Panthers fall 42-35 to Warriors in 6A semi-final on home turf
One clutch defensive play shined the brightest in a game full of outstanding plays between the Benton Panthers and Little Rock Christian Friday night in the Class 6A state semifinals.
The visitors came to Benton and walked away with a tough 42-35 victory thanks primarily to a savvy defensive play.
Late in the fourth – and trailing the Warriors by 7 – Benton was at its own 30 when quarterback Drew Davis completed a pass to a receiver, who immediately broke away from a Little Rock Christian cornerback and began to sprint down the field. However, a Warrior defensive back hustled from behind and punched the ball out of the receiver’s hands. After a frantic scramble for possession, the Warriors recovered as their players and fans exploded into a celebration with 1:29 remaining in the game.
“It’s just unfortunate for us,” said Benton Coach Brad Harris. “We make a big play. Then they make a big defensive play that tops our big play. I can’t fault my guys’ effort. They played hard against a really good football team. We had our chances in this game. We had some key mistakes in key situations like that turnover. It was a great game. You just hate to come out on the short end.”
Due to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty following the turnover, Little Rock Christian got the ball on its own 14. After two plays, Little Rock Christian faced a third and 2. But the Warriors basically sealed the game when Tate Collins ran 4 yards for the first down. The Warriors then ran the ball again for a 4-yard gain. With no timeouts left, Benton was unable to extend the game as Little Rock Christian quarterback Walker White then kneeled down on back-to-back snaps to secure the Warriors’ berth to the
Class 6A state championship game.
“For 12 weeks, this team played very hard for us,” Harris said. “After the season opening loss to Bryant, we went 10 weeks straight and we played well. It was a great season. I’m extremely proud of my guys.”
With its first possession of its home semifinal game, Benton made a statement as it went on drive that featured only running plays.
The Panthers started with the ball on the Warrior 44 and ran the ball six consecutive times. The end result was a 21-yard touchdown run by Davis. On the designed running play, the sophomore quarterback kept the ball, found a crease in the Warrior defense and ran into the open field on his way to the TD. The kick by Garrett Honeycutt gave Benton a 7-0 lead with 9:01 left in the first quarter.
After the Benton defense forced Little
Rock Christian to punt, the Panthers started their second possession on the Warrior 33. However, their drive stalled at the 26 and Honeycutt was unable to make the 43-yard kick.
The Warriors dodged a bullet – and they responded by tying the game.
Little Rock Christian got on the board when White completed a touchdown pass of 13 yards to Jackson Ward who was wide open coming out of the backfield. Greyson Hoover’s extra point tied the game at 7-7. But early in the second period, the Panthers would reclaim the lead.
Senior running back Braylen Russell took a handoff, immediately ran downhill and broke through a few tackles on his way to a touchdown run of 41 yards. With 11:50 remaining in the first half Benton led 14-7.
However, the Warriors would not trail for long.
They bounced back minutes later when White riffled a pass into the hands of Cade Bowman for a 14-yard touchdown in the middle of the field. Midway through the quarter, the teams were tied at 14. With 4:47 remaining until the intermission, the Warriors took their first lead of the game when Bowman got past Benton’s coverage and caught a perfect pass near the back corner of the end zone from 35 yards out.
Suddenly the Panthers trailed 21-14.
Later in the quarter, Little Rock Christian was in prime position to increase its lead. However, Hoover missed a 25-yard field goal as the Warrior lead remained at 7 points.
When the intermission arrived, Little Rock
Christian had a 21-14 led.
In the third, Benton received possession first – and they took advantage of the opportunity.
The Panthers made their way into the end zone thanks to an impressive 72-yard touchdown run by Russell. On the play, Russell took a pitch and patiently waited for his blocking to engage the Warriors’ front seven. Once a gap was opened, Russell exploded down the sideline where he would cruise to the TD.
With 11:02 left in the third, the score was 21-all.
Fittingly, in a contest of this magnitude, Little Rock Christian again had a response of its own. It started with the Warrior defense.
Benton went for a fourth and 1 at the 50. But the Panthers’ attempt to gain the yard was stopped short as they turned the ball over on downs.
Little Rock Christian then needed only four plays to score as White used a QB draw to run 12 yards up the middle of the field for a touchdown. Following the PAT, the Warriors led 28-21.
But Benton would have an answer of its own, thanks to a well-executed trick play.
From the Warrior 29, Davis received the snap and quickly tossed a pass down the line of scrimmage to Karson Collatt. The sophomore receiver then caught the pass, set his feet and released a pass down the field where Elias Payne jumped to catch the ball over the defense of a Little Rock Christian cornerback for a touchdown. With 2:09 left in the third, the game was tied at 28.
Early in the fourth – on the first play of the quarter – the Warriors went back ahead when White ran 3 yards for a touchdown on a quarterback keeper. With 11:55 remaining in the game, Little Rock Christian led 35-28.
Moments later, Benton tied the game at 35 when the Panthers converted a fourth and goal from the 1 when Russell dove 1-yard for a TD.
With the score tied at 35 and just over five minutes left to play, the Benton Panthers were seeking a key defensive stop. Instead, Warrior running back Jackson Ward finds the end zone on a carry of 29 yards. Following the kick, Little Rock Christian led 42-35.
From that point, Benton had an opportunity to score but it was Little Rock Christian who did enough – thanks to its defense – to walk away with a dramatic 7-point victory.
“It was a great high school football game,” Harris said. “If you came – you got the chance to see a great game. I’m proud of how our guys played.
“Little Rock Christian, they’re really good. They have good players at every position.”
For the Warriors, White completed 12 of 25 passes for 189 yards. Bowman compiled 129 yards receiving.
For Benton, Russell had 34 carries for 261 yards. Davis finished with 81 yards on 13 carries.
“Our gameplan was to run the football,” Harris said. “We wanted to shorten the game and limit their possessions. It still ended up being 42-35. But I’m proud of our guys. I’m sad, upset that we’re not playing for a state title. But our players have battled all year.”