The Rangers (1-1) will try to get over the .500 mark Friday night in Pinckneyville when they face the Straight-T offense of the Panthers, who are 1-1 as well.
“They are a solid football team,” Jeremy Clodfelder said.
Both teams are coming off wins, Benton beating Sparta 37-12, Pinckneyville beating Frankfort 28-14.
After facing explosive quarterback Darius Jackson in Sparta’s lineup last week, Benton will not see Panthers junior Bryant Schute, who is out due to disciplinary reasons. Schute had over 100 all-purpose yards in Benton’s 14-7 win a year ago.
So, look for the Panthers to use its large offensive line to chew up yardage and the clock.
“They are big up front,” said Clodfelder. “They aren’t obese, either. They are long and strong. It looks like a typical Pinckneyville basketball team up front.”
Pinckneyville returns Mike Huggins (6-0, 270), Keegan Kellerman (6-2, 270), and Clinton Graft (6-1, 275) on both sides of the line this season.
“This game is crucial for them,” Clodfelder said. “We will have to continue to play to our strengths and play well.”
That is what Benton did in the win over Sparta, as its speed passing game was responsible for several long yardage plays. It also kept up its good defensive play on third down.
“We have to get them off the field on third down Friday night,” Clodfelder said. “We can’t let them just eat up clock. We have been good at that this year, though. We have gotten off the field on 18 of 23 third down situations.”
Benton’s offense will have to deal with the same kind of defense Sparta played, a 4-4, Cover-3 scheme with one high safety.
“They have a good defensive line, too,” said Clodfelder. “And their inside backers are good sized. We can’t overlook anything Friday night.
“We have to tackle everyone and we have to eliminate the big play,” he added. “And, we have to make some big plays as well.”
Benton has shown a nice ability to pas the ball this season. Quarterback Tyler Leffler is making good decisions and spreading the ball around, hitting six receivers last week alone.
“We are happy with the passing game,” Clodfelder said. “And we didn’t change a lot for this week, just tweaked some things. We are still in attack mode all the time.”
Game time is 7 p.m. Friday night in Pinckneyville.
