Benton Academy’s struggles on the gridiron continued on Friday night when they fell 27-0 to Newton County Academy.
The defeat dropped Benton to 2-7 on the season.
Newton struck first in the contest with a rushing touchdown in the first quarter to take a 7-0 lead.
In the second quarter, the Raiders stepped up their game defensively and held Newton out of the end zone, but their offense was also held out, making it a 7-0 game at the half.
The Generals hit their stride in the second half of the game, scoring 14 in the third quarter and six in the fourth to take the game 27-0.
Injuries have forced a number of younger players into action at key positions, making it tough for the Raiders.
Benton Academy head coach Kenneth Burton feels that his team just has to keep playing hard for good things to happen.
“We played tough early on,” Burton said. “It was one of those games where we knew we’d be limited on how many possessions we got because of the offense they play. We’re inexperienced up front. We started an 8th grader and 9th grader there this week. We’re playing hard, but we’re just banged up.”
Newton rushed for 409 yards on 41 carries in their win.
Benton will attempt to end their season on a bright note when they host Sylva Bay on Friday night.
The Saints are 2-7 on the year after losing a 32-14 contest to Ben’s Ford last week.
While the playoff situation for Benton is murky at best, Burton understands that they have to worry about what they can control.
“They’re going to run a spread offense,” Burton said. “We’ll have to make tackles in space. That’s not something we’ve done well this year We’ll just have to keep plugging and chugging. There’s a chance that we can still make the playoffs if things fall our way, but the key here is to win on Friday night. That’s what we can control, and that’s what we have to do.”
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
