Football Preview: Benton eyes winning season, better fortune in 2021

Last year was not one to remember for the Benton Tigers, as they finished 2020 with a regular season record of 2-4. A competitve loss to West Ouachita in the first round of the playoffs, 21-17, ended their tough season.

Head coach Reynolds Moore cited numerous reasons for the subpar campaign.

“We didn’t have the depth to handle the number of players quarantined throughout the season,” Moore said. “We had some key players miss some big games (like everyone else did I’m sure).”

The pandemic played a major factor during the Tigers’ 2020 season in the eyes of Moore. Benton was forced to cancel their games between Southwood and C.E. Byrd due to complications with the virus.

The Tigers will have to make do without five starters from last year: defensive lineman Rowe Thompson, linebacker/running back Ashur Hall, defensive lineman Cade Waites, wideout Dane Sterns and offensive lineman Nathan Hardin, who will be playing for Louisiana College in the fall.

Hall was the team’s leading scorer last year with six rushing touchdowns and also led the team in sacks on defense. Waites led the team in total tackles as well as tackles for loss in 2020. Thompson and Sterns were also key contributors last year for the Tigers, and their presence will be missed for Benton. Losing a starting offensive lineman is never easy either, especially one that has the ability to play at the collegiate level, like Nathan Hardin.

There are reasons to be optimistic about how the Tigers will fair this year as they have multiple key players coming back on both sides of the ball.

Star defensive end Davis Sellers (SR. 6’3”-220) comes back looking to build off his impressive junior year. Sellers finished 2020 with 20 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 pass break ups and 2.5 sacks in just six games. He has also recently received an offer from Hendrix College, to continue his football career at the next level.

Sawyer Simmons (JR. 6’0”-175) returns for his junior year as the center fielder for the Tigers defense. Simmons was productive last year from the free safety position, accumulating 25 tackles and a pass break up.

E.J. Washington (SR. 5’10”-265) looks to make an impact from the interior of the defensive line as he did a year ago. In 2020, Washington made his presence known producing 13.5 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.

On the opposite side of the ball Benton welcomes back its starting quarterback Gary Walters (Jr. 6’3”-175). Walters in his sophomore season had a solid year to grow on, he finished the year with 1119 passing yards, a 59.3% completion percentage, 11 total touchdowns and five interceptions. With another offseason under his belt Walters looks to improve his overall game to allow the offense to reach its full potential.

Walters will get one of his favorite targets back, as Pearce Russell (JR. 5’11”-165) returns out wide. Russell hauled in a team leading 21 receptions for 306 yards and four touchdowns in his sophomore year. Walters and Russell will look to strengthen their chemistry further going into their junior seasons.

Another sophomore that made an impact last year was offensive lineman Cameron McCormack (Jr. 6’2”-250). He is also looking to continue the success he had last year as he comes back to clear the pocket for his quarterback.

Benton begins the year with three straight non-district games two on the road and one at home. First, the Tigers will travel to Northwood in Shreveport to take on the Eagles, who finished last year 5-3. Week 2 has Benton on the road once again to face Barbe in Lake Charles. The Buccaneers will be playing for the first time since the 2020 pandemic, as they opted out of last year’s season. Their final non-district game will be fought on their home turf when the Richwood Rams visit.

Benton opens up district play with a home game versus the Panthers of Parkway High School. They then are back on the road and go to face the Haughton Buccaneers in week 5. The next week they travel to Shreveport to take on the Captain Shreve Gators. In Week 7 the Tigers go back to Shreveport to battle the C.E. Byrd Yellow Jackets. Southwood will then travel to Benton before the Tigers will end their regular season with a road trip to battle Natchitoches Central.

Last year, Benton only managed to win two out of five district games, although seven games in district were originally planned with a pair eventually canceled.

“We lost five games by a combined 17 points,” Moore said. “We normally finish games well but couldn’t get it done last season.”

Moore believes that his team when fully available was much better last year than their record indicated.

Benton plays six of their nine games on enemy soil, which will be a test for this team, especially since more than half of their games were at home last year. With vaccination rates rising across the state, the Tigers are hopeful that they will not have to worry about players quarantining and missing games this season. Having all their players ready and available will be very helpful if they find themselves in tight games like they did last year.

Moore will look to players like Davis Sellers, Gary Walters and Pearce Russell to step up in late game scenarios this year to help Benton over the hump in 2021.

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