The football season came to a close for Benton on Friday night when they fell 34-24 to Sylva Bay.
Before that outcome, however, Benton threatened to win the game in every way.
A heavy run game in the first half proved to be difficult for Sylva Bay to defend.
At the half, Benton held onto a 14-8 lead.
Heading into the second half, Benton Academy head coach Kenneth Burton felt his team needed to go up two scores to fully control the game.
That didn’t happen.
“I thought we needed to come out and go up two scores on the first possession of the second half,” Burton said. “We came out of the locker room fired up and ready to hit. We just sort of stalled on our drive. We couldn’t get a first down. They took advantage of it and took the lead on their next drive.”
With their newfound momentum, Sylva Bay followed their touchdown with a defensive play blocking Benton’s punt and scoring once again to go up 22-14, a lead they would not lose.
Although Benton fought until the end, Sylva Bay stayed a step ahead and won the game 34-24.
The game didn’t end how Burton wanted, but he was still proud that his team refused to give up.
“We played a great first half,” Burton said. “We just couldn’t keep it up the whole game. We needed them to be playing catch up in the second half, but that didn’t happen. We’ve got to learn to finish games. I’ still proud of our guys for fighting until the end.”
Bruner Chandler carried the rock 19 times for 119 yards with two touchdowns.
Harris Dooley had 14 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown.
Cody Prescott rushed the ball 13 times for 62 yards. He also chipped in eight tackles in the defeat.
Ty Blackstock had a masterful defensive game, racking up a team-high 14 tackles in the losing effort.
One of Burton’s last memory of this year will be the number of missed opportunities that plagued them.
“I thought it was an up and down season,” Burton said. “I thought we left some wins on the table. We could have won that game against Union, but we lost in double overtime. I thought we had every opportunity to beat Greenville Christian. I even thought we had a lot of opportunities against Sylva Bay. We have to learn how to finish games. We competed all year, but we have to finish.”
Burton’s other key memory will be the effort and hard work that his senior class put in day in and day out.
“I’m proud of this senior class,” Burton said. “They’ve accomplished a lot in the two years we’ve had them. I think they’ve helped turn the tide of the program for the younger guys. They understand the concept of hard work.”
Benton Academy ended the season with a 2-8 record on the year
