Little Rock Christian holds off Benton: Arkansas high school football playoff updates

Little Rock Christian makes a return to the Class 6A state championship game for the first time since 2020. They last won a state championship in 2018.
LRCA earned a bid to the title game by edging Benton 42-35 Friday night at Panther Field.
Benton held the first lead of the game and led again in the second quarter but after trailing 21-14 at halftime, never led again although they tied the game three times in the second half.
LRCA took the lead for good with 2;29 to play. Benton mounted a drive that took them down to the 30-yard line on a long pass but fumbled, and LRCA ran out the clock.
Scroll down to see highlights.
LRCA 42, Benton 35 FINAL
FOURTH QUARTER
-- Benton receiver Will Carter catches long pass to Warriors' 30 but fumbles and LRCA recovers I LRCA 42, Benton 35 I 1:29
-- The Warriors' Smith sprints 29 yards for the score. Hoover adds the PAT I LRCA 42, Benton 35 I 2:29
-- Russell jumps high in the air an lands in the end zone on a 4th-and-goal from the 1 play. Honeycutt adds the PAT. I Tied 35 I 5:24
-- White plunges in from three yards out. Hoover adds the PAT. I LRCA 35, Benton 28 11:55
THIRD QUARTER
-- Benton receiver Elias Payne makes a leaping, acrobatic catch on a 29-yard TD strike. I Tied 28 I 2:09
-- White runs 13 yards up the middle for the TD. Hoover adds the PAT. I LRCA 28, Benton 21 I 4:22
--Russell rolls 72 yards around the end for the touchdown. Honeycutt adds the PAT I Tied at 21 I 11:02
HALFTIME
LRCA 21, Benton 14
SECOND QUARTER
--Hoover misses a 29-yard field goal. I LRCA 21, Benton 14 I 47.8
-- White connects on a 35-yard TD pass in the corner of the end zone to Cade Bowman. Hoover adds the PAT. I LRCA 21, Benton 14 I 4:47
-- White zips a TD pass 13 yards to Trey Howard. Hoover's PAT is good. (Tied 14-14 I 7:47)
-- Benton running back Braylen Russell busts two tackles up the middle and rumbles 41 yards for the touchdown. Honeycutt adds the PAT. (Benton, 14-7 I 11:50)
FIRST QUARTER
-- Warriors quarterback Walker White hits running back Connor Smith on a 13-yard swing pass for a TD. Greyson Hoover's PAT is good. (Tied 7-7, 2:55)
--Honeycutt misses a 43-yard field goal (Benton, 7-0 | 5:13)
-- Benton strikes first, quarterback Drew Davis goes 21 yards for a touchdown. Garrett Honeycutt hits the extra point to make it a 7-0 game early in the first. (Benton, 7-0 | 9:01)
Photos by Jimmy Jones
--Nate Olson I nate@scorebooklive.com I @ndosports

Nate Olson has covered prep and college sports in Arkansas since 1998. He has managed several newspapers and magazines in The Natural State and has won numerous awards for his work. Nate, who also has six years of public relations experience, has appeared statewide on radio and television throughout his career, and currently co-hosts a high school football postgame radio show.