Power To Win

Strength and power—those are two of the most important traits a football player needs to be successful. Since 2014, the Benton Panthers have either finished as runner-up or state champions in the 6A/7A division of the State Weight Meet.

Head Coach Brad Harris explains the competition is based on bench-press and power clean lifts. The team has currently won three State Weight Meets—2018, 2019 and 2021—and was on track in 2020 to lift more weight than any of the previous teams but due to COVID, the meet was canceled. The Panthers are set to make a strong comeback this year. 

Suffice it to say the Panther coaching team and players take strength and conditioning seriously. “Each player must have a good base of strength regardless of what position he plays,” Harris says. “In every play, there is a winner or loser, and most plays are won by the players who possess more strength or power. Football is a very physical and tough game—guys who are strong and powerful are typically the best players on the field.”

Harris says the Panthers may not always be the most athletic team on the field, but the team always plays hard. “Our players are committed to the process; they know in order for us to be a competitive team we have to be in the weight room year-round.” 

Offensive Line Coach Jason Gentry, who is the strength and conditioning coordinator, says in addition to performance, injury reduction is a major factor in building this strong foundation. 

He says, “As the saying goes, ‘The cream rises to the top.’ This is also true of the players’ determination and commitment. Those who make the effort to do the little extra and trust the process give themselves the chance to be successful. Overall, we’ve got a lot of players committed to the process.”

Harris points out that Panther teammates take pride in their State Weight Meet accomplishments and enjoy going every year to represent Benton. Individual awards over the past three years include:

• 2021 – Beau Wright lifted in the 198 lbs. class and won his division by lifting a total of 655 lbs. He also set the new State Power Clean Record for his Weight Class with a lift of 350 lbs.  

• 2021 – Jayvon Parker won the 132 lbs. Weight Class with a total of 445 lbs.   

• 2019 – Monterio Mack won the 148 lbs. Weight Class with a total weight of 505 lbs. and Jake Wright (Beau’s older brother) won the 165 lbs. weight class with a total weight of 590 lbs. Jake also set the Power Clean Record at 325 lbs. in 2019.

• 2018 – Brock Morris won the 198 lbs. Weight Class with a total weight lifted of 660 lbs., which is the current state record for total weight lifted in that weight class and he also set the Power Clean State Record of 325 lbs., which stood until Beau broke it this past year with his lift of 350 lbs.  

  “During this time, we have had several guys finish in the Top Three of their weight class too,” Harris says. 

Each athlete must weigh-in the day of the meet and must weigh below the weight limit to lift in the division, so each athlete is competing against someone of his own size. Each player is competing for an individual championship, but more importantly he is competing for his team totals too, Harris points out. Individual bench-press and power clean totals are added together to get a total weight lifted individually and then totals of 10 athletes are added together to get the team total. 

In 2021, the team lifted a total of 5,180 lbs., which was 400 lbs. more than the next team at the meet.  

The team typically spends about an hour and a half working out, which includes warm up, flexibility work, weight training and speed/agility work. They spend four days a week lifting through the off-season and summer workout program and three days a week during football season.

Both Harris and Gentry are motivated to do what is right by their athletes. It’s about more than game day. “Everyone loves game day, but not everyone likes that daily preparation of football and that is what I really love about coaching,” says Harris, who joined Benton in 2014 to get back closer to family in Arkadelphia. He was promoted to head coach in 2016. 

“I love to see the growth of a player through the season or through the off-season, which is when the biggest gains or improvements happen,” Harris says.

The athletes are Gentry’s motivation. “I love to see them succeed after putting in the work required,” he says. Gentry, who grew up in Bryant, has always called Saline County home. He’s starting his 12th year with the Panthers.

Football is much like life, according to Harris. “It is tough; you have good times and bad times, and you have to learn to handle the ups and downs in both.” Helping players get through those ups and downs is rewarding. “I want to win as much as any coach in the State, but I also want to help young men grow into great men, and seeing that growth is why I coach.”