Big plays set up a Benton victory

Benton running back Zak Wallace (23) tries to elude a tackle from El Dorado linebacker Caleb Scott during the Panthers’ 62-35 vic- tory over the Wildcats on Friday in Benton. Wallace ran for 284 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Benton running back Zak Wallace (23) tries to elude a tackle from El Dorado linebacker Caleb Scott during the Panthers’ 62-35 vic- tory over the Wildcats on Friday in Benton. Wallace ran for 284 yards and 2 touchdowns.

6A-SOUTH

BENTON 62, EL DORADO 35

BENTON -- Zak Wallace ran for 284 yards and the Benton defense came up with enough big plays Friday night to help the Panthers earn a 62-35 6A-South Conference victory over El Dorado.

Benton (6-1, 4-0) scored 28 points in the first half but needed a key defensive stop early in the third quarter to hold off the Wildcats (3-4, 2-2).

El Dorado had closed to within 28-21 early in the third quarter when Wildcats quarterback Alex Hicks scored on a 9-yard run and El Dorado recovered an ensuing onside kick.

Benton, however, responded by forcing two incomplete passes and junior linebacker Bryce Golleher sacked Hicks for a 12-yard loss.

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Wallace shined on the next Benton possession, either running the ball or catching passes for a combined 33 yards on the next six plays. The Panthers then stunned the Wildcats with a double pass with sophomore Garrett Brown tossing the ball to Gavin Wells, who hit Garrett Body for a 39-yard scoring pass.

Benton eventually held a 49-21 advantage.

"Zak Wallace stepped up for us and played big," Benton Coach Brad Harris said. "At that point when it became a close game, we needed to be a bit more secure with the ball and hand it off to a guy we know is going to take care of the football. He's going to be tough to tackle and our offensive line did a good job to get some separation from them."

Wallace scored Benton's first and last touchdowns, breaking off a 36-yard run with 7:38 left in the first quarter and running for a 60-yard TD with 3:58 remaining. He also set up another touchdown with a 66-yard run.

Junior D'Anthony Harper ran for 99 yards and scored on runs of 3 and 1 yards for the Panthers. Body also caught an 84-yard TD pass and finished with four catches for 137 yards.

Hicks, who also scored on a 62-yard run, ran for 117 yards and threw for 136 more, but he was sacked four times.

"This Benton team is very good," El Dorado Coach Scott Reed said. "We've got to get better defensively, obviously. But they're very good offensively and they executed very well tonight. We did nothing to get them off the field."

"I thought we played well at times but we gave up some big plays in key situations when it was third and long," Harris said. "Their quarterback is good. He is elusive. We had a tough time tackling him."

Benton spotted El Dorado a 7-0 advantage but scored the next 28 points. The Panthers led 28-14 at the half.

Brown completed only three passes in the first half but two of them were for touchdowns -- a 46-yarder to senior Michael Allison four plays into the second quarter and a 84-yarder to Body with 7:44 left before halftime.

Wallace amassed 136 yards on 14 carries in the first two quarters.

Senior Shun Levingston capped El Dorado's opening drive, scoring on a 20-yard run with 9:47 left in the first quarter. The Wildcats did not score again until there was 14 seconds left in the first half when junior Steven Tollette hauled in a 14-yard scoring pass from Hicks.

Sports on 10/13/2018

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