Little Rock Central 46, Rogers Heritage 24

Little Rock Central 46, Rogers Heritage 24

ROGERS — Little Rock Central turned two defensive touchdowns into a momentum swing and rode the steady play of freshman quarterback Bryson Kennedy to a 46–24 win at Rogers Heritage on Friday night.

Heritage struck first with a 42-yard field goal from Ronald Vizuet, then marched into Central territory again before a turnover halted the drive. Kennedy responded late in the first quarter with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Ray Stewart Jr., who went on to score three times.

The Tigers blew the game open in the second quarter with a scoop-and-score off a botched pitch and another touchdown following a high punt snap. Kennedy added two rushing scores, and Central’s front, anchored by Zay Pruitt, kept pressure on throughout.

Heritage, however, found rhythm behind junior quarterback Braedon Carroll, who ran for two second-half touchdowns. Wingbacks Jayden Cortez and Evan Gordon chipped in chunk plays, while Vizuet added two PATs and the early field goal. Defensively, lineman Will Stone and linebacker Santiago Cortez stood out with multiple stops behind the line of scrimmage.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter
Heritage – Ronald Vizuet 42-yd FG, Heritage 3–0
Central – Ray Stewart Jr. 9-yd pass from Bryson Kennedy (Joel Dunn kick), Central 7–3

2nd Quarter
Central – Fumble return TD (entire defense called for excessive celebration in the endzone, kick failed), Central 13–3
Central – Kennedy 1-yd run (Dunn kick), Central 20–3
Central – Defensive TD off punt snap (Dunn kick), Central 27–3

3rd Quarter
Central – Kennedy 4-yd run (kick failed), Central 33–3
Heritage – Carroll 6-yd run (Vizuet kick), Central 33–10
Central – Stewart Jr. 5-yd run (Dunn kick), Central 40–10

4th Quarter
Heritage – Carroll 8-yd run (Vizuet kick), Central 40–24
Central – Stewart Jr. 18-yd pass from Kennedy (kick blocked), Central 46–24

Players Who Stood Out

• Ray Stewart Jr. (RB, Central) – 3 TDs (rush and reception), all-purpose spark.

• Bryson Kennedy (QB, Central) – 3 total TDs, commanded offense.

• Zay Pruitt (DE, Central) – consistent pressure, key sack.

• Braedon Carroll (QB, Heritage) – 2 rushing TDs, led second-half rally.

• Ronald Vizuet (K, Heritage) – 42-yd FG, 2 PATs.