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Rival game meets fans' expectations
Thelma Grimes/San Pedro Valley News-Sun
On Friday night, the anticipation of the Benson-Willcox showdown lived up to the hype. With a dramatic finish, plenty of action, and two towns showing up to support the players, it was one of the best games between the two teams in more than a decade.
Benson Athletic Director James Driggers said it was the best game he has seen between the two rivals. He has been with the Benson School District 39 years.
Of course he may not have called it the best had Benson not come out in the fourth quarter with heart and intensity to fight their way back from being two touchdowns down. With some big drives on offense and a strong stance on defense, the Bobcats won the duel for the third year in a row, 34-27.
The fans were positive, but both sides showed what a rivalry between two towns should be. The players on the field were evenly matched, and came out fired up with a goal of proving the rivalry that dates back to the 1960s is back in full force.
Willcox came in to not only win back the Seney-Lohman, or traveling trophy that represents who is the best between the two towns, but also to take the 2A East Conference title away from Benson.
Benson had been the top dog for two seasons coming into Friday night's match.
Both teams had been playing easy opponents throughout most of the season, and in a game that will definitely prove to be a good start to what is sure to be a tough post season, they played hard and fought on both sides of the ball.
In the first half, it was all Willcox; the Benson defense couldn't find an answer for a fast running game, and the Cowboys' fans were loud and proud.
In the second half, it was Benson's chance to turn on the speed, and the Bobcat's running game led by Kyle Graf, Mark Mabry and Dain Dastrup, kicked into gear and made the game exciting.
Bobcats' fans were on the edge of their seats for two key fourth-down conversions in the final quarter. They were cheering Graf the whole way as he fought his way into the end zone for the winning touchdown.
The sidelines went wild, coaches were impressed, fans were energized and as Dastrup hoisted the traveling trophy high for the fans to see, it capped off what was the third great season for the Benson Bobcats' football team.
In these three seasons, the coaching staff headed by Chris Determan and Casey Woodall have shown that no matter what experience the players bring to the season, by the end, they have high expectations to live up to, and play to win every game.
As the Bobcats face a tough post season, if they play with the heart and passion shown Friday night, they are definitely going to be a force to reckon with as 2A teams work toward the ultimate goal of a state title.
On Friday night, the anticipation of the Benson-Willcox showdown lived up to the hype. With a dramatic finish, plenty of action, and two towns showing up to support the players, it was one of the best games between the two teams in more than a decade.
Benson Athletic Director James Driggers said it was the best game he has seen between the two rivals. He has been with the Benson School District 39 years.
Of course he may not have called it the best had Benson not come out in the fourth quarter with heart and intensity to fight their way back from being two touchdowns down. With some big drives on offense and a strong stance on defense, the Bobcats won the duel for the third year in a row, 34-27.
The fans were positive, but both sides showed what a rivalry between two towns should be. The players on the field were evenly matched, and came out fired up with a goal of proving the rivalry that dates back to the 1960s is back in full force.
Willcox came in to not only win back the Seney-Lohman, or traveling trophy that represents who is the best between the two towns, but also to take the 2A East Conference title away from Benson.
Benson had been the top dog for two seasons coming into Friday night's match.
Both teams had been playing easy opponents throughout most of the season, and in a game that will definitely prove to be a good start to what is sure to be a tough post season, they played hard and fought on both sides of the ball.
In the first half, it was all Willcox; the Benson defense couldn't find an answer for a fast running game, and the Cowboys' fans were loud and proud.
In the second half, it was Benson's chance to turn on the speed, and the Bobcat's running game led by Kyle Graf, Mark Mabry and Dain Dastrup, kicked into gear and made the game exciting.
Bobcats' fans were on the edge of their seats for two key fourth-down conversions in the final quarter. They were cheering Graf the whole way as he fought his way into the end zone for the winning touchdown.
The sidelines went wild, coaches were impressed, fans were energized and as Dastrup hoisted the traveling trophy high for the fans to see, it capped off what was the third great season for the Benson Bobcats' football team.
In these three seasons, the coaching staff headed by Chris Determan and Casey Woodall have shown that no matter what experience the players bring to the season, by the end, they have high expectations to live up to, and play to win every game.
As the Bobcats face a tough post season, if they play with the heart and passion shown Friday night, they are definitely going to be a force to reckon with as 2A teams work toward the ultimate goal of a state title.
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| Lady Tigers wins 1A South Region title, now looking at state | The road to state begins Friday |
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Denise wrote on Nov 5, 2009 11:28 AM: