Greenwood uses late go-ahead score to knock off Benton in 6A semifinal win

By George "Clay" Mitchell | Photos by Karen Schwartz

GREENWOOD — Benton and Greenwood clashed with their differentiating tempos.

Benton (9-3) had a deliberate pace handing the ball off to Braylen Russell to keep the Bulldogs’ offense from taking the field.

Greenwood (10-2) moved fast to keep the Panthers off balance.

But it was the Bulldogs’ turn to slow down the game late and punched Greenwood’s third consecutive trip to the Class 6A state finals as the Bulldogs defeated Benton 31-24 in the semifinal game at Smith-Robinson Stadium.

“These kids deserve it. I think sometimes people take it for granted that we make it to the state championship games because they’re used to it,” Greenwood head coach Chris Young said. “I don’t know if they realize how hard these kids have to work hard to get where they are and how good you have to be over and over and over again.

“A bad night can end your season, and luckily, our defense stepped up.” 

Greenwood advances to face Pulaski Academy, who outlasted Little Rock Catholic Friday night, on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 6:30 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium for the Class 6A Championship.

“It was a sloppy game for us, and we did some uncharacteristic things out there,” said Young. “But give Benton some credit. [The Panthers] have a great defense, and that running back (Russell) can control the clock and the pace of the game.”

Hunter Houston finished with 21-of-39 passing for 230 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. He also had 14 carries for 53 yards and another touchdown. Jake Glover added 13 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown. Grant Karnes caught eight passes for 75 yards. LJ Robins had six receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown. Isaiah Arrington caught four passes for 68 yards and a touchdown.

With the score tied at 24, Benton forced a Greenwood punt that pinned the Panthers back on its own 6 with 3:33 left. Benton punted after it went three-and-out, and Greenwood took over at the Panther 45 with 2:35 on the clock.

“I told the coaches we were not giving the ball back where there was any time left on the clock,” Young said. “[Russell] is liable to go for an 80-yard run, and we didn’t want to give them the opportunity. That’s why we were slow on that last drive.”

Greenwood had two fourth-down conversions on its final drive, including a 32-yard pass from Houston to Karnes at the Panther 3 with 14 seconds remaining. Houston hit Robins two plays later for the touchdown.

“No one gave us a chance this season,” Benton coach Brad Harris said. “Nobody talked about the Panthers, but I think we woke up some people last week when we beat Lake Hamilton, and I think that got us some attention. It’s still a loss, but we played our tails off, and I’m proud of these kids. We had our chances, and our defense played very well. We just had two busted coverages.”

Benton came up short at the goal line in the first half. The first was a fumble recovered in the end zone before the Panthers could go up two touchdowns midway through the first quarter. The second was right before halftime.

The Panthers reached inside the Bulldog 1 after a 24-yard pass from Cline Hooten to Logan Owen. An offsides penalty moved the team back five yards, and Benton ran out of time.

“We’ve played four quarterbacks this season, and we have some young guys in there, and Braylen Russell had a great season,” said Harris. “Our offensive line held and controlled the line of scrimmage. We’ve played Greenwood before. We knew what to expect and what kind of environment this will be. We knew we had to get some key stops, and I thought we played tremendous at times.”

Benton started with Patrick Shipp picking off a pass on the game's second play and returning it 15 yards for the first score, and Benton led 7-0 at the 11:50 mark.

Benton defeated Lake Hamilton 31-0 in the quarterfinals.

Russell had 22 carries for 172 yards with a touchdown in the first half but finished with 41 carries and 278 yards and two touchdowns. Hooten completed seven passes for 90 yards in the first half but finished with 10-of-19 passing for 104 yards.

“I think my kids played awesome,” said Greenwood defensive coordinator Jason Gill. “That back (Braylen Russell) of theirs is big, and we just kept hitting until we can get them off the field. My guys stepped up and made big plays when we needed them.”

The game had seven lead changes and a tie culminating in the fourth quarter on a field goal at the 6:35 mark kicked by Benton’s Lucas Wilbur. Greenwood’s first score was a 20-yard field goal by Bodey Steinfeldt.

The first meeting between these two teams was in the 2015 semifinals when the Bulldogs won 61-23. Greenwood improved 7-2 against Benton and has won all three playoff games against the Panthers. The Bulldogs defeated Benton 45-14 in the 2018 Class 6A title game.