Benedictine Military School defeated Cass High School, 21-7, at Memorial Stadium on Friday to advance to the quarterfinals of the GHSA Class AAAA playoffs.
The Cadets were able to overcome a somewhat sluggish offensive performance by smothering Cass defensively, allowing just 48 yards of offense in the second half.
“It was complimentary football, doing whatever it takes to win. That’s what great teams do, they find a way to win,’ said Cadets’ head coach Danny Britt. “If we’re not scoring like we normally are, they put it on the defense’s back.”
The defense answered the call, stifling the Colonels for the majority of the contest.
After allowing a 50 yard touchdown on 3rd and 15 on Cass’s opening drive, BC evened the score with a 36 yard run by senior quarterback Stephen Cannon. The Cadets forced a 3-and-out on the ensuing Cass possession, and Bubba Frazier brought the punt back 65 yards for a touchdown, putting the Cadets up 14-7 just eight minutes into the game.
Following the quick scoring to open the game, both offenses sputtered, trading punts and turnovers for most of the game. Interceptions by BC seniors Mekhi Williams and Wyatt Estabrook broke up the flurry of punts by the Colonels.
After taking the lead on the opening possession of the game, Cass went into the locker room at halftime having gained only 47 yards for the remainder of the first half.
Benedictine’s offense also stalled after taking the lead as the Cadets found themselves behind the sticks for much of the first half. Despite looking like they were about to run away with the game, the Cadets went into the half up by just one score.
The Cadets received the second half kickoff and marched down the field to take a 21-7 lead by way of a second rushing touchdown from Stephen Cannon. The two teams traded punts for the rest of the third quarter.
After the Cadets picked off Cass for the fourth time, they went on a 7 minute drive, picking up 5 first downs and gaining almost 70 yards before taking a knee in the red zone to cap off a 21-7 victory.
Despite the inconsistency, BC’s offense came through on the final drive, imposing their will when they needed to most.
“That’s just BC football. Our goal every game is to be the most physical and the fastest team, which I felt like we were tonight,” said Cadets’ Cannon said. “We still have a long way to go in a short period of time.”
Despite the difficult test, Cannon’s mobility was impressive, as he logged 95 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Next Friday will mark the sixth year in a row that BC has reached at least the quarterfinals, a streak that has lasted as long as the Cadets have been in 4A.
“We talked about that pregame, you came to Benedictine because I asked you a question; ‘Do you want to be good or great?’ If you want to be good, go somewhere else, you want to be great, come to Benedictine,” Britt said. “That standard is winning championships, winning regional championships, playing on Thanksgiving, winning state championships. That’s the goal, that’s what we do.”
Benedictine will host Central (Carrollton) on Friday at Memorial Stadium.
Photo Credit: Benedictine Military School Communications Department
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