Friday night football was back in Hornet Stadium Sept. 9. The lights were on, and the student section was popping. For the first time ever, new coach Buck James stood on the same sidelines as many great coaches before him. Players said they had been preparing for this game since they lost to Fayetteville in heartbreaking fashion in the divisional round of the playoffs last year. The stadium was packed with fans hoping for another thriller like they witnessed last November. The Bulldogs stomped that idea into the mud.

The Hornets had a dismal start, amassing three and out after three and out, as the defense faltered and gave up two first quarter touchdowns to the Bulldogs. On the sidelines, injured running back senior Phillip Isom-Green was forced to watch his fellow running backs falter against Fayetteville defense.

“I constantly think, ‘I was in there, I would have made that play,’” Isom-Green said.

The Hornets took a gamble at the start of the second quarter, putting safety junior Cameron Vail at quarterback for a drive leading to a Jeremiah Long rushing touchdown later that possession. Both defenses dominated for most of the quarter, but the Hornet’s defense could not defend Fayetteville’s dual-threat quarterback Taylor Powell, nor quick receivers, and gave up a touchdown with 1:18 left in the half.

The Hornets went into the locker room trailing 7-20 at half, but on the opening kickoff, junior Rondale Messer attempted to reverse all negative momentum. He recovered a forced fumble deep in opponent territory, and it seemed that things were finally going the Hornet’s way. The Bulldogs were able to stop the Hornet’s offense, forcing James to call for senior kicker Hayden Ray. The kick was good and narrowed the lead to 10-20, but it was obvious on the sideline that the players had given in to adversity, due to their tired expressions and lack of energy.

The Bulldogs went on to score 23 unanswered on the Hornets. The final score of the game was 10-43, forcing Hornet fans to go home unhappy.

“They were a great team; we just couldn’t stick it out,” defensive starter senior Marvin Moody said.

Many Hornet fans may be wary of the new coaching staff, but Moody believes that it was a change for the better.  

“We have some great coaches, and they are definitely working us hard,” Moody said. “We’re gonna get this fixed.”