By Rob Patrick
With a new head coach, especially one with the resume of Steve Quinn, hope for a return to the glory days of Panthers football has, no doubt, been renewed among the Benton players and fans.
Most fans would say they figure it’ll take a year or two before that happens but deep down they hope it can happen now.
No doubt, the players believe it can happen this year. And that’s certainly what you’d expect.
They start that quest on Friday, Sept. 4, with the annual Salt Bowl battle with the arch-rival Bryant Hornets. It’s a series that has shadowed the fortunes of both teams. In its heyday, Benton dominated the series, winning 14 years in a row through 1998. Since, Bryant has won 7 of 9 with a tie as its program blossomed.[more]
Quinn, at the annual press conference promoting the big night, admitted he’d much rather the game be later in the season. That would give his team a chance to develop, to find its identity and settle into the new schemes.
There is, however, an advantage to playing the arch-rival first. It’s the element of surprise.
Admittedly, Quinn has a track record from his previous jobs but what has he seen in this group of players? What schemes fit them?
He isn’t giving much away in advance.
“The thing we’ve got to do, probably, is find ways to get the ball into our better players’ hands,” Quinn stated. “Especially early in the season, we’ll be trying to move the ball around quite a bit. We’ve tried quite a few different formations, just trying to figure out who are going to be our best playmakers.”
The candidates, Quinn said, include wide receiver Luke Brasuell and running backs Ashton Roberts and Drew McCurry.
Defensively, Quinn said the Panthers will deploy in a 40-look.
“(Defensive lineman) Lee Richardson is probably our best leader on the defensive side of the ball,” he related. “Lucas Haley, our middle linebacker, has played very, very well for us. In the secondary, Connor Calaway has played real solid for us over at corner.”
As for preparations for the game, Quinn said, “We’re just trying to stay as focused on the game as we can with all of the attention that it gets. We’re just trying to stay focused on getting ready for a football game.
“We’re going to have to play perfect football,” he said of the game, “not make any mistakes and hope we get a couple of breaks.”
