CARTERVILLE – The Lions’ football season opener resulted in a devastating loss against the Benton Rangers, 41-0

The night started with high hopes, but quickly turned sour as Benton’s lead over Carterville grew substantially.

Benton scored the first touchdown of the game with 4:13 left in the first quarter. Carterville junior Jamie Jones fought back, putting Lions at 1st & 10 two minutes later. The attempt was futile as the Rangers blocked out the Lions’ offense and stole the ball.

With 8:10 left in the half, senior Nick Bisching handed off to fellow senior Chance Myers for a phenomenal run, but resulted in a ten yard penalty on Carterville with a flag on the play.

The Rangers continued to score on the Lions, bring the halftime score to 27-0 in favor of Benton.

During the end of the third quarter, the running clock took effect and the game came to a quick close. With the last five seconds in the game, Benton took a knee, blocking Carterville’s last chance at a touchdown.

The Carterville Lions’ Football team will be playing next Friday (9/6)  at Nashville, Il. To keep up with all things Carterville Athletics, be sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter (X) @CartervilleAth.