Benton vs Bryant Salt Bowl 2024

It was an amazing Salt Bowl game Friday night, August 30th, 2024, as the Benton Panthers faced the Bryant Hornets for the 50th time in this rivalry football game.

The Salt Bowl is an annual high school football game played between the Benton Panthers and the Bryant Hornets in Saline County, Arkansas. The game is typically played on the last Friday of August at Simmons Bank Field at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. The Salt Bowl is one of the largest high school football games in the state of Arkansas, and it is typically attended by over 20,000 fans.

The Salt Bowl began in 1974, when Bryant High School recently became a 3A team and Benton High School was looking for a new challenger after Fort Smith Southside High School ended its contract to play Benton. The first official "bowl game" was held in 2000, after the crowd for the Benton-Bryant matchup became too large for any stadium in Saline County to hold them.

In the early years of the rivalry, Benton was the dominant team. However, the city of Bryant has grown exponentially and so has its school system. The Hornets have made a huge comeback. After Bryant won the 2022 game, it was at a tie of 24 wins for each team. The Hornets surpassed the Panthers that next year, and for this 50th anniversary of the rivalry, Bryant won again, to make it 26 wins to Benton’s 24.

The game is called the "Salt Bowl" because of the large salt mines that are located in Saline County. The game is also known for its salty atmosphere, both on and off the field. The rivalry between Benton and Bryant is one of the most intense in the state of Arkansas, and the Salt Bowl is always a highly anticipated event.

Here are some of the highlights from the 2024 Salt Bowl:

* Benton Senior Receiver Elias Payne (#1) ran the ball and leaped directly over his opponent to make the touchdown. It was the stuff of movies. It was the kind of thing that makes you question if that really just happened. But there it was in the replay for everyone to see again.

* Buc-ee's Travel Center is officially coming to Benton, Arkansas! Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders made the announcement at the coin toss. And then… Buc-ee himself came out on to the field in a Hummer provided by Everett Buick GMC, and driven by Benton Mayor Tom Farmer, along with Gary James, Executive Director/CEO of the Benton Chamber of Commerce.

The 2024 Salt Bowl was a memorable event, and it will surely be talked about for years to come.