‘Come out here and show them why.’ UK commit’s pick-six clinches Douglass victory.
Frederick Douglass defensive back Ty Bryant made a big decision on Thursday afternoon. He and his teammates made some big plays on Friday night.
Bryant, a junior who committed to play at Kentucky a day earlier, ran back an interception 53 yards for a touchdown and some insurance in the fourth quarter of the Broncos’ 27-14 win at Bryan Station in the season opener.
Even with the commitment under his belt, Bryant felt the need to prove something.
“It’s a great story. When I was talking to my dad about it, he was just like, ‘Come out here and show them why,’ Bryant said. “And that’s one thing I had on my mind all day — just come out and show them why.”
The Broncos showed why they were the Herald-Leader’s preseason No. 1 Class 5A team as chosen by the coaches in the division, although it wasn’t a perfect performance against Class 6A No. 5 Bryan Station.
“We’re starting four new offensive linemen, so it’s going to be a work in progress,” Douglass Coach Nathan McPeek said. “We’ll get better. We’ve still got a lot of playmakers.”
After giving up a Dane Key 10-yard TD on the Broncos’ opening drive, the Bryan Station defense stiffened and forced Douglass to punt twice. In fact, Station was able to slow Douglass with two more punts during the game and turn them over on downs twice, as well.
But the Broncos’ offense, well-known for its ability to gash defenses quickly, showed it can still hit the afterburners.
On a third-and-7 from their own 38-yard line with just over three minutes left until halftime, Samuel Cornett found a wide-open Cameron Dunn down the left sideline for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead.
“It felt amazing,” Dunn said. “The offense was kind of iffy, iffy early on. We just needed a big play. From there on, we kind of got it together. There’s still a lot of stuff we need to work on penalty wise, but we’re going to be pretty good.”
But Bryan Station, coming off its best season in decades and eager to prove its own top-10 ranking, climbed back into the game on a 77-yard pass from sophomore QB Trenton Cutwright to J’marious Lindsay to cut the deficit to 14-7 early in the third quarter.
Station turned Douglass over on downs on its next possession and began driving again, this time to try to tie.
Douglass’ Darion Neal, however, picked off Cutwright’s pass at the Broncos’ 3-yard line, returning it to their own 15.
Then it was time for another Kentucky recruit to make his presence known. TJ Horton, a junior who’s doubling up as a defensive back and occasional run-threat, broke lose on a counter play for a 49-yard touchdown run to push the Broncos’ lead to 21-7 with one minute left in the third quarter. Bryant’s pick-six would later seal the win.
Bryan Station’s Jeremiah Mundy-Lloyd scored a touchdown for the Defenders just before the end of the game.
“It was good. I thought we played good defense until we busted a coverage on a wheel route,” McPeek said of Bryan Station’s 77-yarder. “One thing I liked offensively is that we didn’t have any turnovers, which is a rarity in a first game. … It was a good first game.”
Bryan Station kept up with Douglass offensively, gaining 261 yards to the Broncos’ 299, but Douglass held the Defenders to just 77 rushing yards, which last year was a strength. The Broncos also benefited from four Douglass turnovers — the two interceptions and two fumbles.
Davaun Hart led Douglass with 72 of its 139 yards rushing. Samuel Cornett threw 13 completions for 160 yards and two scores. Station’s Cutwright threw for 184 yards with a TD.
This story was originally published August 21, 2021 at 8:29 AM.
