Danny Czerwinski
Section618.com
BENTON – In school, the three R’s mean one thing, but at Tabor Field Saturday, the three R’s en vogue for the day were Rangers, Redbirds, and rivalry. In a game that was close early with some drama sprinkled in the middle, Benton continued its recent series domination with a 45-20 win over West Frankfort.
The Rangers struck first in the first quarter. Following a Redbirds’ fumble, Benton took the ball on a seven play, 71 yard drive that took 3:48. It ended with a Wyatt Upton touchdown plunge from 1 yard out giving the Rangers a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Benton reverted back to previous years of an aerial attack for a pair of touchdowns. The first was a 21-yard TD pass from Tiffin Kouzoukas to Lukas Wilson putting the Rangers up 14-0.
After stopping the Redbirds on downs, the Rangers put together a drive that would make any football team at any level envious. Taking over on their own 20 yard line, Benton used a 17 play drive that took 6 and a half minutes to end the half. The drive ended with another Kouzoukas to Wilson touchdown pass. This one was six yards, and it gave the Rangers a 21-0 lead at the half.
With Benton winning the toss and deferring to the second half, the Rangers were able to capitalize and score on back to back possessions. This one was a snappy 4-play, 2 minute drive of 55 yards that ended with an Upton 6-yard touchdown run. With 10 minutes left in the third quarter, the Rangers were up 28-0 and many thought the game had slipped through the grasp of the Redbirds.
The Redbirds rallied, aided by Benton special teams mistakes. The Rangers fumbled a punt, and West Frankfort recovered in the red zone. The Redbirds needed only three plays to find the end zone as Travion Johnson scored on a 7-yard touchdown run, trimming Benton’s lead to 28-6.
The Rangers then fumbled on the ensuing kickoff. The Redbirds took advantage of the short field, with Johnson scoring his second touchdown of the quarter, a 1-yard score to cap a 36-yard drive. The 2-point conversion was no good, but West Frankfort was within two scores, 28-12, heading to the fourth quarter.
Benton answered with Upton’s third touchdown run of the day. This one was from 21 yards out and extended the Rangers’ lead to 35-12. This was Upton’s 12th TD in the last three games.
The Rangers then turned an interception into three points as Jesser Zepeda kicked a 35-yard field goal to put Benton up 38-12 with 7:00 to play.
Another West Frankfort turnover turned into immediate points for Benton, as Wilson picked up a Redbirds’ fumble and raced in from 30 yards, giving the Rangers a 45-12 lead.
The final score of the game came from the Redbirds on Gavin Mann’s 45-yard touchdown run and the subsequent 2-point conversion.
The Rangers have won the last four meetings between the two teams, extending their overall series lead to 56-48-2 over the Redbirds.
For this season, Benton improves to 4-1 overall, 2-0 in conference and will head to Harrisburg next week. West Frankfort drops to 2-3 overall, 0-2 in conference and will host Murphysboro next week.