Benton wrestlers picks up impressive wins in dual meet

The Benton Rangers wrestling team improved to 7-2 overall with a solid showing in the Benton Dual Meet held at Rich Herrin Gymnasium. Benton picked up victories over Sparta, Pinckneyville and Fairfield in the eight-team meet.

Benton results are listed below:

2012 BENTON DUALS

BENTON – 60

SPARTA – 15

106 – Jarred Burnett won by pin in :47 over Triston Loucks(S).

113 – Nathan Flatt won by forfeit.

120 – Chase Worthey won by forfeit.

126 – Chris Worthey won by forfeit.

132 – Peyton Smith won by pin in 1:10 over Anthony Carter(S).

138 – Daniel Krug won bypin over Greg Scheibol(S) in 3:29.

145 – Alex Yates won 13-7 over Charles Rogers(S)

152 – Jarron Bennett won by pin in 2:24 over Deon Baker(S).

160 – Luke Blackman won by forfeit.

170 – Benton forfeitedto Jay Baue(S).

182 – Zach Mocoby won 7-2 over Dylan Hatley(S).

195 – Benton forfeited to Cedric Briscoe(S).

220 – Devon Siveking won by pin in 3:35 over Tyler Adams(S).

HVY – Tyler Williams lost 14-8 to Jerrod Penny(S)

——————————

BENTON – 52

PINCKNEYVILLE – 17

106 – Jarred Burnett won by forfeit.

113 – Nathan Flatt won by forfeit.

120 – Chase Worthey won by forfeit.

126 – Chris Worthey won 12-3 over Chris Hagan(P)

132 – Peyton Smith won by pin in :49 over Hunter Olive(P).

138 – Daniel Krug won byforfeit.

145 – Nick Goffinet won by forfeit.

152 – Jarron Bennett lost 20-4 to Chris Ward(H).

160 – Luke Blackman lost by pin in 2:16 to Jerod Winkleman(P).

170 – Benton forfeitedto Quinin Baker.

182 – Zach Mocoby won by pin in 1:21 over Michael Jones(P).

195 – Double forfeit.

220 – Double forfeit.

HVY – Jordan Piercy won by forfeit.

BENTON – 59

FAIRFIELD – 24

106 – Jarred Burnett lost by pin in 1:31 to Austin Goodman(F).

113 – Nathan Flatt won by forfeit.

120 – Chase Worthey won by pin in :30 over Aaron Clark(F).

126 – Chris Worthey won by pin in :51 over Don Bielecki(F)

132 – Peyton Smith won by pin in :23 over Derek McInnis(F)

138 – Daniel Krug won bypin in :44 over Colton Crawford(F).

145 – Alex Yates lost by pin in 4:50 to Braden Robertson(F).

152 –Luke Blackman won 16-1 over Mathew Sampio(F).

160 –Jarron Bennett won by pin in :13 over Brock Lewis(F).

170 – Benton forfeitedto Nick Mathews(F).

182 – Zach Mocoby won by pin in :25 over Hunter Clevenger(F).

195 – Benton forfeited to Andrew Garrison(F).

220 – Benton forfeited to Charles Wheeler(F).

HVY – Tyler Williams won by pin in 4:31 over Aaron Cates(F).

Other Team Scores:

Harrisburg 60 – Carterville 24
Harrisburg 42 – Fairfield 42 (Harrisburg wins by criteria)
Sparta 42 – Harrisburg 33
West Frankfort 66 – Anna Jonesboro 0
West Frankfort 48 – Pinckneyville 12
West Frankfort 42 – Fairfield 42 (West Frankfort wins by criteria)
Sparta beat Anna-Jonesboro(No score to report)
Carterville beat Pinckneyville(No score to report)

Benton is 7-2 and 1-0 in the Ohio division of the River to River conference. Next, at Cumberland Invitational Tournament in Toledo on Saturday, December 15.


Rangerettes lose at Nashville, drop to 7-3 overall

By Jim Muir

The Nashville Hornettes raced out to an 11-0 lead and never looked back Thursday night defeating the Benton Rangerettes in convincing fashion 42-18.

With the loss the Rangerettes fall to 7-3 overall while Nashville improves to 10-0.

The Rangerettes were never in the ball game trailing 16-2 at the end of one quarter and 22-7 at the intermission as the stingy Nashville defense took Benton totally out of any offensive rhythm. Benton did not its first field goal until the 3:00 minute mark of the second quarter when Katie Sandusky hit a 3-pointer. It was the only field goal the Rangerettes had in the first half.

Benton coach Andy Sloan saw two distinct reasons for the disappointing and lopsided defeat.

“First, I think you have to give credit to Nashville for the way they played defense which took us completely out of our offense,” Sloan said. “But, we did not play very well and we didn’t we didn’t play hard. We didn’t set a good screen all night long and didn’t do a very good job on defense. We knew what Nashville was going to do on defense but we didn’t handle it very well.”

The Rangerettes managed only two field goals for the first three quarters – a pair of 3-pointers by Sandusky. Benton added three more field goals by Morgan Corn, Mikala Carney and Ashtyn Ward in the fourth quarter when the game had long been decided.

Sandusky led the Rangerettes in scoring with six points followed by Corn with five and Mikala Carney with three, Sami Minor and Ward with two each.

Erica Brown led the balanced Nashville scoring attack with 15 points, followed by Shay Harre with 12 and Shawn Rennegarbe with 10. Also scoring for the Hornettes was Hannah Yung with three, Emily Gill with two and Alli Kellerman with two.

The Rangerettes will not have long to regroup from the loss as they face one of the toughest weeks of the season beginning Monday when undefeated Sesser-Valier visits the East Gym. Then on Tuesday Benton travels to Massac County before finishing up on the road at Massac County on Thursday.

 

JV Benton Rangers get their first win of the season

By TAMMY HEAD

The JV Benton Rangers got their first win in overtime Tuesday night against Carmi-White County.

The first quarter of action proved the two teams were evenly matched ending with an 11-11 score. The score continued to go back and forth for the rest of the first half with the Rangers up 17-15 at half-time.

Rangers seemed to gain a little energy in the second half and gained the biggest lead of the game in the 4th going up 33-28 with 5 minutes left to play in regulation. Keegan Dawson hit a big bucket underneath to push the Rangers’ lead to 7 but Carmi immediately answered with a fast break and layup.

With 2 minutes left to play, Carmi was back within 2 points. Then at the 1:18 mark, Carmi tied the game at 36-36. Spike Buntin hit two free throws with 58 seconds remaining to make the score 38-36. A Ranger foul sent Carmi to the line to hit one of their two attempts and bringing them back within one.

With 24 seconds left, Carmi fouled Tyler Owens sending him to the line for the Rangers. After missing the first free throw, Owens hit the second making the score 39-37.

Carmi inbounded the ball with 15 seconds and Clay Vaught hit a 10-foot jump shot to tie the game with only 9 seconds left.

Benton had time, but a turnover gave Carmi the chance at the last second shot. A missed shot sent the Rangers into Overtime.

The Rangers took control of overtime and steadily pulled ahead of the Tigers. The final score was Rangers 48, Tigers 42.

Spike Buntin led the Rangers is scoring with 20 points, followed by Dakota Head with 9, Keegan Dawson with 6, Tyler Owens with 5, Trey McDaniel with 4 and Jesse Vanhorebeck and Brendan Ritchason both with 2. Also seeing action for the Rangers was Andrew Simpson, Gus Gibbs, and Martin Ward.

Rangers defeat Carmi-White County 54-40

By Jim Muir

After a sluggish opening quarter the Benton Rangers rolled over Carmi-White County 54-40 Tuesday night in a non-conference match up at Rich Herrin Gymnasium.

The win, Benton’s second in a row, improves the Rangers to 3-3 overall.

“I thought overall we played pretty well,” said Benton coach Ron Winemiller. “We didn’t do a very good job of taking the care of the ball in the opening quarter but it’s a good win for us.”

Benton jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead but five turnovers without getting a shot in the opening frame coupled with a four-point play by Andy Vaughan and a three-point play by Brodie Brown gave the Bulldogs a 7-5 lead at the end of the first stanza.

Benton’s Daulton Ward looks to go up to the basket against Carmi. (Christopher Kays)

Benton fell behind 13-9 midway through the second frame before a 6-0 run keyed by three straight baskets by Daulton Ward and the Rangers grabbed a 15-13 lead that they would never relinquish. A 3-pointer by Austin Myers at the buzzer gave the Rangers a 22-16 lead heading to the intermission.

“The basket by Austin was big for us,” said Winemiller. “I thought him (Myers) and Sheeks (Dylan) gave us a lot of energy off the bench.”

Benton went on another 6-0 run to open the third frame and extended the lead to 28-16. The Rangers had great balanced scoring in the period as Dylan Sheeks scored eight, followed by Ward and Nathaniel Higgins with four each and two each for Dakota Head and Myers as Benton extended the lead to double digits, 42-32 heading into the fourth quarter.

“Daulton is going to get a lot of touches for us,” said Winemiller. “I thought we did a pretty good job getting him the ball where he could just turn to the basket.”

Higgins drilled a 3-pointer to begin the fourth quarter to give Benton 45-32 lead and the Bulldogs could get no closer than 10 points in the final frame.

Ward led the Rangers with 15 points and was joined in double figures by Higgins with 10 points. Also scoring for Benton was Sheeks with eight points, Cole Forby with six, Myers with five, Cameron Rock with four and Ethan Hughes, Dakota Head and Tyler Owens with two each.

Carmi-White County was led in scoring by Jamie Steed with 11 and Brodie Brown with 10. Andy Vaughan tallied nine for the Bulldogs followed by Chase Sailer with five, Jordan Large and Dylan Rankin with two each and Seth Gross with one.

Benton has a busy weekend coming up as they return to SIRR Ohio Division play with a road game at Murphysboro on Friday before returning back home with an inter-divisional match up with the Nashville Hornets, coached by Benton native Brad Weathers.

 

Benton’s Nathaniel Higgins shoots the ball against at Carmi defender. (Christopher Kays)

Rangerettes fall to 5-2 with loss to Hamilton County

By Jim Muir

A dismal offensive night and playing without leading scorer Morgan Corn proved to be a bad combination for the Benton Rangerettes as they dropped a 50-39 road decision to Hamilton County in Monday night non-conference action.

And despite the difficulties Benton still had chances in the game trailing by only three midway through the fourth quarter.

“We just didn’t shoot the ball well from the field or the line,” said Benton coach Andy Sloan following the loss. “We’ve just got to do a better job of shooting the basketball and taking care of the basketball.”

The Rangerettes shot 34 percent from the field and 45 percent from the free throw line in dropping to 5-2 overall. Corn is suspended for three games for a violation of team rules.

Hamilton County (6-0) opened up a 9-8 first quarter lead but Benton roared back behind the play of Cali Carney and Katie Sandusky to take an 18-15 halftime lead. Sandusky hit a three-pointer late in the second frame to give Benton it’s first lead of the game.

The third quarter proved to be the turning point in the game as Hamilton County extended its half-court defense and Benton had multiple turnovers to go along with the cold shooting night. Hamilton County outscored the Rangerettes 19-9 in the decisive third stanza to open up a 34-27 lead. The Lady Foxes third quarter surge was keyed by Alicia York who had eight of her game high 18 points in the the quarter.

The Rangerettes were led in scoring by Cali Carney with 12, followed by Sandusky with 10. Also scoring for Benton was Makala Carney with eight, Marcela Mendez with four, Rowdee Sanders with three and Evelyn Mendez with two.

York was joined in double figures by Emily McCullough with 12 and Dana Rubenacker with 10. Also scoring for Hamilton County was Megan Rubenacker with five, Lucindia Adams with four and Jordan Scrivner with one point.

Benton is back in action tonight as they return to play in the SIRR Ohio Division hosting Murphysboro.

Benton wrestlers split early season matches

By JIM MUIR
The Benton Rangers wrestling team split a pair of early season matches losing to Sparta 39-36 and then rebounding with a big SIRR Ohio Division win over Herrin on Tuesday night.
Benton coach Duane Bean said his young team made great strides following the season-opening loss to Sparta.
“I think we might have taken Sparta lightly but they have 38 kids wrestling and a nice program,” Bean said.  “We came back and had a good week of practice and did a much better job at Herrin.”
The Benton team has 19 wrestlers that includes seven freshmen and five sophomores.
“We’ve got two juniors and four seniors and only two of our seniors have any experience,” said Bean.  “We are very young so I think we will get better as the season goes on.”
The Ranger grapplers will be at Carterville tonight for a SIRR inter-divisional match up before heading to Bethalto Civic Memorial on Saturday for a tournament that will draw some of the top schools from the region.
“It’s an excellent tournament, a really solid tournament with several Class AA schools in it,” said Bean.  “It will be a good test for us.”
BENTON – 36
SPARTA – 39
  • 106 – Jarred Burnett pinned Triston Loucks in :58.
  • 113 – Nathan Flatt won by forfeit.
  • 120 – Double Forfeit.
  • 126 – Chris Worthey won by forfeit.
  • 132 – Collin Donaldson won by forfeit.
  • 138 – Peyton Smith pinned Anthony Carter in :58.
  • 145 – Alex Yates lost by pin in 3:29 to Charles Rodgers.
  • 152 – Daniel Krug lost 13-9 to Deon Baker.
  • 160 – Jarron Bennett lost by pin to Shawn Rogers in 3:55.
  • 170 – Benton Forfeited.
  • 182 – Zach Mocoby won by pin in 3:00 over Jay Baue.
  • 195 – Braxton Pullium lost by pin in :41 to Dillon Hatley.
  • 220 – Devon Siveking lost by pin in 1:02 to Cedric Briscoe.
  • HVY – Tyler Williams lost by pin in 1:15 to John Leuth
BENTON – 42
HERRIN – 35
  • 106 – Jarred Burnett won by forfeit.
  • 113 – Nathan Flatt lost by pin in 4:52 to Braden Whitecotton(H).
  • 120 – Chase Worthey won by pin in :55 over Dustin Basler(H).
  • 126 – Chris Worthey lost 4-1 to Eli Roberts(H).
  • 132 – Peyton Smith won by pin in 2:24 over Jimmy Pearsley(H).
  • 138 – Daniel Krug won by pin over Brian Burgess(H) in 1:00.
  • 145 – Alex Yates won by disqualification over Pierce Martin(H) due to an illegal slam.
  • 152 – Jarron Bennett lost 20-4 to Chris Ward(H).
  • 160 – Luke Blackman lost by pin to Alec Smith(H) in 1:16.
  • 170 – Benton forfeited to Alec Franklin(H).
  • 182 – Zach Mocoby lost 10-3 to Tad Cravens(H).
  • 195 – Braxton Pullium lost by pin in :47 to Nathan Vaughn(H).
  • 220 – Devon Siveking won by pin in 1:37 over Dylan McRoy(H).
  • HVY – Tyler Williams won by pin in 1:42 over Alex Stewart(H).
Benton is 2-1 and 1-0 in the Ohio division of the River to River conference. Next, at Carterville on Thursday, November 29 and at Bethalto Civic Memorial on Saturday, Dec. 1.

Rangers fall to Egyptian in season opener

By JIM MUIR

The Benton Rangers opened the new basketball season on a losing note Tuesday night dropping a 68-59 decision to the Egyptian Pharaohs.

Egyptian rode the one-two punch of Demantae Price and Justin Prewett, who combined for 52 points in the victory in second round action from the first-ever Goreville Invitational Tournament. Prewett had 28 and Price had 24 respectively.

The Rangers fell behind 19-10 after one quarter and trailed by 12 points early in the second quarter before rallying behind the play of Nathaniel Higgins and Daulton Ward to outscore Egyptian 19-12 in the second frame and trail only 31-29 at the half.

Benton actually grabbed the lead early in the third quarter surging ahead 34-33 but fell behind again and trailed 43-41 heading into the final frame.

“I thought we showed some character to come back after falling behind early,” said Benton coach Ron Winemiller. “When we got the lead I thought we were going to be all right but we had a couple of possessions where we shot too quickly and we made a couple of ill-advised passes and then when we fell behind again we just couldn’t bounce back.”

The Rangers entered the game with virtually no varsity experience except for Cole Forby who was a mainstay on last year’s 19-9 regional championship team.

“I thought our inexperience showed some during the game and I really do think this team is going to get much better,” said Winemiller. “That is not coach-speak, I think we have the potential to be a pretty good team as the season rolls on. I really like this team, they have been a great group to work with.”

While Benton was playing in its first game of the season Egyptian, who played in last week’s Christopher Turkey Tournament, was playing game number five, a point not lost on Winemiller.

“I think we had some season opening jitters and they (Egyptian) got off to a great start tonight,,” said Winemiller. “But, I think we settled down in the second quarter.”

Nine players saw action for Benton in the season-opening loss but only four hit the scoring column with three of them going for double figures. Ward led the way with 23 points, followed by Higgins with 20 and Forby with 10. Ethan Hughes also added six points for the Rangers.

In other action last night Goreville, who has established itself as the team to beat in the tournament, walloped Anna-Jonesboro by a score of 81-41. The tournament is idle Wednesday night but resumes on Thursday with a pair of games and also two games each on Friday and Saturday.

Here is the schedule for the remainder of the week:

Thursday

AJ vs. Egyptian 6 p.m.

Johnston City vs. Benton 7:30 p.m.

Friday

Benton vs. AJ 6 p.m.

Goreville vs. Johnston City 7:30 p.m.

Saturday

Egyptian vs. Johnston City 6 p.m.

Benton vs. Goreville 7:30 p.m.

BMS boys split pair of games with Marion

By Jim Muir

The Benton Middle School boy’s basketball team split a pair of games at Marion on Monday night with the eighth grade squad dropping a 62-34 decision and the seventh graders coming away with a 27-26 victory.

In the eighth grade contest the Junior Rangers fell behind 21-8 at the end of one quarter and were never in the game with the talented Marion team, dropping to 5-2 overall with the loss. Marion extended the lead to 33-16 at halftime and 48-23 after three quarters.

Derek Oxford was the only Benton player in double figures tallying 11 in the loss. Also scoring for Benton was Tyson Houghland with 7, Austin Wills with 5, Oliver Davis with 4, Hamilton Page, Scott Mosely, Jordan Richey with two points and Blane Pankey with 1. Gehrig Wynn, Brett Bonenberger, Parker Williams and Tony Tillman played but did not score.

In the seventh grade contest BMS pulled out a hard fought 27-26 win with Brett Bonenberger and Gehrig Wynn conbining for 14 of the team total.

The seventh grade team fell behind 7-3 at the end of one quarter but battled back and took a 10-9 halftime lead. Marion fought back and outscored the seventh grade Junior Rangers 8-6 in the third quarter to take a 17-16 lead into the fourth quarter.

Bonenberger led Benton with 8 points followed by Wynn with 6. Other Rangers in the scoring column included Parker Williams with 4, Drew Owens with 3, Hamilton Page, Blane Pankey and Eldo Owens with 2 points each. Mason Wills and Joey Craig saw action but did now score.

Both BMS teams are back in action Tueday, Nov. 20 when they host Herrin.

12 Franklin County students named to SIRR-Ohio All Conference Football Team

Twelve players from Benton and West Frankfort high schools have been named to the 2012 Southern Illinois River to River-Ohio Division All Conference Football Team. Here is the full team line-up:

1st Team Offense

QB                  Mat Buntin                     JR                    Benton

RB                  *Dylan Sheeks              SR                   Benton

RB                   *Dylan Hathaway               SR                   Harrisburg

RB                   *Diamante Bradley            SR                   Murphysboro

RB                  *Hadin Restivo            SR                   West Frankfort

TE                   *Jared Daugherty               SR                   Herrin

WR                 *Austin Butler                     SR                   Herrin

WR                 Daz Nickerson                     SR                   Massac County

C                      *Jordan Quertermous       SR                   Harrisburg

OL                   *Gavin Suver                 SR                   Benton

OL                   Daulton Ward               SR                   Benton

OL                   Issac Ingram                        SR                   Harrisburg

OL                   *Dakota Upchurch             SR                   Harrisburg

At Large Selections

QB                  Ryne Roper                          SR                   Harrisburg

RB                   Capel Henshaw                   SR                   Harrisburg

2nd Team Offense

QB                  Austin Starkweather          SR                   Herrin

RB                   Chase Merrill                       SO                   Herrin

RB                   Jordan Troutman                JR                    Massac County

RB                 Dakota Cali                      SR                   Benton

RB                   Aeian Baird                          JR                    Murphysboro

TE                   Kevin Gude                           SR                   Murphysboro

WR               Austin Myers                   SR                   Benton

WR                 Kane Wilson                         SR                   Murphysboro

C                      Sheldon Klaus                     JR                    Murphysboro

OL                 Ethan Sisk                       JR                    West Frankfort

OL                   Artur Romanishyn             SR                   Herrin

OL                   Corey Vaughn                     JR                    Herrin

OL                   Mark Sawyer                       SR                   Murphysboro

1st Team Defense

DB                  *Austin Butler                     SR                   Herrin

DB                Cameron Rock               SR                   Benton

DB                  Justin Younger                   SR                   Harrisburg

LB                 *Dakota Cali                   SR                   Benton

LB                   *Brandon Pate                    SR                   Harrisburg

LB                   Nathan Vaughn                  SR                   Herrin

LB                 Hadin Restivo                SR                   West Frankfort

DE                *Cole Forby                      SR                   Benton

DE                   Kevin Gude                          SR                   Murphysboro

DE                   Gabe Oglesby                      SR                   Harrisburg

DL                 *Shane Bettenhausen SR                  Benton

DL                   *Dakota Upchurch             SR                   Harrisburg

DL                 *Brady Karnes                SR                   West Frankfort

DL                   Diamante Bradley              SR                   Murphysboro

DL                   Tyler Bebout                        SR                   Harrisburg

K                      *Josh Haynes                      SO                   Herrin

P                      Kane Wilson                        SR                   Murphysboro

At Large Selection

DB                  Tylon Kerrans                       SR                   Murphysboro

* Denotes unanimous selection

Benton Rangerettes win Marion Lady Wilcat Invitational

The Benton Rangerettes pose with their trophy after winning the Marion Lady Wildcat Invitational. (Christopher Kays / Franklin County News)

By Jim Muir

The Benton Rangerettes completed a successful week of basketball Saturday afternoon with a 58-18 victory over Marion and the championship of the Lady Wildcats Invitational.

Benton finished in first place with a 4-0 mark followed by Vienna at 2-2 and Herrin at 2-2. With identical records Vienna took second place because they beat Herrin in head-to-head competition. Marion and Carterville both finished at 1-3 in the five-team round robin tournament.

“It was a good week of basketball for us and I’m proud of the way we competed,” said first-year Benton coach Andy Sloan. “We have a lot of things to work on in order to improve but to come in here and win four games in five days is a great way to begin the season.”

After a thrilling 41-40 victory over Carterville on Friday night the Rangerettes wasted little time disposing of Marion in the finale at Cuss Wilson Gymnasium. Marion actually got on the scoreboard first on a three-pointer and a layup by Daily Williams to take a 5-0 lead. But, those would be the final points by the Lady Wildcats until late in the second quarter as the Rangerettes put together a 25-0 run to take a 25-5 lead before Marion got on the scoreboard again.

Benton held a commanding 29-9 lead at halftime and then extended it to 44-17 at the end of three quarters and then cruised on to the easy victory.

Benton was led in scoring by Morgan Corn with 14 – her fourth time in as many tries in double figures. The Rangerettes had another balanced scoring attack with eight players scoring. Also scoring for the Rangerettes was Evelyn Mendez with nine points, Cali Carney with eight points, Mikala Carney with five, Marcela Mendez and Cassandra Johnson with four each, Also scoring was Rowdee Sanders, Bobbi Wegrazyn and Katlyn Biddle with two each.

Corn was chosen to the All-Tournament team along with Abby Horn, Herrin, Carly Childress and Miranda Chance of Vienna, Allison Gwaltney, of Marion, Savanah Jones, of Carterville and Whitney Woodis of Herrin.

The Rangerettes are back in action on Nov. 27 when they open play in the tough SIRR Ohio Division against the Herrin Lady Tigers.

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