For Benedictine, it was a night for the defense easily outshined the offense. Intercepting six passes makes it very difficult to dispute.
The Cadets’ defense bent a bit, but the never broke leading them to a convincing 35-13 victory over Southwest DeKalb in an opening-round GHSA Class AAAA playoff game at Godfrey Stadium in Decatur.
With the win, Bendectine (6-4, third seed, region one) will travel to Ola (top seed, region two) for a second-round matchup next Friday night.
Wyatt Estabrook paced the defense with three picks on the night, one a 36-yard return for a touchdown. On the other side of the ball, Bubba Frazier rushed for three touchdowns and 76 yards.
Southwest DeKalb (7-4), which entered the game with the three-straight wins and had outscored their opponents by 24-point deficit, moved the ball on the Cadets from the 20 to the 20, but Benedictine then shut the door.
Head coach Danny Britt was impressed with his team’s defensive persistence.
“It was a great defensive effort,” noted Britt. “We made the plays when we needed to make them. We were able to take them out of their rhythm, and their offense became very slow and methodical.”
Estabrook’s first interception halted the Panthers’ opening drive on the Cadets’ eight-yard line.
Bendectine’s Stanley Smart had a 57-yard touchdown scamper wiped on the Cadets’ opening drive by a holding penalty.
The Cadets opened the scoring early in the second quarter when they took advantage of the Panthers’ botched punt that gave them the ball on the Southwest DeKalb 35.
Four plays later, Frazier broke free on a 25-yard burst for a 7-0 lead with 8:28 left before intermission.
Zach Maxwell’s first of his second interceptions helped the Cadets to a 14-0 halftime lead. On the first play of the ensuing possession, Omari Burse’s deflected pass downfield was caught by Jack Ganem to complete a 46-yard scoring play.
Maxwell’s second interception on the opening drive of the second half helped the Cadets take control when Frazier scored again, this time on a one-yard plunge that gave them a 21-0 cushion.
After Southwest DeKalb brought the game to 21-7, the Cadets were back on the move, but a facemask penalty wiped out a fourth-down conversion.
Estabrook’s second interception stopped another drive, and the junior later put the finishing touches on the game with a fourth-quarter pick six.
Britt sees Estabrook’s potential beginning to surface.
“He had a big game and took a big step forward,” added Britt. “We have been waiting for him to come around, and he is doing that. He’s a laid-back guy, but he is starting to realize what he can do.”
Britt also pointed to their previous 44-22 victory over New Hampstead two weeks ago.
“That was big because we managed to work our nickel and dime packages into that game,” offered Britt. “It got us prepared for this game.”
However, Britt knows his offense has to tighten its game.
“They were whipping us up front,” stressed Britt. “We had some holding penalties, and we have to be better than that.”
Still, the Cadets are back in a familiar postseason spot in the second round.
“We’re happy to be moving on,” said Britt. “We have a number of guys who have playoff experience, and that will help us.”
BENEDICTINE 35, SOUTHWEST DEKALB 13
| BENEDICTINE | 0 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
| SOUTHWEST DEKALB | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 13 |
| Second Quarter | |||||
|
B- Bubba Frazier 25 run (Connor Ferguson kick) |
|||||
|
B- Jack Ganem 46 pass from Omari Burse (Ferguson kick) |
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| Third Quarter | |||||
| B- Frazier 1 run (Ferguson kick) | |||||
|
SWD – Tamir Rudolph 18 run (Kelvin Saturday kick) |
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| Fourth Quarter | |||||
| B- Frazier 4 run (Ferguson kick) | |||||
|
B- Estabrook 36 interception return (Ferguson kick) |
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|
SWD – Jordan Christie 77 kickoff return (kick failed) |
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|
Records—Benedictine 6-4; SOUTHWEST DEKALB 7-4 |
G
SA/SCISA FINAL PLAYOFF SCORES
Round One
GHSA 5A
East Paulding 52, Effingham 14
GHSA 4A
Benedictine 35, SW Dekalb 13
GHSA 3A
Jenkins 28, NW Whitfield 14
GHSA Private
Sav Country Day 23, Mount Vernon 17
Calvary - Bye
Savannah Christian - Bye
SCISA AA Semi-finals
Bethesda 38, Calhoun 21
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