Benton rolls over Greenbrier 62-21
The Benton Panthers overcame a ragged start to roll past the Greenbrier Panthers en route to a 62-21 home victory Friday evening in round two of the Class 6A state playoffs.
“We didn’t play a clean first half,” said Benton Coach Brad Harris. “The second half was better. I’m proud of the guys for collecting their thoughts at the half and coming back out and playing better.”
Benton got on the board first when receiver Elias Payne caught a 78-yard touchdown pass. On the play, Payne ran a nice route to get open in the middle of the field. Quarterback Drew Davis then connected with Payne who caught the ball and outran the Greenbrier defense on his way to the TD.
Garrett Honeycutt, who converted 8 of 9 extra point attempts, made the kick to give Benton a 7-0 lead with 5:27 left in the first.
Benton later extended its lead to 14-0 when Payne caught a 9-yard touchdown pass.
However, Greenbrier
– a 4 seed from the 6A West – responded by going on a nice drive that concluded with Kane Richardson scoring on a 1-yard QB keeper on a fourth and goal. The kick by Clayton Preza made the score 14-7 with less than 5 seconds remaining in the opening period.
With its first possession of the second quarter, Benton scored again. This time running back Braylen Russell caught a short pass from Davis and scampered down the edge of the field on his way to a touchdown. Benton was now up 21-7.
Harris’ squad later increased their lead to 28-7 thanks to Davis maneuvering his way through the Greenbrier defense for a 17-yard touchdown run with 4:59 remaining until the intermission.
Benton tacked on another TD with 1:11 left in the second quarter when Karson Collatt caught 32-yard touchdown pass from Davis. Suddenly, Benton was up 35-7 and seemingly headed into the intermission with momentum.
But Greenbrier uses a pass-happy, fast-paced offense. Therefore, they were able to quickly get the ball down the field. With no time remaining in the second quarter, Greenbrier scored.
From the Benton 16, with less than two seconds left on the clock, Richardson released a nice pass to the back corner of the end zone where Lawson Worthey easily hauled the ball in with no time showing on the clock.
Worthy, a 6-3 receiver, beat double coverage on the play to get the touchdown. The extra point was no good as Benton led 35-13 at the half.
In the third, Benton put the game out of reach.
Greenbrier, with its first possession of the half, drove down to the Benton 16 before the Panther defense sacked Richardson on a fourth and 7 play.
The visitors wasted a golden opportunity and Benton took advantage of the situation.
After it forced the turnover on downs, Benton would add to its lead when Russell ran 43 yards for a TD. On the play, Russell took a handoff and exploded through the Greenbrier line. Once he was in the open field, Russell made his way to the end zone with 4:24 left in the third.
Benton’s defense would later factor into its next points scored when Richardson found himself under heavy pressure and the ball was knocked out of his grasp. Benton’s d-line quickly pounced on the ball. Benton needed only one play to capitalize on the turnover as Davis found Collatt open behind the Greenbrier defense for a 22-yard touchdown pass. With 3:30 left in the third, Benton led 48-13.
In the fourth, Benton continued to score as Russell ran 20 yards for a touchdown to help his
team go up 55-13.
Greenbrier then responded by scoring its final points of the game when Richardson connected with Miles Miller for an 8-yard touchdown pass. Richardson then completed a two-point pass to Worthey to make the score 55-21.
“Coach (Randy) Tribble does a tremendous job with Greenbrier,” Harris said. “They’re really good in the passing game. Their quarterback is elusive, and they have two receivers that will give you problems. They have good players.”
Benton concluded the scoring in this contest when Quenton Godley ran seven yards for a TD. Following the kick, the
host led by the eventual final score of 62-21.
“I’m proud of our effort,” Harris said.
“It’s about winning and advancing at this time of the year.”
The Benton defense, which also got a clutch interception from Chris Barnard early in the game, did what it needed to against a tough offense to contain, the coach added.
“I’m proud of the way our guys hung in there and continued to play hard,” Harris said. “We got a turnover or two and a couple of key stops. It’s about winning. The guys held it together and got a big win for us.”
Offensively for Benton, Payne had 140 yards receiving. Russell had
111 yards rushing. Davis amassed 262 yards passing.
Benton – champion of the 6A East – advances to the state semifinals where it will host Little Rock Christian next Friday evening.
“When you get to semifinal week – that’s big time,” Harris said. “When I became coach of Benton, one of my goals was to have us playing the day after Thanksgiving every year. If you can advance to the semis every year, you’re a good program. We’re here again. But Little Rock Christian is very talented. It’s going to be a great game. People in this area need to pack our place and watch two great teams get after it.”