To drum up interest for tonight's Salt Bowl football game between Saline County rivals Bryant and Benton, Shane Broadway turned to a couple of rock stars.
Broadway, a former speaker of the House of the Arkansas legislature, took advantage of his friendship with REO Speedwagon lead singer Kevin Cronin and bassist Bruce Hall, who were passing through central Arkansas in late July, to turn up the volume for tonight's game.
At a glance
2016 RECORDS Bryant 9-4 (lost in Class 7A semifinals); Benton 8-5 (lost in Class 6A semifinals)
SERIES Benton leads overall 24-18-2 (since 1974, includes Salt Bowl games)
TICKETS $8 at gate. Gates and ticket windows open at 5:30 p.m. Children 5 and under are admitted free. Bryant fans are asked to sit on the east side of the stadium. Benton fans are asked to sit on the west side.
Bryant vs. Benton
• The teams have met 18 times since the 2000 season, with Bryant having won 15 of those meetings.
2000 Bryant 44, Benton 17
2001 Bryant 28, Benton 23
2002 Bryant 16, Benton 13
2003 Bryant 34, Benton 34 (tie)
2004 Bryant 10, Benton 2
2005 Benton 14, Bryant 7
2005 Benton 35, Bryant 28*
2006 Bryant 20, Benton 7
2007 Bryant 25, Benton 7
2008 Bryant 36, Benton 12
2009 Bryant 38, Benton 7
2010 Bryant 45, Benton 9
2011 Bryant 21, Benton 14
2012 Bryant 55, Benton 21
2013 Bryant 42, Benton 28
2014 Bryant 14, Benton 14 (tie)
2015 Bryant 37, Benton 13
2016 Bryant 10, Benton 7
*Class AAAAA playoffs
Cronin and Hall, in between tour stops in Indianapolis on July 27 and Houston on July 29, were at the Little Rock Marriott when Broadway called and asked them for a little help to promote what has turned into one of the state's most well-attended high school football game.
All Broadway had to do was get Cronin and Hall on a local golf course.
"I went out there and met the guys," Broadway said. "I said to them, 'Can you do me one favor? Can you have your picture taken with the Salt Bowl T-shirt?' "
Cronin, Hall and Broadway golfed at Chenal Country Club in Little Rock and during the outing, the three men posed for a picture with Cronin and Hall holding Salt Bowl T-shirts with this year's slogan "Keepin' It Salty." Broadway posted the picture on Twitter on Aug. 1.
Broadway said they were interested in doing more than just a simple promotion during the summer.
"They started pulling out their calendars to see if they could get here," Broadway said. "They said, 'Would you like us to play?' I said, 'Would I like you to play? Of course!'
"But it's Kevin Cronin's son's birthday weekend and he had already committed to go on a trip. We'll keep working on it. Maybe we'll get them one year. They were even willing to do the national anthem in front of 30,000 fans."
Nonetheless, Broadway and Salt Bowl officials are hoping to surpass the state-record crowd of 34,086 the game established in 2015. There were 30,613 at last season's game.
Benton leads the series, which began in 1974, 24-18-2. But Bryant has held a 14-2-2 advantage since 2000.
The game is being played on a Saturday for the first time, because Little Rock Catholic, which plays all of its home games at War Memorial Stadium, played host to Sylvan Hills on Friday night, making War Memorial Stadium unavailable until today.
Bryant Coach Buck James said he's not concerned with playing the game a day later than usual.
"A lot of these times, these guys would play them all in a row if they could," James said. "Youth is wasted on the young."
Benton has not defeated Bryant since 2005, when it won two games against the Hornets, in the regular season and in the Class AAAAA playoffs (then the state's largest classification).
Benton Coach Brad Harris, whose Panthers lost last year's game 10-7, said he is ready for that streak to end.
"We're going to have to play our best ballgame," Harris said. "We've been working hard in the weight room. We've been preparing a lot this summer."
Sports on 09/02/2017