After winning its fifth consecutive game with a 38-19 win over the Texarkana Razorbacks last week on homecoming, the Benton Panthers hit the long road once again against the toughest opponent the Panthers have seen since falling 49-42 to Bryant in the Salt Bowl.
Benton (5-1, 3-0 West) will take on a familiar foe in the El Dorado Wildcats (5-1, 2-1), a team the Panthers handled last year 41-9 last season, at Memorial Stadium in El Dorado. The Wildcats are a totally different team from last year as their only loss this season came against powerhouse Greenwood.
“I think they’re the most complete team we’ve played since Bryant,” Benton Coach Brad Harris said. “Offensively, they’re very solid up front. They’ve got some size on the offensive line. Dual-threat quarterback; runs the ball real well, throws it, has a big arm.”
That dual-threat QB is senior Darius Holly, who has passed for 1,122 yards and 11 touchdowns, vs. just one interception, while completing 68 of 101. Holly has also ran for 183 yards and four TDs.
And Holly has plenty of targets to throw to as three receivers have 19, 19 and 16 receptions, respectively, with junior Shun Livingston’s 16 going for 392 yards and five TDs.
“They’re throwing the ball vertically and are successful with it,” Harris said. “They’re a balanced offense and that’s what you look at. They’ve done a good job of being balanced and scoring some points. They beat some good teams. They beat Cabot. They play solid defense and run the football.”
Leading the charge on the ground for the Wildcats is senior Richard Keese with 342 yards and six TDs, and he didn’t play last week in El Dorado’s 49-14 over Sheridan due to injury. But their backup back, sophomore Alex Hicks, has been just as effective with 332 yards on the ground with four TDs.
“The starting running back was hurt against Sheridan, but we expect him to be back,” Harris said of Keese. “There’s not a lot of dropoff between their one and two, they’re very similar. Kind of a very typical El Dorado offense: they like to run the football. They like to run the power and counter, and play-action pass you. They might do a little more screen game, a little more Spread stuff than normal, but offensively they’re going to be a tough task for us.”
The Panthers and Wildcats will kick off at 7 p.m. at Memorial Stadium in El Dorado. Listen on 106.7 “The Ride” and watch later on Fidelity Local 6 later on bentonpantherfootball.com.