Kansas City Rockhurst ruins Bentonville's season opener

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kam'Ron Mays-Hunt made his entry into Bentonville High's football record book a memorable one. The senior receiver became the school's career pass reception leader when he ran into the end zone late in the second quarter, cut to his left and hauled in a 4-yard touchdown pass from Nathan Lyons. The rest of Bentonville's season opener, however, was not as memorable. Kansas City Rockhurst turned a pair of Tigers turnovers into touchdowns, then controlled the game en route to a 35-8 victory at Dasta Memorial Stadium. "We turned the ball over three times, two of them in the first half," Bentonville coach Jody Grant said. "We put our defense in a bad situation against a good football team. "Overall, our decision-making process has to improve offensively. We have to protect our quarterback and give him a chance. We have some stuff to clean up on that side of the ball." Bentonville (0-1) took the ball into Rockhurst territory on its second possession, only have Lyons' screen pass picked off by Sawyer Crawford. Rockhurst then needed nine plays to score, including a 25-yard pass from Derek Green to Cooper Krenzek on a third-and-23 play and a 24-yard touchdown pass on fourth down from Green to Jacob Sykes, who broke three tackles before he crossed the goal line with 2 minutes, 1 second left in the first quarter. The Hawklets then added a 1-yard run by Matt O'Keefe before Lyons' attempt to throw the ball out of bounds was intercepted by Josh Moore, who returned the ball 21 yards to the Bentonville 27. Four plays later, Green scored on a 9-yard run, and Eric Angrisano's extra point gave Rockhurst a 21-0 cushion with 4:46 before halftime. "The numbers spoke in the first half because of the turnovers, and the defense was on the field way too long," Grant said. "We're not making plays on the third-and-longs and the fourth downs and crucial situations, and Rockhurst does. That's the difference between a really good football team and a team that is not there yet." Bentonville's only score came on its ensuing drive as the Tigers drove 86 yards in only 8 plays. Mays-Hunt, who finished the game with 10 receptions for 104 yards, set up the score when he hauled in a 41-yard pass from Lyons to the Rockhurst 2, then connected again two plays later on the touchdown play. That was his fifth catch of the game and the 135th of his career at Bentonville, surpassing the previous mark of 134 set by Cody Scroggins. Easton Miller then ran for the two-point conversion, cutting Rockhurst's lead to 21-8 with 1:35 before half. "Kam'Ron Mays-Hunt is one of the top receivers in the state," Grant said. "He's going to put up some pretty nice numbers this year. It's good for something good to come out of this." Rockhurst, however, controlled the second half and allowed Bentonville only four possessions, and one of them ended with Lyons' third interception, this time by Krenzek. The Hawklets chewed up more than 6 minutes on the opening drive of the second half and scored on a 1-yard run by Brady McCanles, then Joseph Coit added a 13-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter. Bentonville hits the road again next week to play Bixby, Okla.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Bentonville High School Athletics

KANSAS CITY ROCKHURST RUINS BENTONVILLE'S SEASON OPENER

HENRY APPLE

Arkansas Online | 9/2/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Bentonville Athletics