If someone were to grab the stat sheet from the Loyd Star-Sacred Heart game Friday night, they likely would assume that the Hornets won the game.

That is because they dominated the game in several statistical categories. Loyd Star had almost 600 total yards of offense, 354 yards passing and 239 yards rushing. They even scored more touchdowns than the Crusaders, yet they still lost a 39-37 heartbreaker in Hattiesburg.

Ask head coach Adam Cook why and his answer would be plain and simple: turnovers and missed opportunities.
The Hornets ended the night with five turnovers. Three of those were interceptions and the remaining two came on fumbles.

“We played poorly on special teams,” Cook said. “We missed three extra point attempts and if we make those, we win the game.”
Still Cook said the mammoth effort his team put forth in the loss was reassuring.

“I was very proud of our kid’s effort tonight. After the game I told them they played well enough to win, but ending up losing because of the mistakes you made with turnovers and costly penalties,” he said.

The Hornets flashed an affinity for explosive plays throughout the game. In fact, of the Hornets’ six touchdowns in the loss, five were longer than 40 yards.

Primetime 23 wide receiver James Beard had two long receptions on the night that went for scores (one for 68 yards, another for 67) in the first half. His teammate,

Primetime 23 linebacker Parker Flowers had a 68-yard touchdown run in the half as well.
Beard continued his dominance of the opposing defense in the second half and added a 48-yard touchdown run and 78-yard reception for another score. Beard had seven catches for 286 yards and three touchdowns plus an additional carry for a 48-yard score.

“He ran so much that he ran himself out,” Cook said of Beard’s huge performance Friday. “Towards the end of the game he was cramping up pretty bad.”

Michael Harvey caught two passes for 26 yards and sophomore receiver Ray Richardson had two receptions for 41 yards.
Patrick Price added the Hornets’ final score of the night on an eight-yard scamper. He finished with three totes for 28 yards.

Flowers led all rushers with nine carries for 151 yards and one score. He also contributed from the quarterback position with an 8-of-15 clip for 263 yards, two scores and two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

The Hornets’ starter at QB, Harvey, went 3-of-10 on the night with 91 yards, one touchdown and an interception.

Suprisingly, senior running back Zac Arnold was not a huge factor for the Hornets. He rushed for only 26 yards on 12 carries and fumbled twice on the night.
Cook said it was great to see his offense exhibit big-play ability, but added that those big plays ended up fatiguing his players.

“The heat and tempo of the game affected us,” he said. “Running up and down the field and getting all those big plays takes it toll on players.”

Looking ahead, Cook said he will be working to improve his players conditioning pace against teams that spread the ball out in the same manner the Crusaders do. The Hornets face a big test this week in the form of a road game against the Franklin County Bulldogs.