Bobcats lose at Fairfield in first football game of season
Courtesy of Jim Magdefrau
Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, at Fairfield
BC 7 0 0 7 - 14
F 12 8 22 0 - 42
Benton passed for 27 yards. Owen Drahos 1 of 4 for 11 yards. Kaiser Townsley was 2 of 7 for 16 yards and a touchdown. Benton rushed for 304 yards. Gabe Pugh had four carries for 19 yards. Owen Drahos had five carries for 53 yards. Townsley had three carried for 15 yards. Kaden Mitchell carried 19 times for 182 yards and one touchdown. Kaden Wright had four carries for 38 yards and a touchdown.
Colton Kroneman had three catches for 27 yards.
Kaden Mitchell had 8.0 tackles, with five solo. Joel Hacker had 7.0 tackles with five solo and 1.5 tackles for loss. Braden Mell had 6.5 tackles with six solo. Drew Ballard had one tackle for loss.
Gabe Pugh had one kickoff return for 31 yards. Mell had four returns for 49 yards. Pugh had one punt return. Drew Ballard had three kickoffs for 128 yards. He was 2 for 2 for points after touchdown. He had three punts for 102 yards.
Benton hosts Mount Vernon in non-district play on Friday, Sept. 4, at 7:30 p.m. They host Vinton-Shellsburg on Friday, Sept.11, at 7:30 p.m.
Class 3A, District 2
Friday, Aug. 28 2026
Clear Lake 56, Forest City 8
Fairfield 42, Benton 14
Iowa Falls 32, Webster City 5
West Delaware 42, Marion 7
North Fayette Valley 43, Independence 34
Charles City 46, Oelwein 14
Friday, Sept. 4, 2026
Iowa Falls-Alden at South Hardin
Mount Vernon at Benton
Independence at Washington
Forest City at Charles City
Humboldt at Clear Lake
North Fayette Valley at West Delaware
Courtesy of Jim Magdefrau
Independence Tournament
Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026
Janesville 2, Benton 0
BC 10 17 - 0
J 21 21 - 2
Benton had 22 kills in 51 attempts with seven errors. Talulah Schroeder had eight kills. Anna Embretson added five. Benton had 23 digs, led by Embretson and Schroeder with six each. Brynnlee Seeck added four digs. Benton had 21 assists, led by Brynnlee Seeck with 17.
Benton was 26 of 28 for serves with two aces. Lily Schulte was 6 of 6 with one ace. Embretson was 5 of 6 with one ace. Seeck was five of five. Sydney Brant was 2 of 3. Schroeder was 5 of 5. Emerson Ridgway was 3 of 3.
Sumner-Fredericksburg 2, Benton 0
BC 18 15 - 0
SF 21 21 - 2
Benton had 17 kills in 47 attempts with six errors. Schroeder had six kills. Chloe DeGroot added four. Benton had 17 assists, led by Seeck with 14. Benton had 29 digs, led by Schroeder with 10. Ridgway had three blocks.
Benton was 30 of 34 for serves with no aces. Haddie Kroneman was 1 of 1. Schulte was 8 of 8. Embretson was 3 of 5.
Seeck was 7 of 7. Brant was 5 of 5. Schroeder was 4 of 5. DeGroot was 2 of 3.
West Delaware 2, Benton 0
BC 19 13 - 0
WD 21 21 - 2
Benton had 17 kills in 46 attempts with eight errors. Schroeder had six kills. Seeck had 15 assists. The team had 23 digs, led by Brant with six. Embretson added five. Ridgway had one block. Benton was 32 of 36 for serves with one ace. Schulte was 4 of 4. Embretson was 8 of 10 with one ace. Olivia Brenda’s was 1 of 1. Brant was 4 of 4. Schroeder was 4 of 4. DeGroot was 1 of 2. Ridgway was 4 of 5. Avery Franzenburg was 1 of 1.
Benton travels to the BCLUW tournament on Saturday, Sept. 5.
#APlaceToBelong
Courtesy of Jim Magdefrau
Benton 3, Vinton-Shellsburg 0
VS 14 8 14 - 0
BC 25 25 25 - 3
Benton had 36 assists. The team had 39 kills in 63 attempts with five errors. Brynnlee Seeck had 32 assists. Talulah Schroeder had 13 kills. Avery Franzenburg added nine kills. Emerson Ridgeway had seven kills. With eight digs each were Lily Schulte and Sydney Brant. The team was 64 of 74 for serves with 11 aces. Schulte was 14 of 15 with four aces. Anna Embretson was 3 of 6. Olivia Brendes was 3 of 5. Seeck was 7 of 8. Brant was 8 of 10 with two aces. Schroeder was 11 fo 12 with three aces. Chloe DeGroot was 17 of 18 with two aces.
Vinton-Shellsburg had 18 kills in 55 attempts with 12 errors.
Benton travels to Independence on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, for a tournament with Mason City, West Delaware, Union, Janesville, Osage and Sumner-Fredricksburg.
This well deserved honor highlights their exceptional leadership, dedication to education, and meaningful impact across our community. Thank you, Emily and Anna, for your vision and continuous drive to make a difference every single day.
Please read over the Open House Checklist and we look forward to seeing you at Open House!
Support our Marching Band by attending this Preview Night Event on Wednesday, August 12 on the practice field. Attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair. Gates open at 6:30 pm.
#BeABobcat
#APlaceToBelong
#BeABobcat
#APlaceToBelong
This event is also a great opportunity to become a member of the Benton Athletic Booster Club. Every membership directly supports our student-athletes by helping fund equipment, uniforms, facilities, athletic training, and other improvements that benefit all Benton athletic programs.
Let's pack the stands, celebrate our Bobcats, and kick off an unforgettable year together. Go Bobcats! 🐾💙💛
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WtzEc6N4geVa26-jEbGnw752r4ngq8fq/view?usp=sharing
At Benton Community, we know some of life's best memories are made on family adventures. Whether it's a long weekend away, a holiday tradition, or a special trip together, we want to help families plan ahead whenever possible.
That's why we've created our 2026-2027 Vacation Planner—a quick reference highlighting longer school breaks and holiday weekends that may provide opportunities to travel while minimizing missed instructional time.
At the same time, we know that every day in school matters. Consistent attendance helps students build strong relationships, stay engaged in learning, and experience the routines and opportunities that contribute to their success. While there are times when missing school is unavoidable, planning family trips around scheduled breaks helps students make the most of both their learning and their family time.
📅 Take a look at the planner, save it for future reference, and use it as you begin making plans for the year ahead.
Thank you for partnering with us to support student success—both in the classroom and through the meaningful experiences families create together.
🐾 Go Bobcats!
