Ardrey Kell’s Chancellor Bryant has a physics problem: Find a quick path to the end zone
It’s like a big Physics problem.
There are 21 objects in motion, and Chancellor Bryant has a few seconds to figure out where they’ll all move.
“I slow down for four or five seconds, just to organize it in my mind,” Bryant said. “I try to figure out where my move should be. And then I take off.”
For the past two weeks, Bryant has made spectacular use of his prowess with spatial movement.
He has zigged and zagged, used some fancy footwork, and turned on the after-burners to return two interceptions for touchdowns. The same skills have helped him catch four touchdown passes.
And he nearly scored on another interception and a punt return for touchdowns.
“He wants to be on the field for every play,” Ardrey Kell head football coach Greg Jachym said of Bryant, a senior with special abilities at defensive back, wide receiver, and kick returner.
2 memorable games
Ardrey Kell’s opponents get a break this week. The Knights (2-2) have an open date in their schedule. But in a 38-35 last-second loss Sept. 1 at Marvin Ridge, Bryant:
▪ Had a 93-yard pick-6.
▪ Caught five passes for 155 yards and three touchdowns
▪ Made 10 tackles
Then in last Friday’s 27-14 victory over Catawba Ridge, he:
▪ Had an 85-yard pick-6
▪ Returned another interception 60 yards, to the Catawba Ridge 8
▪ Scored on a 24-yard pass
▪ Returned a punt 40 yards
“No, I can’t recall having a pair of games like this,” said Bryant, who began playing football around the age of 6 and is a product of southeast Charlotte’s youth program. “Actually, I played mostly defense until this year. The wide receiver thing is new.”
The “wide receiver thing” is working out pretty well.
“We know he has great abilities as a receiver,” Jachym said. “But on offense, we try to use him strategically.”
Typically, Bryant plays the entire game on defense. On offense, he usually sits out the first series.
“That gives me a chance to see what kind of defense the other team is playing,” he said. “And then we can tailor some plays for me.”
Good chemistry
Bryant, 5-11 and 165 pounds, played youth football for the South Charlotte Patriots, a program that has produced a steady stream of Ardrey Kell standouts in recent years. He has been a teammate much of that time with current Knights quarterback Gavin Adams, who is a year younger than Bryant.
“Gavin and I know each other really well,” he said. “We’ve been playing together in midget ball, in middle school (at Community House Middle), and now here. We’ve built up a good chemistry.”
Bryant said he decided to add wide receiver to his resume during the offseason.
“We lost 33 seniors from last year’s team,” he said. “I saw a need for me as a pass-catcher.”
He and Adams spent hours during the summer, working to refine their chemistry.
“He’s always had that playmaking ability,” Jachym said.
Bryant said the long returns — interceptions and punts — seem to come naturally to him.
“It’s a matter of watching the other team, of learning their tendencies,” he said.
‘Game slows down’
Once the ball is in his hands, he puts his Physics ability to work.
“It’s almost like the game slows down a bit,” he said. “I get an idea of where my blockers are, and which direction they’re going. Then I make a quick determination of where the other team’s players are headed.”
“But the whole thing happens in a hurry,” he said. “We defensive players are suddenly on offense, and the offensive players are on defense. Everything changes.”
His goal, he said, is simple.
“I want to run back every pick,” he said.
Bryant said four things dominate his life — faith, family, academics and football.
“I try to keep grounded,” he said. “My faith in God is important. So is my family. I stay in the books, to keep my grades up.”
“All of that helps keep me grounded,” he added. “I set high goals for myself. I’m always trying to become a better player.”
Despite early-season losses to Weddington and Marvin Ridge, Bryant said he thinks Ardrey Kell has a team that could play late into the postseason.
“We’ve got good chemistry this year,” he said. “We have good leadership. We hold each other accountable. That starts with me.”
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle
