Benton Consolidated High School

American public high school

Maroon and whiteSongBenton LoyaltyAthletics conferenceSouthern Illinois River-to-River ConferenceMascotRanger/RangeretteTeam nameRangersYearbookScarabWebsiteBenton Consolidated High School

Benton Consolidated High School (BCHS) is a public high school located in Benton, Illinois, United States. The campus is located in a city setting on Benton's east side, and has been operating (though in separate buildings) since 1888.^[2]

Benton Consolidated High School is in a school district separate from the K-8 schools in and around Benton.

Athletics

The school's athletic teams (Benton Rangers) compete in the Southern Illinois River-to-River Conference. The Rangers' main rival is the West Frankfort Redbirds, located seven miles south of the BCHS campus.^[3]

Sports

Benton High School offers the following sports:^[4]

Baseball
Basketball
Cross country
Football
Golf
Softball
Track
Volleyball
Wrestling

State championships

Team

1979-80 - Girls' basketball, Class A
2004 - Competitive dance (pom division), Class 1A
2005-06 - Girls' track & field, Class A
2007-08 - Girls' track & field, Class A
2013 - Competitive dance (hip hop division), Class 1A
2014 - Competitive dance (hip hop division), Class 2A
2015 - Competitive dance (hip hop division), Class 2A
2020 - Competitive dance (hip hop division), Class A

Individual

2007-08 - Zach Wilson, IHSA wrestling, 140 pounds
2005-08 - Courtney Smith, IHSA Girls' Track & Field
2005-08 - Leah Orley, IHSA Girls' Track & Field
2020-21 - Gabe Craig, IWCOA wrestling, 285 pounds
2021-22 - Cy Norman, IHSA Boys' Golf
2022-23 - Gavin Genisio, IHSA Boys' Cross Country
2022-23 - Mason Tieffel, IHSA Boys' wrestling, 138 pounds

Notable alumni

Lin Bolen, television executive
Doug Collins, basketball coach and player
Billy Grammer, country music singer
Richard O. Hart, Illinois state representative and lawyer
John Malkovich, actor
Rich Yunkus, basketball player

History

The first class to complete their course of study for Benton High School received their diplomas in March 1888, with 12 graduates.^[2]

In 1909, the school became known as Benton Township High School, with 73 students enrolled at the time, and the building located across the street from its current location where a football field for the school's football team currently sits.^[2]

The school's name was changed to Benton Consolidated High School in 1949. The school district began to teach students from Benton, Ewing, Browning and Barren Township.^[2]

In 1973, the current high school building was completed.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Benton Cons High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "School History / School History". Archived from the original on 2020-08-15. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
^ Muir, Jim (2017-09-23). "The Benton-West Frankfort rivalry from mostly an outsiders point of view". Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News. Archived from the original on 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
^ "Benton (IL) High School Sports - Football, Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Volleyball, and more | MaxPreps". www.maxpreps.com. Archived from the original on 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2021-04-23.