MT. CARMEL — Coming into their 3A Quarterfinal, Benton and Mt. Carmel appeared to be pretty even. Both teams were 11-0 and done so in dominant fashion. Through nearly three and a half quarters, the Rangers and Golden Aces were even–tied at 14, but Mt. Carmel scored 16 points in the final 6:30 to win 30-14 and advance to the 3A State Semifinals.

After Benton just missed a 32-yard field goal attempt that would’ve given the Rangers the lead, the Aces promptly marched 80 yards, aided by a pair of Rangers’ personal foul penalties. Mt. Carmel sophomore quarterback Blayne Sisson scored from a yard out for the lead, but the Aces missed the extra point leaving the door open for the Rangers.

Benton was unable to mount a drive, and an incompletion on fourth down, turned the ball back over to Mt. Carmel at the Rangers’ 33. Three plays later, Sisson scored his third touchdown of the day. This one was from 25 yards out. The Aces tacked on the two-point conversion for a 28-14 lead with 3:05 to play.

The final two points came on a safety when the Rangers were flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone.

Sisson finished with 124 yards rushing and the three scores. Senior running back Zeke Hadra added 122 yards on 21 carries and another touchdown.

The Rangers were led by senior quarterback Keegan Glover, who wrapped up his stellar career with a game that saw him do a little bit of everything. Glover was 24-29 passing for 185 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed 17 times for 39 yards. Glover also returned three kickoffs for 83 yards and punted twice with an average of 42.5 yards. 12 of Glover’s completions belonged to Reid Baumgarte who wound up with 112 yards receiving and a touchdown.

Benton finishes 11-1. The 12-0 Golden Aces will travel to Tolono Saturday to face another unbeaten team, 12-0 Unity. The winner will be headed to DeKalb to play for the 3A State Championship.