Harris now Benton’s winningest coach with 84, passing Dwight Fite
Harris now Benton’s winningest coach with 84, passing Dwight Fite
BENTON — Brad Harris cemented his place in Panther history Friday night, earning his 84th victory at Benton with a 63–0 rout of Little Rock Catholic and passing longtime head coach Dwight Fite’s 83 wins for the most in program history. His ledger now stands at 84–32.
Benton High School Football — All-Time Head Coaches
| Coach | Seasons | W | L | T | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Harris | 10 | 84 | 33 | 0 | .718 |
| Dwight Fite | 14 | 83 | 70 | 0 | .542 |
| Marc Jones | 10 | 47 | 57 | 2 | .443 |
| Elbert Kizzia | 10 | 46 | 34 | 5 | .541 |
| Max Graham | 8 | 45 | 43 | 2 | .500 |
| James Ahlf | 7 | 40 | 28 | 6 | .541 |
| Scott Neathery | 6 | 33 | 37 | 1 | .465 |
| Tom Hardin | 5 | 30 | 12 | 3 | .667 |
| Stan May | 5 | 23 | 30 | 0 | .434 |
| Gerald Gardner | 3 | 17 | 15 | 1 | .515 |
| Raymond Richards | 3 | 14 | 16 | 0 | .467 |
| Ben Means | 3 | 12 | 9 | 2 | .522 |
| Steve Quinn | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | .100 |
Most Points in a Single Season
| Season | Points Scored | Record | Playoff Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 607 | 10-2 | Semifinals |
| 2023 | 604 | 10-2 | Semifinals |
| 2016 | 530 | 8-5 | Semifinals |
| 2022 | 529 | 9-3 | Semifinals |
| 2014 | 516 | 11-1-1 | Finals |
| 2018 | 511 | 10-3 | Finals |
The 2023–24 Panthers combined for 1,211 total points, averaging over 50 points per game — the most dominant two-year offensive stretch in program history.
Harris arrived at Benton as defensive coordinator in 2014, helped push the Panthers to a state runner-up finish in 2014 and a semifinal in 2015, then took the head job in 2016.
For longtime Panther fans, the comparison is clear and respectful. Under Harris, Benton has reached two Class 6A championship games—2018 against Greenwood and 2019 in a one-point classic versus Searcy.
Friday’s win also arrived on a night when program history rewrote itself in multiple lines. Senior quarterback Drew Davis became the first Panther to hit 100 career touchdown passes, tossing six scoring throws as Benton overwhelmed Catholic. The defense swarmed, special teams executed, and Benton looked every bit like a November team in late October, improving to 6–2 overall and 4–1 in the 6A East.
Harris’s head coaching path started in Arkadelphia, where he rose from assistant to head coach, then moved to Lincoln and turned a 29-game skid into an 11–2 breakthrough in 2013 earning the Farm Bureau Insurance Coach of the Year for 4A. That work—along with immediate impact at Benton as coordinator—earned him Henderson State’s 2017 Sporty Carpenter Award, presented to a former Reddie who exemplifies excellence in coaching. 2013 Brad Harris, Lincoln- Coach of the Year Video.
Family ties run through the success, too. Offensive coordinator Drew Harris—Brad’s son— is the offensive coordinator for the Panthers and brings his own rivalry lore to the sideline. As a running back at Ouachita Baptist, he scored seven touchdowns in the 2017 Battle of the Ravine to beat Henderson State 49–42, a performance still etched into GAC memory.
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