BENTON -- Comparable scores can be thrown out the window when two River-to-River foes tangle.
That's the case Friday when Benton, 3-2, hosts Harrisburg, also 3-2, at 7 p.m. Friday.
With only one common opponent, West Frankfort, to compare, it appears the Rangers would have a slight edge on paper. Benton defeated the Redbirds, 47-14, on Saturday. West Frankfort beat the Bulldogs, 31-14, two weeks ago. However, the 'Dogs are coming off an impressive 34-14 victory at Massac County.
"Our keys to the game will be to slow down the run game and allow our offense to go to work. If we can reduce the amount of long drives by their offense and be efficient on offense ourselves, it will greatly increase our chances of success," Benton coach Bob Pankey said.
Harrisburg has largely depended on two or three players to carry the offensive load. However, the injury bug has hit and leaves the Bulldogs in a vulnerable position.
Senior fullback Jordan Bartok played sparingly in last week's win -- mainly defense - after sustaining a knee injury against Frankfort. Running back Hunter Smith is out for the season with a torn ACL.
"Bartok (6-0, 220) is their feature fullback and he's also a linebacker defensively. He is a really nice player and will be a load to bring down. I suspect he will be back on both sides of the ball this week," Pankey suggested.
With a victory, the Rangers could place themselves in a position to at least start thinking about the possibility of playing in the postseason.
"Our approach is to take things one week at a time right now and work to continue to elevate our play each week, even each snap. Our kids know the importance of each game at this point but it's important for us to keep our focus on the process. If we do that, the product will take care of itself," Pankey said.
