Benet Academy football makes one more regular season stop at Benedictine to celebrate senior night against DePaul College Prep. The Rams just lost a tough overtime game at St. Francis, while the Redwings lost to Nazareth. The winner of tonight’s contest will be the crowned champions of the CCL/ESCC Purple Division. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
DePaul College Prep’s Juju Rodriguez throws for a touchdown and a pick-six in the first quarter against Benet
We’ll pick up the action in the first quarter with the Rams on the five-yard line. Juju Rodriguez bounces around the pocket until he finds Braden Peevy open in the back of the endzone for the first score of the game. DePaul College Prep is up 7-0 early on.
After a defensive stop, the Rams are back on the field. Rodriguez feels the pressure from Liam Rooney and tries to escape, but then he flips it up and Jack Clevenger is there for the interception. He’s got a lot of green ahead of him and no one is going to catch him. Clevenger returns it 70 yards for the score, tying the game up at 7 with 7:00 in the first.
Now in the second quarter, a solid Benet drive sets up Michael Conway for a 27-yard field-goal and he sends it right through the uprights. The Redwings take a 10-7 lead wth just under nine minutes to play in the half.
With just seconds left in the first half, the Rams are hunting for one more score. Rodriguez is looking for his receiver on the sideline but Martin Radgowski reads his eyes and secures the interception at the 20-yard line. That halts the drive as Benet goes into halftime with a 10-7 lead.
Ryan Kubacki and Luke Doyle combine to put the Redwings in front
Fast forward to the fourth quarter. The Redwings are operating near midfield. Kubacki fakes the handoff and then looks deep near the sideline for Luke Doyle and he makes the catch and battles forward inside the 10-yard line.
Just moments later, Kubacki is looking Doyle’s way again and they have another connection, this time for six. Benet’s first offensive touchdown of the day puts them ahead 17-10 with nine minutes to play.
Now, with less than five minutes to play, the Rams are facing a fourth and goal. Rodriguez drops back to pass and then rolls out to his right. He reverses back to his left, keeps his eyes upfield, and flips to the endzone. It’s deflected by the Benet defense but it lands in the hands of Matthew Osterma for the score. DePaul College Prep knots the game up at 17 with 4:30 to play.
Benet Academy football holds off a late charge from DePaul College Prep to win the CCL/ESCC Purple Divison
On the next Redwings possession, Kubacki makes a quick throw to Doyle on a slant route and he has some space. Doyle is in a footrace with the defense and they’re not going to catch him. The 80-yard touchdown connection puts Benet back on top 24-17 with four minutes to play.
De Paul College Prep is back in possession, as Rodriquez drops back to pass and has plenty of time. He moves to this left and slings one to the sideline but Redwing, Ben Albert, jars the ball loose and it’s deflected right into the arms of Radgowski. He’s got a head of steam, racing down the sideline, dealing a strong stiff arm, and strolling into the endzone. That one extends the Benet lead to 31-17 with two minutes left to play.
The Rams have the ball and they have to score in a hurry. Rodriguez is on the move again, scanning the field ahead of him. He escapes toward the sideline before unleashing a bomb that lands securely into the hands of Justin Sterner for the touchdown. De Paul College Prep narrows the gap to 21-24 with 1:30 left in the game.
Now with just eight seconds left, the Rams have one more chance to score a touchdown from the 25-yard line. Rodriguez faces pressure and unloads a deep ball in the end zone, but Dominik Tomala is there for the interception to seal the victory. Benet Academy football defeats DePaul College Prep 31-24, finishing the regular season 6-3, and winning the Purple Division of the ESCC.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!