Bryant ran 24 times for 136 yards, including 120 in the second half, and collected two touchdowns on the ground. He was also 7 of 18 passing for 137 yards.

But it was on third and fourth down in the second half that Bryant made his mark. The gunslinger repeatedly kept the ball on those paramount plays when the Yachtsmen (4-1) switched to an option offense. Only once was he stopped on fourth down, and that was by mere inches.

“We’ve been working on those a lot this year, and they worked well for us tonight,” Bryant said. “We did a good job of running those.”

“The read-option was just tough,” Leavitt coach Mike Hathaway said. “(Bryant) ran tough and their line blocked tough.”

The game started off as a defensive struggle, with both teams trading off two punts each to start. It soon turned into a top-this offensive display, with four touchdowns scored in eight plays between the first and second quarters.

Falmouth opened the scoring with a 5-yard run by Brandon Martin three plays after Bryant hit Brock Welch for a 31-yard pass.

The Hornets (1-4) countered with a Tim Albert to Caleb Bowen 70-yard touchdown pass two plays later, and Eli Lind’s extra-point made it 7-6.

Garrett Aube took the Yachtsmen’s next play to the house for 57 yards, then Albert and Bowen needed just four plays for a 44-yard hookup and a 14-12 lead.

DJ James extended the Hornets’ lead to 21 -12 with a 3-yard run with five minutes left in the first half, but Bryant closed it to 21-18 on a 1-yard keeper touchdown run with 48 seconds left.

The Falmouth QB then opened the second half with a 5-yard scoring run and the Yachtsmen never looked back.

The Falmouth defense quieted the Leavitt attack, with Riley Reed’s interception return for a touchdown midway through the third quarter being the linchpin. Th 46-yard pick-six made it 38-21 right after Aube’s 15-yard scoring scamper.

Hunter Sirois capped off the scoring with a 27-yard run on the next drive.

“I think we just came out and just kept the pace up,” Bryant said. “And our D really played a great second half. Scoring that interception was a huge momentum shift for us.”

“It was a big-play game, and they’re quarterback is a good player,” Hathaway said. “We had a hard time with him running the ball, and he made some pretty good throws as well. They made a few more big plays than we did.”

wkramlich@sunjournal.com