Tonight’s the night. Saline County rivals Benton Panthers and Bryant Hornets will play in Salt Bowl XIX at War Memorial Stadium with kickoff coming at 7 p.m. The Panthers will try to break a long winless streak as Bryant has dominated the Salt Bowl since its inception in 2000. The Hornets hold a 15-1-2 record against the Panthers in the Salt Bowl with a 34-34 tie coming in 2003 and most recently a 14-14 game in 2014.
Though Bryant has had Benton’s number in the Salt Bowl, the games have been close the last two years as the Hornets won 10-7 in 2016 and were also victorious in a 49-42 shootout last season. Overall, the Panthers hold the rivalry record at 24-19-2, including a 13-game win streak from 1986-1998. Since then, it’s been all Bryant as Benton has won two games.
“This is really a great opportunity for the Bryant Hornets to go out and compete in one heck of a contest,” Bryant Coach Buck James said at the Salt Bowl Press Conference Monday. “I’ve been around football, this is my 32nd year, and I’ve never seen anything like it. With rivals, a state championship-caliber week with the meaning of the game and what it means to both communities.
“It’s an opportunity for two really great communities to showcase not only their school, but their football programs, bands, cheerleaders, pom squads, it’s a tremendous opportunity and I really don’t take it lightly. It’s a lot of hard work in playing a game like this.
“Benton’s always a very good football team, very well-coached, play extremely hard. Benton is a heck of an opponent.”
But, its a new year with both teams expected to have good seasons in their respective conferences. After a 10-2 campaign and 7A state semifinals appearance, their second straight, the Hornets are picked to finish second in the 7A Central Conference, according to Hooten’s, behind state champion North Little Rock. The Panthers finished 7-5 last year, falling in the 6A state quarterfinals, and are picked to finish behind 6A champion Greenwood in the 6A West Conference.
“All the work that we do is going into this game,” Benton Coach Brad Harris said. “This is a big deal. It’s just a great showing of two communities that come together. We’re just happy to be representing the Benton Panthers.
“We’ve got a great opportunity this year to have a successful season. We’ve got a real strong senior class with 27 total. We know we have our work cut out for us because Bryant is a very, very good opponent. Coach James has done a tremendous job the last few years. It’s going to be a heck of a ballgame.”
Game-day tickets are $8 and kickoff is 7 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. The game will be broadcast on 103.7 The Buzz, Fox Sports Arkansas 99.3/690 AM (Bryant) and 106.7 The Ride (Benton).
Read the rest in Saturday's The Saline Courier.