By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
Benton’s winless Tigers had scored 105 points in their two previous games, most in furious but futile rallies in losses at Huntington (59-57) and Captain Shreve (59-48).
With only seven points on the board, and another big hole to climb out of approaching halftime last Thursday night at Leesville, the Tigers had the Wampus Cats right where they wanted them.
Benton recovered from a three-touchdown halftime deficit and notched its first win under new coach Stephen Dennis, stunning Leesville 42-35. That resiliency helped make the Tigers the pick as the Shreveport-Bossier Journal Team of the Week.
Scoring 35 second-half points fueled the comeback victory. But ironically, it was a defensive stand that turned around the Tigers.
“The comeback started not with points being scored, but we had a stop inside the 10, right before half, that kept them from going up 35-7,” said Dennis. “That was huge.”
Especially so considering Benton’s defense hasn’t been good. The Tigers were surrendering 54 points and 521 total yards (235 rushing, 286 passing) per game with Dennis serving as defensive coordinator.
“When I came over here (after eight years as head coach at Huntington), I wanted to settle down that side of the ball,” he said, “and we are still in the process of getting settled.”
But that goalline stop lit the fuse. Leesville managed only one touchdown afterward.
Benton’s offense got in gear. Highly-regarded junior quarterback Malachi Zeigler passed for 323 yards and two TDs, both to Case Austin (46 and 62 yards). Running back Greg Chambers doubled his season scoring total, notching four touchdowns (runs of 5, 6, 1 and 32 yards, the last with 1:47 to go that was the game-winner), and posted 130 rushing yards on 21 carries. Zeigler added 71 rushing yards to narrowly miss a 400-yard total offense night.
To say the least, the 131-mile bus ride home was pleasant. Friday’s school day was excellent. The triumph provided a breath of fresh air for a program that had lost eight straight dating back to last year’s win over Haughton, who is next on the schedule, this Thursday.
But most of all, said Dennis, the refreshing victory validated what he and his staff have been telling the Tigers.
“It reaffirms the things we’re preaching about culture, and mentality, and toughness, understanding that when things are not going good, you don’t make them better by wallowing in why they’re not going good,” he said. “Now they’ve experienced what can happen when they buy in, believe and perform. Thay are able to understand, ‘OK, this is what coach is talking about.’”
Zeigler has settled into a groove, averaging 325 passing yards in the last three weeks after running an offense that managed only 34 points in the first two games.
“Coach (Jeff) Bordelon (the offensive coordinator) has done a great job, and Malachi has done a great job of being coachable,” said Dennis. “He takes pride in not just knowing the offense, but knowing the why’s behind everything in the offense, what we’re trying to accomplish. He’s gotten enough reps now to really blossom and it’s fun to watch.”
Austin, a senior, has been a surprise on offense.
“Everybody knows about Case now. They didn’t when the season started because we moved him to receiver from defense,” said Dennis. “We’re playing him both ways – toyed around with it in the Huntington game, did more of it in the Shreve game, and he probably played 100 snaps at Leesville and had an interception and five tackles.”
Chambers was no surprise, with the senior providing the production that District 1-5A coaches expected.
There have been some diamonds in the rough for the Tigers.
Junior defensive end Xavier Villimore is a first-year starter who has four sacks, two at Leesville. “He is really playing at an elite level, a guy with a good frame who could develop into a college prospect,” said Dennis. “He’s a really good 5-technique.”
Senior Jaxsin Johnson played running back as the complement to Chambers until a few weeks ago. Now along with that role, the 6-1, 180-pounder with 4.6 40-yard dash speed is primarily playing defense.
“After the Huntington game, I had to ask, ‘Am I utilizing my resources everywhere I can? We’re 1-2 plays away,’” said Dennis. “He’s a really good running back, but he just splits time with a really, really good running back. We thought, ‘would he not be better for us at cornerback?’
“So he gets thrown in against Shreve’s receivers, some of the best anywhere, and he played well. At Leesville, he was even better, played every snap. He could be a really special corner and he’s such an awesome kid, too.”
Dennis raves about “incredibly consistent” Kyler Reynolds, a junior guard. “If I could have 15 Kyler Reynolds, I’d want 16,” his coach said.
Most of all, Dennis sees great upside for the program. He saw it during his eight seasons as Huntington’s coach, and now that he’s at Benton, he is beaming with optimism.
“What we’re doing with the middle school and getting them aligned with what we’re doing, to get a weight program established, that consistent commitment at the ground floor level is going to pay huge dividends here in the near future,” he said. “The ceiling is really high here.”
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com