The Salt Bowl, Arkansas’ biggest high school football rivalry game pitting Saline County neighbors Benton and Bryant, will commemorate installment No. 50 when the Panthers and Hornets square off in Little Rock’s War Memorial Stadium Friday night, Aug. 30.
Dubbed the gold standard of Arkansas high school rivalry games, the Salt Bowl annually draws roughly 30,000 to War Memorial for the matchup between Class 7A Bryant and Class 6A Benton. For many in each community, the game is the most meaningful of the year, even if one or both teams play for a state championship.
“This is pretty much our state championship, to be honest,” Benton senior linebacker Walter Hicks told Little Rock’s KTHV. “I’d probably rather win this than the state championship if I had to choose.”
The rivalry has become one-sided with Bryant’s rise to power in 7A. Benton last won the Salt Bowl in 2005. The Hornets won the 7A-Central in 2023, but their bid for a sixth straight state title was cut short, and they lost in the semifinal. The Panthers similarly won the 6A-East crown and were eliminated from the state playoffs in the semis.
Kickoff from War Memorial is at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here for Bryant or here for Benton.
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