SALINE COUNTY, Ark. — This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Salt Bowl, and the Benton and Bryant football players know what's at stake.
"This is pretty much our state championship, to be honest," Benton senior linebacker Walter Hicks said. "I'd probably rather win this than the state championship if I had to choose."
Bryant senior quarterback Jordan Walker said he grew up watching the Salt Bowl, and to be playing in it is a surreal feeling.
"To watch the Salt Bowl all these years, and then when I was 15 just beginning to play in it, it was a big deal," Walker said. "It'll be a big year for me, winning it and all three years of high school. That would be a big deal to me."
Anything can happen in a rivalry game, but it has been one-sided lately, with Benton last beating Bryant in 2005.
"We look at them like our big brother," Hicks said. "Sometimes, some people do. They have to cut that out."
But to Bryant, they don't keep track of who wins.
"I don't even really know what the record is," Bryant head coach Quad Sanders said. "The pressure will probably always be the same because of the game's magnitude. Both teams want to win. Both teams have a chance to win."
Last year, Bryant won the Salt Bowl and captured the 7A-Central title. However, its quest for a sixth consecutive state title fell short in the semifinals.
"We feel like we let some guys down... it was still a great season," Sanders said. "However you want to spin it, just being able to compete for a championship was a big deal."
The goal is to win a state championship, and Benton shares a similar mindset in the 6A-East. Like Bryant, the Panthers had a terrific season in 2023, winning their conference but falling in the semifinals.
Now, entering a new season, both teams are focused on one game: the Salt Bowl.
"We just want to be the ones that break the streak of us losing to them," Hicks said. "You'll hear more about that if we beat them than you will if we win state."
Benton and Bryant continue the Salt Bowl rivalry at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock on Aug. 30 at 7:30 p.m.