Defending Class 5A Champ Pulaski Robinson Remains On Point After Defeating Benton: Arkansas High School Football

Two highly ranked Arkansas high school football squads faced off in a very intriguing non-conference contest.

Benton was attempting to take down a defending state champion for the second time this season, but Pulaski Robinson had other ideas. The defending Class 5A champion Senators continued their impressive offensive showing as they amassed nearly 600 yards of total offense in a 56-35 win against the 6A Panthers Friday night in Little Rock.

Robinson has risen to No. 2 in the latest edition of the High School On SI Arkansas rankings, while Benton - which had been the No. 1 ranked team the week before after beating defending 7A champion Bryant in its season opener - had dropped down to No. 4 following a home loss to Hot Springs Lakeside.

The Senators (3-0) finished with 566 yards of total offense, 441 of that coming on the ground. A big reason for that was the performance of senior tailback Dallas Bledsoe, who rushed for nearly 300 yards and scored five touchdowns.

Through three games this season, Robinson has averaged exactly 48 points.

After the opening-week win against Bryant, Benton (1-2) has lost its last two games. The Panthers had 484 total yards in Friday's loss, 347 of that coming through the air.

Follow High School On SI correspondent Buck Ringgold (@Bucks_Ballpark) for all of the live updates and scoring from Little Rock.

Scroll down for live score and game updates from kickoff to the postgame. Refresh this page for the latest.

PULASKI ROBINSON 56, BENTON 35 FINAL

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POSTGAME

- Pulaski Robinson moves to 3-0 and the Senators' offense gets it done once again. They had 566 yards of total offense, 441 of that on the ground. Benton had 484 total yards, 347 of that through the air. Panthers drop to 1-2.

FOURTH QUARTER

- TOUCHDOWN PULASKI ROBINSON. Dallas Bledsoe with perhaps the exclamation point on this night as he sprints 89 yards to the house. He has 271 yards on 23 carries with five TDs. (Robinson, 56-35 | 4:24, 4th)

- INTERCEPTION PULASKI ROBINSON. On fourth-and-long for Benton, a pass is picked off at the goal line by Aaron Freeman. Senators have the ball and the two-score lead with more than five minutes left.

- Benton gets the ball back and the Panthers are driving, already in the red zone.

- TOUCHDOWN BENTON. Panthers not going away, as Chase Cobb launches an 80-yard TD strike to Jake Cloud. Panthers down 14. (Robinson, 49-35 | 8:23, 4th)

- TOUCHDOWN PULASKI ROBINSON. On a third-and-short at the Benton 49, Charles Petty gets a direct snap and is initially swarmed, but somehow escapes and takes it in for a TD. Senators up by three scores now. (Robinson, 49-28 | 8:45, 4th)

- FUMBLE RECOVERY PULASKI ROBINSON. Benton driving into Robinson territory, but fumbles the ball. The Senators' Maxton Burns comes up with the recovery.

THIRD QUARTER

- TOUCHDOWN PULASKI ROBINSON. Wow, the Senators respond in just one play, as Braylyn Brown takes a jet sweep 80 yards to the house. (Robinson, 42-28 | :35, 3rd)

- TOUCHDOWN BENTON. Panthers answer back by putting together an 80-yard drive. Quarterback Chase Cobb with his third TD on the night, a 5-yard keeper, and Robinson's lead is cut to seven. (Robinson, 35-28 | :50, 3rd)

- TOUCHDOWN PULASKI ROBINSON. A very impressive drive for the Senators, who go 90 yards in 13 plays and take 7:11 off the clock. And for the fourth time tonight, Dallas Bledsoe finds the end zone, breaking a tackle and finishing off a 12-yard dash to the end zone. (Robinson, 35-21 | 4:49, 3rd)

- Robinson marching into Benton territory early in the second half.

HALFTIME

- Benton had 244 yards of total offense in the first half (114 rushing, 130 passing), while Robinson had 237 total yards (141 rushing, 96 passing). About to start the second half.

- Benton elects to run out the clock to end the half, and Robinson takes a seven-point lead into intermission.

SECOND QUARTER

- TOUCHDOWN ROBINSON. Senators move 80 yards in 11 plays to regain the lead, as QB Reece Simpson finds receiver Kyrin Grimes in the corner of the end zone for a 21-yard TD. (Robinson, 28-21 | :29, 2nd)

- Robinson has the ball near midfield late in the half.

- TOUCHDOWN BENTON. Panthers claw all the way back to tie it, finishing off an 8-play, 67-yard drive with a 9-yard keeper from QB Chase Cobb, his second on the night. (21-21 | 2:21, 2nd)

- Benton gets a first-and-goal in the closing minutes of the half.

- TOUCHDOWN BENTON. Panthers respond once again with an 8-play, 80-yard drive, capped by a 1-yard keeper from QB Chase Cobb. (Robinson, 21-14 | 9:04, 2nd)

- TOUCHDOWN PULASKI ROBINSON. A hat trick already for Senator tailback Dallas Bledsoe. His third TD came as the result of taking a direct snap and plunging in from 3 yards out and the Senators are back up by two scores. (Robinson, 21-7 | 11:00, 2nd)

- Robinson has the ball inside the Benton 10 to start the period.

FIRST QUARTER

- TOUCHDOWN BENTON. Panthers respond with a 12-play, 80-yard drive, ending with a 2-yard TD run. PAT is good, and Robinson's lead is cut to seven. (Robinson, 14-7 | 2:15, 1st)

- Benton faces a fourth-and-short just past midfield and the Panthers convert, taking the ball near the Robinson 30.

- TOUCHDOWN PULASKI ROBINSON. Two possessions, two TD runs for Dallas Bledsoe. The latest was a 9-yard run in which he broke a couple of tacklers en route to the end zone. (Robinson, 14-0 | 7:22, 1st)

- TOUCHDOWN PULASKI ROBINSON. Benton fumbles on the opening drive deep in its own territory, and the Senators take advantage, as tailback Dallas Bledsoe goes in from 16 yards out. (Robinson, 7-0 | 10:00, 1st)

- Robinson kicks off to start the game, and it's a touchback into the end zone. Benton on offense first.

PREGAME

- Live from Charlie George Stadium on the Pulaski Robinson campus, the undefeated Senators get set to welcome in the Panthers from nearby Benton.

ABOUT BENTON

In their season opener, the Panthers rallied from a 42-14 fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Salt Bowl rival Bryant, 43-42, on a game-winning two-point conversion on the final play.

But the reverse happened to Benton last week, at home against Hot Springs Lakeside. The Panthers held a commanding 41-20 advantage with less than 10 minutes left, only to have the Rams storm back and score a game-winning two-point conversion themselves in the closing seconds to hand Benton a 42-41 stunner.

ABOUT PULASKI ROBINSON

The Senators haven’t missed a beat since claiming the Class 5A title a season ago.

They opened their season on Aug. 27 with a 49-14 win against Little Rock Catholic; then the following week, rolled past Little Rock Central, 39-15.

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