BENTON PANTHER GAMEDAY - SYLVAN HILLS

It’s time for Benton Panther Football!

Tonight is Homecoming. Ava Akery will be crowned the 2025 Homecoming Queen in festivities that will begin at 6:30. The class of 1975 is in town to celebrate their 50^th High School reunion.

And there’s a really big Class 6-A Conference matchup as the Benton Panthers (3-1, 1-0) host the upstart Sylvan Hills Bears (3-1, 0-1) at the Palace at 7:00.

The Panthers got the conference slate off to a great start last Friday with a convincing 55-24 win at Jonesboro. The Bears took their first loss of the season, 46-43 to Marion.

Tonight’s matchup is the 20^th all-time game between the Panthers and Bears. The two teams played eery year between 1973-1983. Benton leads the all-time series 13-6, including back-to-back mercy rules wins of 48-7 and 49-0 the last two years.

But these aren’t the Bears of the past two seasons. Mark Kelley, owner of a State Championship when he was at Searcy (2019 win over Benton, 28-27 in the Class 6-A championship game), has the Bears playing with confidence and an edge in his first season as their head coach. Panther Head Coach Brad Harris seeks his 82^nd win at the helm of Benton High School. A win tonight would put Coach Harris just one win behind the legendary Dwight Fite as the winningest head coach in Benton High School history. Tonight’s game promises to be a great one.

The Panthers need all their fans to Pack the Palace tonight for Homecoming as they seek to take the next step toward their third consecutive Class 6-A East Conference championship.

Tickets for tonight’s game are $5 and can be purchased at the stadium. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m.

For Panther fans unable to attend the game, you can watch all the action on the Benton Football Network YouTube channel at this link. An alternate Vimeo stream is also available at this link. The Everett Buick GMC Panther pregame show will begin at 6:25 p.m. and will provide the sights and sounds of the introduction of Homecoming Queen Ava Akery and her court.

Panther football on the Benton Football Network is presented by Everett Buick GMC. Also sponsoring Panther broadcasts are Lost Pizza, Legends MVP, Hamilton Family Dentistry, Merchants & Farmers Bank, Jones Heating & Air, Alcoa Community Federal Credit Union, Midtown Mechanical, Neo Home Loans, Black, Corley, Owens & Hughes, Solux Aesthetics, the City of Benton, Elliott Electrical, Truman Ball Realtors, Layne’s Chicken Fingers, Allied Glass, First Security Bank, Riverside Grocery & Catering, ACDI, True Gentlemen & Boutique, Congo Fireplace & Patio, Edward Jones agent Kaitlin King, and Westside Wellness.

Go Panthers!