BENTON 87, SHERIDAN 42

It was a historic Friday night at the Palace as the Benton Panthers pummeled Sheridan 87-42.  The win improves Benton to 4-2 overall, 2-1 in the 6-A East while Sheridan fell to 2-4, 1-2.

The most points ever scored by a Benton Panther football team came in the opener of the 1930 season, a 105-0 win over Mabelvale. Friday’s 87 points against Sheridan are the second most points ever scored in a game by the Panthers.

The two teams combined for an eye-popping 129 points, including 73 combined points in the first quarter, and 1,262 yards of total offense.

With Sheridan leading 22-17 at the 6:15 mark of the first quarter, Benton senior quarterback Drew Davis (who committed on Monday to continue his football playing career for the Southern Arkansas University Muleriders) raced 49 yards untouched to give Benton a 24-22. That began a 63-6 run for the Panthers that saw them lead 80-28 by the end of the third quarter.

Davis was on fire Friday, especially with perfect touch on deep passes. He completed 26 of 36 passes for 435 yards and eight touchdowns, giving him 96 career touchdown passes as a Panther. He also added 63 yards rushing on four carries and a touchdown.

Will Carter, after missing the last two games due to injury, returned in a big way hauling in 10 passes for 193 yards and four touchdowns. Karson Collatt (5-116-2 TD), Easton Snellings (2-77-2 TD), and Corey Anderson (6-54-1 TD) all had big nights receiving for Benton. Chase Cobb, in relief of Davis, threw one pass that went for a 48-yard touchdown to Snellings.

On a night of spectacular offense by both teams, the play that shook the stadium came at the 6:02 mark of the second quarter when senior linebacker Antonio Shelton picked off an Easton Barksdale pass and returned it 70 yards for a pick-six. Along his way to the end zone, Shelton flat ran over Barksdale before flipping across the goal line bringing every Maroon clad fan in the stands to their feet.

Gabe Wilbur had another outstanding night kicking. He was 10 for 10 on extra points, booted a 29-yard field goal, and placed 10 of 11 kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks.

The Panthers scored on 13 of their 14 possessions in the game, typically on a short field as they recovered every onside kick the Yellowjackets attempted. The PDC also held Sheridan to zero fourth down conversions until their final possession. In total, the PDC limited Sheridan to just 3 of 17 on third and fourth down conversions.

Meanwhile, the Panthers were extremely efficient offensively, racking up 626 total yards on just 48 snaps. Benton converted 3 of 6 on third down and 2 of 2 on fourth down and were a perfect 4 for 4 in the red zone.

Benton’s win, coupled with other action from Friday night across the conference, leaves the 6-A East standings in a jumbled mess at the top. Benton, El Dorado, Jonesboro, Marion, and Sylvan Hills are all tied atop the standings at 2-1. LR Catholic and Sheridan are 1-2 with West Memphis in the basement at 0-3.

The Panthers travel to Memorial Stadium in El Dorado next Friday to take on the Wildcats (4-2, 2-1) in a huge conference game with significant postseason implications. The give will also give Brad Harris his first opportunity to tie Dwight Fite as the winningest head coach in Benton High School history with 83 wins. Kickoff on Friday at Memorial Stadium in El Dorado will be 7:00.