The Sparta Bulldogs gained over 400 yards of total offense, but turnovers and mental lapses resulted in a 37-12 loss to Benton Friday night in prep football action.
The Bulldogs lost three fumbles and tossed an interception as they fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter and 24-6 at halftime.
“We are an athletic team, but we don’t know the game as well as we should,” said Sparta coach Phil Watson. “We need to work on our fundamentals, timing and knowing our assignments. We had four dropped kickoffs that led to horrible field position, and we also dropped several snaps on offense. You can’t beat quality teams with mistakes like that.”
Sparta’s only two touchdowns came on big offensive plays. The first was a 75-yard run in the second quarter by quarterback Darius Jackson, who lined up as a running back on the play.
The second and final touchdown for Sparta came on a 54-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to London Oliver, with 8:45 to play in the fourth quarter.
While Sparta eclipsed the 400-yard offensive mark during the game, so did the Benton offense. The Rangers gained 240 yards rushing on 32 carries and 248 yards through the air for 488 yards of total offense.
Jackson finished with 158 yards rushing on 14 carries and completed 11-of-25 passes for 212 yards to lead the Sparta offense. Oliver caught four passes for 109 yards, while Alex Sopiars pulled down six passes for 94 yards.
With the loss, Sparta dropped to 0-2, while Benton improved to 1-1 on the season. The Dawgs host Murphysboro (0-2) Friday night.