Benton sophomore quarterback Cole Forby threw for 224 yards and ran for 105 more, but it wasn’t enough for the Rangers to knock off visiting Carterville, which took a 40-18 win at Tabor Field Monday night.
The Rangers opened with a good defensive stand, Frank Kulich and Dakota Cali stuffing Carterville on a third down to force a punt.
Benton then went on a long, 13-play drive that had it on the verge of a go-ahead score. But, on 3rd-and-goal at the 1, Forby was sacked for a 9-yard loss. Forby was stopped at the C-4 on fourth down to end the drive.
Carterville took the lead on the first play of the second quarter when Neal Wachter scored on a 16-yard run with 8:19 left in the first half.
Taylor Mitcheson added a 50-yard TD run with 5:23 left in the half for a 14-0 halftime lead for the Lions.
The visitors tacked on two more scores to lead 26-0 with 3:50 left in the third quarter.
The Rangers got on the board just eight ticks into the fourth quarter when Forby hit Alex Yates with an 18-yard TD pass. Forby was 4 for 4 passing in the drive, hitting Yates with 21- and 2-yard strikes, Cameron Rock with a 4-yard pass and Slater Moore with a big catch-and-run pass play for 42 yards.
Carterville struck again to lead 32-6, but Forby found the end zone from a yard out with 8:16 left for a 32-12 score. The touchdown was set up by a nifty 58-yard pass to Austin Myers.
An 80-yard kickoff return by Carterville’s Blake Jerrells followed, but Benton scored one last time with 55 seconds left in the game.
Forby hit Rock for a 39-yard gain to start the scoring drive and then scored himself on a 6-yard run for the 40-18 final.
Benton will play at Sparta next Tuesday night.
