Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Benton stuns Greenwood
BENTON — Brad Harris’ voice was a bit hoarse following Friday night’s game, but after the way his Benton Panthers performed against Greenwood, faulty vocal cords were the last thing the fourth-year coach cared about.
Senior defensive back Cade Clark picked off a pass from Greenwood quarterback Jace Presley with 13 seconds left to help Benton pull off a stunning 45-38 victory over the two-time defending Class 6A state champions at a rainsoaked Panther Stadium.
“It’s hard to talk, and I’ve been trying to catch my breath,” Harris said, “but this is the biggest win at Benton in a long time. We’ve been close all year, but we’ve been inconsistent on offense.
“But [Friday], we put it together offensively and played pretty good defense when we absolutely had to have it. I just can’t say enough about them.”
The wet conditions may have denied Harris a chance to be more vocal throughout, but the Panthers’ play spoke volumes.
Senior running back D’Anthony Harper carried 32 times for 128 yards and 4 touchdowns for Benton (5-3, 5-0 6A-West), which not only avenged last year’s state final loss to Greenwood but also put an end to the Bulldogs’ 35-game conference winning streak. The last time Greenwood had lost a league game was on Oct. 17, 2014, when it dropped a 3821 decision to Bryant when the two were a part of the blended 7A/6A-Central. But a poor start and mistakes were too much for the Bulldogs to overcome.
“We were sloppy coming out and just didn’t play the way we’re accustomed to playing,” said Greenwood coach Rick Jones, whose team had had a 19-game win streak snapped. “You’ve got to play clean football and not turn the ball over if you’re going to win these types of close games. [Benton] did a great job of executing all night offensively, and I thought their quarterback [Garrett Brown] showed a lot of poise throughout.
“You’ve got to give them a lot of credit because they played really well.”
Brown finished 16-of-25 passing for 285 yards and a touchdown for the Panthers, who managed to break away from a halftime tie and build a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter only to watch the Bulldogs tie it late. Senior wide receiver Gavin Wells caught 7 passes for 74 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown catch with 5:02 left in the third quarter.
Presley, a senior, completed 26 of 40 passes for 237 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions while junior running back Hunter Wilkinson ran 25 times for 114 yards and 2 scores for Greenwood (7-1, 4-1), which trailed 38-24 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game but got a 4-yard score from Wilkinson at the 8:21 mark and a 20-yard scoring reception from senior wide receiver Lazaro Angel with 4:18 left to tie it at 38-38. Angel ended the night with 10 receptions for 116 yards.
Benton moved back ahead after on the ensuing drive when Harper scored on a 1-yard dive with 2:09 left. Greenwood then took the following kickoff and moved from its 36 to the Panthers’ 10 before Clark stepped in front of Presley’s pass to slam the door shut on the Bulldogs’ rally.
“We had some guys step up all game,” Harris said. “There were times where we had chances to keep [Greenwood] out of the end zone, but we didn’t. But I tell them all the time to just keep playing.
“We don’t do anything easy, but the guys are resilient. They made when it counted at the end.”
Harper’s 9-yard touchdown run put Benton on the board first, but Greenwood responded with a 5-yard touchdown from Presley to Angel and a Wilkinson 1-yard score to take a 14-7 lead. Benton senior running back Casey Johnson tied it at 14-14 with a 48-yard score with 3:48 left in the half. The teams then exchanged field goals, with the Panthers’ Bryant Araujo burying a 36-yarder at the halftime horn to knot it at 17-17.