He tore an ACL months ago. How faith, work ethic got Conway captain back on the field

His name may not register in the mind of most scouts and a host of recruiting services.

Among those in the Conway locker room, however, Keith Autry Benton is undeniably a five-star.

“Keith Autry is a leader because he does everything the right way,” he said. “He does it with passion, he does it with emotion, he does it with high spirit and he is just overall a good person.

“He excels in the classroom and performs well on the football field because he has committed himself to working hard.”

Work ethic and an uncommon reliance on his faith have helped Benton get through some of his darkest days.

Earlier this year, Benton was forced to miss his junior season of baseball after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right leg. Rehab on the connective tissue also put spring football practice out of the question, that along with a large share of summer workouts.

Yet when the first day of drills for the upcoming gridiron campaign rolled around, he was on the Conway practice field leading his team in stretching exercises.

“To come back from the injury he did, a torn ACL, it takes a lot of hard work to return in less than a year,” Terry said. “He wasn’t with us for spring practice, and he didn’t really do that much with us in the summer. But the things he could do, we saw Keith Autry do them full tilt with all his effort and all his might.

“In fact, we had to restrain him from doing additional out of fear it would have a negative effect on his healing. But he listened well, and as you can tell he works harder.”

For Benton, wearing the green and gold meant that much. His teammates certainly took notice, voting him captain of this year’s Conway football squad.

“I’ve been playing here for three years now on varsity, and we have a special group of guys who have won a lot of ball games,” the Conway senior said. “Any time you win, it means something to you, and we had a good time. But it means a lot to me that those guys look up to me and respect me as one of their leaders.”

This season, he has 17 tackles along with deflecting three passes and a fumble recovery. But Terry believes his worth is much greater than stats tend to indicate.

“If you look at stats only, you don’t think he’s all that much of a player,” the Conway interim football coach said. “But when you look at film, he’s doing his job … he’s doing it well. What he’s done is help the linebackers to come in and make tackles, because he’s turned a play inside, or his play makes things easier for his fellow defensive backs.

“It is very selfless of him ... these are things you see from a great teammate.”

Prior to Conway’s biggest game to date — a 35-21 win over Hartsville — coaches allowed Benton to offer an encouraging word to teammates.

“I kind of asked our team chaplain (The Rock Church pastor Josh Finklea) if I could share (a message) one week,” he said. “I shared my faith, and I just hope through what God is doing through me that they see (God) in me and they see his traits through my life.”

The message impressed players and coaches alike.

“You know your team is on the verge of greatness when a player gives you a devotional,” said Conway defensive line coach Brian Mabry on Twitter shortly after Benton’s presentation. “Great word from my man KA. Courage to claim him!”

And much like every Friday night on the gridiron, it is a game he is playing to win.

“(I believe) if you live for Him on a daily basis, that one day I’m going to go to heaven and live with Him because of my relationship with Him and because of what’s he done for me,” Benton said. “He’s blessed me in so many ways.

“Football, baseball, everything else in life are just a part of that.”

This story was originally published October 19, 2017 at 6:06 PM with the headline "He tore an ACL months ago. How faith, work ethic got Conway captain back on the field."