The Bryant Hornets and Benton Panthers squared up in the annual Salt Bowl press conference on Wednesday, August 23rd, 2023. Scroll down ?? for the photo gallery by Adam Settle.
The largest high school football game in the State of Arkansas, Salt Bowl 2023 will be played on Saturday night, August 26, 7:00pm at at Simmons Bank Field at War Memorial Stadium. For the first time since 2016 when two new head coaches joined the rivalry, a new head coach, Bryant Hornet Head Coach Quad Sanders will join Benton Panther Head Coach Brad Harris to compete in high school football’s largest game. The Benton Panthers will be the home team this year and their fans will sit on the west side of War Memorial Stadium. The Bryant Hornets will be the visiting team and sit on the east side.
The Salt Bowl Committee is forever grateful to Big Red Stores, one of the first event sponsors. Without Big Red, the Salt Bowl would not be the grand event it is today. Circle K will continue to be a sponsor.
TICKETS
There are some important changes regarding tickets and t-shirts this year. Tickets and t-shirts will NOT be sold at Circle K and they will NOT be sold at the gate at the stadium. To purchase your game ticket, go to the links below from tickets at $10 plus a processing fee or one of our new tickets outlets below to purchase with cash. ??????
- Go to this link to purchase Benton tickets
- Go to this link to purchase Bryant tickets
- You can also find the ticket links on the Salt Bowl web page sponsored by Summerwood Sports at www.saltbowlar.com
- CASH ONLY tickets may be purchased at Benton City Hall from 8am to 5pm Monday-Friday and also at Third Thursday in Downtown Benton on August 17th or at Bryant Family Pharmacy, 3322 Hwy. 5 North in Bryant Mon-Friday 9am-6:30pm and Saturdays 9am-2pm.
Tickets will be sold until 7pm on August 25th, your ticket will tell you which gates at War Memorial Stadium you can enter. ***Reminder, there will no tickets sold the day of the game on-line, at any outlet, or at the gate at War Memorial.*** Only AAA passes will be accepted at the gate. Remember to go see our friends at Chuy’s for a free queso with the purchase of an entrée when you show your ticket!
SHIRTS
We are excited to announce that we There will be more options than ever before for Salt Bowl T-shirts. Stated Apparel has stepped up as our first t-shirt sponsor to help continue to the tradition of the Salt Bowl T-shirt and for the first time we will have youth sizes, a variety of shirt options, more options to purchase and they will also be expanding the Salt Bowl merchandise to include hats and other designs!
T-shirts can be purchased in person at Stated Apparel at 145 W. South St. in Benton, on-line at http://stated.me/collections/salt-bowl-2023 and you will also be able to purchase them on game day at War Memorial Stadium.
CLUB SEATS
Back this year there are also Indoor Club Level tickets available sponsored by Jones Heating and Air, tickets are $25 and can be purchased at either the Benton Chamber of Commerce or Bryant Chamber of Commerce. They will also have parking passes available for purchase for $25.
WATCH/LISTEN
Again, this year for those unable to attend in person, the game will be available via Pay Per View via M&M Productions. Each team will have their own broadcast team on the call of the game, so you can watch the Benton or Bryant broadcast. Cost is $50.00.
The game will also be carried on 1037 The Buzz sponsored by Summerwood Sports. For updates regarding this year’s game, fans can visit the website, our Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram @SaltBowlAR. Comment using the hashtag #SaltSeason
STADIUM SECURITY
It is also important to remember there are security procedures at War Memorial Stadium including a clear bag policy and each fan will go through a metal detector. A list of permitted and prohibited items can be found on the Salt Bowl website at www.saltbowlar.com. Gates to the stadium will open at 5:00pm and fans are encouraged to arrive early as there will be more security again this year.
PEP RALLIES
Game week will kick-off with both teams having community pep rallies at 6:00pm on Tuesday night August 22nd Benton will be at Everett Infiniti and Bryant will be at Everett Buick GMC.
PRESS CONFERENCE ??GALLERY
On Wednesday, August 23rd, coaches and players from both teams spoke at the Recycle Saline press conference. The Benton and Bryant Chambers organized the event. Shane Broadway was master of ceremonies, and Steve Sullivan, Sports Director at KATV Channel 7 was the featured speaker. See the video and photos of the press conference – visit www.mysaline.com/salt-bowl-press-conf-2023.
VOLLEYBALL
Once again this year we will have the Battle of the BTowns on Friday night with the Bryant Lady Hornets Volleyball team taking on the defending State Champion Benton Lady Panthers at Benton Arena at 5pm.
TAILGATE
As always, we will have the annual Arkansas’ Largest High School Tailgate Party will include nearly 100 vendors and organizations from across Saline County and will kick-off at 4pm on the East Side of War Memorial Stadium. Anyone interested in renting a booth space should contact the Bryant Chamber of Commerce at 501-847-4702. If you are interested in a place for family, friends or class reunions to tailgate at the stadium, call War Memorial Stadium at 501-663-6385 to reserve a spot.
PRE-GAME
Pre-game festivities and coin toss sponsored by Republic Services will begin at 6:30p.m. and will include a flyover after the National Anthem by Bulldog Flight-Mid South RVators. We will also recognize this year’s recipients of our Community Service Awards, the Rob Patrick Award and the Donnie Burks Awards, sponsored by McDonald’s.
FUTURE
The Future Panthers and Future Hornets players and cheerleaders sponsored by ACDI, will be back on the field this year to be recognized and form the line for the teams to enter the field.
HONORED GUESTS
The Honorary Co-Captains will be Dr. Kim Anderson, Superintendent of Benton Public Schools and Dr. Karen Walters, Superintendent of Bryant Public Schools. Also, on hand will be Miss Arkansas Cori Keller for a special announcement about the return of the Miss Saline County and Miss Saline County Teen Scholarship competition you can also visit www.MissArkansas.org for more information.
HALFTIME
At halftime, the Cheer and dance squads will perform from both schools. Both bands will perform together on the field. We will also have two new competitions, first the McDonald’s French Fry 40 Yard Dash where the winner will receive a free Big Mac meal for the entire year!!! Contestants can sign up at the McDonald’s booth at the tailgate party outside the stadium. McDonald’s will also have an exciting announcement on game day that you will be able to enjoy all season long and it will certainly a first for the Salt Bowl!
CONTEST KICK
Secondly, we are excited to announce the launch of the Simmons Bank “Kick It to Win It” field goal challenge. From August 1st-18th, potential participants may stop by one of the Saline County Simmons Bank branches to enter for a chance to kick a 25-yard field goal during halftime. The Benton location is located at 1323 Military Road, Benton, AR, 72015 and the Bryant location is 3109 North Reynolds Road, Bryant, AR, 72022. Two lucky participants will have three tries to complete the field goal for a chance to win four tickets to the Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Western Carolina Catamounts.
SPONSORS
Salt Bowl 2023 “Salt Season” would not be possible without the support of our community and our great sponsors. The sponsors this year include Everett Buick GMC, Circle K, ACDI, Chuy’s Restaurant, McDonald’s, Jones Heating and Air, Arkansas Urology, Simmons Bank, Arkansas Copier, Recycle Saline, Summerwood Sports, Tommy’s Car Wash, Hounds Lounge, Athletico Physical Therapy, Wood Grill Buffet of Benton, Bin There Dump That, Ortho Arkansas, Arkansas Bone and Joint, Republic Services, Saline Memorial Hospital, Pafford Medical Services, Mascot Media, The Kinzler Family, Bryant Chamber of Commerce, and the Benton Chamber of Commerce.
CHARITIES
The Salt Bowl Committee is pleased to once again work with great organizations to give back to our community: the Arkansas Blood Institute and Goodwill Industries of Arkansas and we will also have the annual Salt Bowl Peanut Butter Drive that we will be announcing more details on later in the month.
The Arkansas Blood Institute will be holding Blood Drives for the Community and at both high schools. The Benton Community Blood Drive is 10am-5pm on Thursday August 24th at the River Center, Court 4, the Bryant Community Drive is from 10am-5pm the same day at Bishop Park, Court 1.
The Benton High School Blood Drive is from 8:30am-2:30pm Friday Sept. 1st in the Cheer Room and the Bryant High School Blood Drive is from 9am-2pm on Wednesday Sept. 6th in the Multi-Purpose Room. The districts will be competing for a trophy to the school that donates the most pints of blood.
Goodwill Industries of Arkansas is another strong partner of Salt Bowl. Beginning August 14th through August 25th, Goodwill stores in Benton and Bryant will collect Salt Bowl donations. Students, families and the community are encouraged to donate gently used clothing and household items at their respective Goodwill locations. In addition to helping fund numerous programs that provide education, training and employment assistance, donations collected will mean money for the school districts and gift cards for families in need. Fans can also make a monetary donation at GoodwillAR.org designating the school to support.
The donations will be totaled and the winning district named at the game. The district with the most donations will receive a check for $1,500, along with $500 in gift cards to give to families in need. The second-place district will also receive $500 in gift cards, plus with a check for $1,000.
MAGAZINE
Also hitting the newsstands today is the annual Salt Bowl Edition of the Saline County Lifestyles Magazine, be sure to look for one around town.
The tradition of the Saline County Salt Bowl continues to be togetherness and helping those in our community, we are excited that it almost “Salt Season” again.