayed No. 1 throughout and finished at the top to become the first team to do that since the legendary Springdale Bulldogs of 2005. “I saw them play,” James said. “They were a very good football team. The thing I’m proud of is we’ve done it three times in a row. They did it once. They did it with a bunch of college football players. We did it with a bunch of good high school football players.” The Hornets applied the Arkansas Activities Association’s Sportsmanship Rule, which starts the game clock BRYANT OFFENSE QB Austin Ledbetter RB Tanner Anderson WR Clay Curtis SR Cory Nichols LT Will Diggins LG Jason Shifflet C Jack Powell RG Parker Elswick RT Brooks Edmonson SR Hayden Schrader WR Robert Hendrix PK Brock Funk
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Arkansas history,” James said. “The guy’s a winner. He hasn’t lost a game since the nine-grade year. He’s a leader among men.” Perfect seasons in the state’s largest When Bryant drubbed North Little classification since its merger into the Rock, 58-21, in a 7A-Central game in playoff format in 1983, including 2019 October, Ledbetter threw for 534 yards and 2020 by Bryant and five touchdowns. Faced with the same prospect six weeks later, North Little Rock had to try something Offensive touchdowns scored by Brydifferent. ant, including 42 rushing and 41 pass“We went to a three-man front to ing during the season really shore up against their passing game,” North Little Rock head coach running continuously once a team leads J.R. Eldridge said. “We limited them a by at least 35 points in the second half, little bit, but it gave them more opportunities to run.” eight times during the season and 18 The Hornets simply turned to its times during the past two seasons. ground game and ran the ball 42 times Bryant also finished No. 24 in the for 274 yards and all four of their nation in the final High School Football America ranking and No. 29 in the final touchdowns in the title game. Bruising running back Tanner Maxpreps ranking. Anderson answered with 18 carries for The Hornets did it all behind a 146 yards and scores of 7 and 25 yards balanced offense that finished with 3,088 yards and 42 touchdowns rushing in earning the game’s Most Valuable Player award. Jamarien Bracy added 14 and 3,215 yards and 41 touchdowns carries for 94 yards and touchdowns of passing, an unprecedented feat of 9 and 10 yards. balance in the state’s largest “It’s an honor,” Anderson said. “We classification. Six times during the put the work in.” season, Bryant had at least four Bryant led 20-0 with 2:03 left before touchdown runs. Seven times, the halftime before North Little Rock scored Hornets had at least four touchdown on Fredrick O’Donald’s 2-yard scoring passes. “I think our balance is the reason why run with eight seconds left in the half. I’m talking to you right now,” James said. “We could run the football as well as throw the football.” Quarterback Austin Ledbetter guided Bryant to undefeated seasons as a MOST VALUABLE PLAYER junior and a senior, throwing for 3,085 Tanner Anderson ■ RB ■ Bryant yards and 41 touchdowns against just four interceptions as a senior and 7,006 BURLSWORTH AWARD WINNERS yards and 96 touchdowns in his career. Rodricho Martin ■ DE ■ Bryant “I will go on record as saying he’s Deandre Jones ■ OL ■ North LR probably the best quarterback to play in State Championship Numbers
NORTH LR DEFENSE DE Marcus Stovall NM Braxton Johnson DE Isiah Jones OLB Tavion Akins ILB Robert Burgess OLB Deontae Young DB Ricky Reed CB Amarion Williams CB Randall Abrams S Davian Vayson S Zaylon Robinson P Liam Slehorst
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NORTH LR OFFENSE QB Kareame Cotton SR RB Fredrick O’Donald SR WR Jiquori Stewart JR SR Felix Wade JR LT Deandre Jones SR LG Brian Hobby SR C Zephaniah Williams JR RG Shamar Evans SR RT Corlis Farmer JR SR Jaylon Glosson SR WR Chris Jefferson SR PK Liam Selhorst SR
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BRYANT DEFENSE DE Brayden Godwin DT Brandon Jones DT Andy Scott DE Rodricho Martin OLB Koby Melton MLB Myles Alridge OLB Hart Penfield CB Kyle Knox CB LaQuav Brumfield S Austin Schroeder S Kaleb Knox P Noah Davis
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