Benton Panthers senior Brandon Hunter was named the top running back in the 6A West Conference as well as earning All-State honors, as did senior defenders Brayden Harris, Chandler Clift and Preston Stone. Ten other Panthers earned All Conference honors, too.
Hunter had a breakout season for the 8-5 Panthers, which made the 6A semifinals for the third consecutive season. Hunter led Saline County in yards with 1,645 on 193 carries, scoring 16 touchdowns on a Saline leading 8.5 yards per carry.
“Brandon was our leading rusher on the year,” Benton Head Coach Brad Harris said. “He was our big-play guy. He was a guy that offensively we win if Brandon wins. The games that he had big games, we were very successful. He was an explosive runner.”
Not only did Hunter rush it, he also caught 43 passes for 521 yards and eight TDs. Including kickoff returns, Hunter had 2,507 all-purpose yards. For his Panther career, Hunter finished with 2,816 rushing yards and 25 TDs for an 8.0 average, and caught 73 passes for 906 yards and 11 TDs.
“Handing it off to him, throwing it to him, however you can get him the ball,” Harris said. “He’s a guy who had a big year for us. You have to try to get it to a guy like that.”
Read the rest in Friday's The Saline Courier.