EL DORADO -- Benton's offense gets the headlines, but the Panthers' defense more than held up its end in a 35-12 victory over El Dorado in a 6A-South game at Memorial Stadium.
Benton (8-1, 6-0) plays Pine Bluff for the 6A-South title next week.
El Dorado (4-5, 2-4) plays at Little Rock Parkview with a trip to the playoffs on the line.
Benton held El Dorado to 211 total yards, with senior running back Kawon Love carrying 27 times for 160 yards and the team's lone offensive touchdown.
Benton's grounded El Dorado's passing attack with relentless blitzes. The Panthers harassed quarterback John Sixbey into a 4-of-16 night for 47 yards, including an interception.
"Benton outplayed us. I mean, hat's off to them. They did a good job. Their kids were ready to play," El Dorado Coach Scott Reed. "They made us really one-dimensional. Their defense played really well."
El Dorado made a myriad of mistakes beyond its interception. The Wildcats failed to field a sky kickoff, were whistled for late hit penalties, botched deep snaps on field goals, missed PATs and dropped passes.
"I'm really upset about the way we played," Reed said. "It's hard to explain. I can tell you this though, Benton played well. They flat outplayed us.
Benton quarterback Cason Maertens completed 20 of 35 passes for 282 yards with an interception. The Panthers rushed for 169 yards and had 451 yards in total offense.
Benton led 14-0 by the time El Dorado picked up a first down. The Panthers marched 76 yards in eight plays on their first possession. Maertens hit Drew Dyer with a 10-yard touchdown. Matt Warrick was good on the first of his five extra points with 8:27 left in the first.
Benton drove 52 yards on its second possession with Dyer scoring on a 1-yard run with 5:23 left in the first.
El Dorado put a scoring drive together before halftime with Love carrying five times for 36 yards and 3 first downs. Love scored on a 12-yard run, powering through the left side, with 11:34 left in the second.
The Panthers answered when Maertens hit Colton Nix on a 55-yard touchdown pass with 10:33 left in the second.
Benton was driving just before halftime when Maertens was intercepted by El Dorado cornerback Randall Coleman, who returned it 85 yards for the touchdown with 43 seconds left in the second.
The run for two failed, leaving the score 21-12 at halftime.
Benton took control late in the third quarter when it scored on Dyer's 10-yard run with 2:29 left in the third.
The Panthers' ensuing kickoff was short and covered by Benton at the El Dorado 27. Three plays later, Ty Callahan scored on a 7-yard run for a 35-12 lead with 1:42 left in the third.
El Dorado, state semifinalist for seven consecutive years, finds itself in a battle just to get into the postseason.
"If we're going to get in the playoffs, we've got to beat Parkview. That's a fact. That's where we are," Reed said. "So, there's no time to hang our head. We've got to go back to work."
Sports on 10/31/2015