They call it the Seney-Lohman Trophy and Benson has been battling Willcox for a chance to hoist the Golden Football since 1961. The Cowboys have a 31-22-2 edge over the Bobcats but Benson has won the last four in row including a 68-0 win on Friday night.

Benson (6-0 overall, 1-0 in section play) came into their rivalry game as the top ranked Division V team in the state according to the AIA/MaxPreps seedings while Willcox (1-5, 0-1) has struggled with a team loaded with freshmen and sophomores. In fact, 15 of the Cowboys' 25 active players are underclassmen including the quarterback, freshman Christian Brown.

Willcox has seen better days, including a 21-4 streak from 2009-2010 and a state championship appearance in 2009, but it's difficult to compete with a team literally twice your size with experience equal to that number.

"We've been playing together since Pop Warner days so we know each other pretty well," explained Benson senior QB Nick Hernandez. "But we knew this was going to be special especially after we beat Pusch Ridge."

Benson defeated Oro Valley Pusch Ridge 28-14 in the first game of the season and then Vail Empire 12-0 and the Bobcats have steamrolled from there, outscoring opponents 231-12 in their last four games.

The Pusch Ridge win turned out to be huge due to the power points attached. The Lions are 5-1 in D-IV and each win just adds to the points awarded to Benson.

Benson scored six points in the first minute against Willcox on a 35-yard interception return by Bryce Taylor and the team never looked back. In a flash, the Bobcats had a 34-0 lead heading into the second quarter.

Hernandez only played the first half and he finished 4-5 for 120 yards and three touchdowns. Keegan Graff caught two passes for 69 yards and two scores and Tyson Coleman added a 47-yard touchdown reception.

12 players rushed the ball for a total of 193 yards. Liam Barrett led the way with 72 yards and a touchdown. Lofton Thomas, Austin Barney and Dominic Callen also had rushing touchdowns. Brandon laird added 48 yards on the ground.

Graff added a 78-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Brown had 21 yards passing for Willcox with Tanner DeBaun collecting 17 of those but each yard was difficult. Still, head coach Jack Kortsen felt his team did everything he asked of them.

"They left in all on the field," Kortsen said. "Our team is made up of freshmen and sophomores and we played against the top team in the state. I couldn't have asked for anything else."

Chris Determan has coached a lot of good teams in his 13 years at Benson but he's not quite ready to use the word "special" when characterizing his current squad.

"I don't think we are there yet," Determan explained. "We have a good group of guys and the kids work hard but it's just a ranking right now. Nothing is won. We need to stay focused."

Several of his players are already talking playoffs but Determan is determined to keep them humble. "It's difficult," he added.

"It's hard because they want to succeed. And they have."

Benson has played for two state championships with the 1994 team losing in the final to finish 12-1 under Pete Bearse. The 1999 Benson team also finished the regular season undefeated but lost to Willcox in the 2A quarterfinals.

Determan has a chance to run the table this year if he can, indeed, keep his team focused. The Bobcats will travel to San Manuel (1-4, 0-1) next week but a huge game against Bisbee (4-1, 1-0) awaits them the following week.

The Cowboys will host Tombstone (2-3, 1-0) on Oct. 23 for homecoming and then Tucson Tanque Verde (1-5, 0-1) to close out the regular season. The game against Tombstone will be extra special.

Benson will be awarded a Golden Football by the NFL that night because the school is one of 2,000 high schools across the country to have an alumni play in a Super Bowl as part of the league's 50th anniversary.

Mitch Hoopes was an All-State running back at Benson before moving on to play for the University of Arizona as a punter. The Dallas Cowboys drafted him in 1975 and he made it to Super Bowl X but the Steelers defeating the Cowboys 21-17.

Hoopes played for six NFL teams from 1975 to 1978.

NOTE: The "Seney-Lohman Trophy" was named after two fuel distributors, Martin Lohman of Benson and E.A. Seney of Willcox. It was created to help create a friendly rivalry between the two towns and is one of a score of such trophies passed between small schools across the state.