So, for a Bryant Hornets or Benton Panthers player, what’s the best thing about the Salt[more] Bowl?
Playing your rival?
Sure that’ll get any Hornet or any Panther fired up. But by the time those kids have reached high school, most of them have played against each other in one sport or another for years. It’s always competitive, always intensive whether it’s football or tiddly-winks (if they knew what that was).
That’s not it.
Playing at War Memorial Stadium?
That’s cool but, this year for example, both teams have already played there — Benton in its opener against Arkadelphia, Bryant just last week against Little Rock Catholic, which plays all of it’s home games there.
That’s not it either.
No, for a player, the best thing about the Salt Bowl is:
You.
If you’re there, that is.
Bryant senior defensive tackle Jared Koon put it this way, “The best thing about the Salt Bowl is coming out of the tunnel with the crowd and everything.”
The thrill of playing before more than 20,000 people — many of them neighbors and friends — there’s just nothing like that for a high school football player in this state.
It’s also the thing that brings out the sponsors and the charities and everyone involved in the Tailgate Party. It’s a great way to support the teams, the schools and the towns but it’s also a great way to promote your business or cause to:
You.
And the rest of the 20,000-plus.
School officials and Salt Bowl Committee members are aiming to one day reach the 28,000 mark in attendance.
Or more.
With the great weather and the fact that it’s the first time the two combatants have played a conference game against each other in years, could it be this year?
Of course, that depends on:
You.
