With only two weeks left in the regular season, the Benet Academy Redwings make one last road trip before finishing the season at home next week. They’ll kick off against the St. Rita Mustangs, a challenging 4-3 team that enters tonight’s game with a two-game winning streak. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
St. Rita races to a fast start
Early on, the Mustangs are in the red zone already. They give the ball to Brandon Johnson Jr., and he races towards the corner of the end zone and beats the defender there for the score. St. Rita strikes first.
Later on, St. Rita is in Benet territory again. John Fennell fakes the handoff and unloads a pass downfield, and T.J. Burgos is all alone behind the defense. The 40-yard touchdown connection puts the Mustangs up 14-0 after five minutes of play.
Now trailing 21-0, the Redwings are looking for an answer. Alex Mitchell escapes some pressure up the middle, keeps his eyes downfield, and finds Giovanni Sanderlin near the sideline for the catch. That sets up Benet with a first and goal.
After some defensive stops, Benet is facing a fourth and goal. Mitchell is looking for Luca Diomede, but Timmy Swanson is there to knock the pass away to force the turnover on downs. The Mustangs are still up 21-0.
Now in the second quarter, St. Rita is looking for more. Fennell drops back and then launches another deep ball for Burgos, and he has his second touchdown of the evening. The 62-yard touchdown pass gives the Mustangs a 28-0 lead.
Benet finds its offense late in the half
Later in the quarter, Benet has the ball on the goal line. Mitchell takes the snap and looks for the space up the middle, and the ball pops free. The left guard Jackson Bonebrake recovers the loose ball in the end zone, and that’s a touchdown. The unconventional score puts Benet on the board.
Now the Redwings are trying to build some momentum. Mitchell drops back, and he’s looking deep downfield. He puts one up in the air for Sanderlin, and he pulls it in and battles with defenders to the ground. He maintains possession and sets up Benet with a first and goal.
After a Michael Conway field goal, it’s now 35-10. Fennell takes the snap in the red zone, looks over the middle for Vinny Stubitsch that is touchdown pass number three. St. Rita is up 42-10.
With under a minute left in the half, Benet is hoping for one more score. Mitchell throws a quick pass to Diomede, and he makes the first two defenders miss. He gets to the sideline, and it’s a foot race to the end zone. He’s tripped up, but he’s able to dive across the plane for the score. That 60-yard catch and run to paydirt makes it 42-17.
Mighty Mustangs pull away for the big win
There’s just nine seconds left before halftime, and Mustangs are looking for more. Fennell has his eyes downfield again, and he connects with Burgos for a third touchdown pass. Fennell breaks the school record for passing yards in a game with 320, leading St. Rita to a 56-24 victory over Benet. The Redwings fall to 2-6 and need a win next week against St. Patrick to have any hope at the postseason.
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