Top-ranked Benedictine and No. 5 Burke County both came into Waynesboro Friday night undefeated and looking to make the ultimate region statement.
The Cadets had some anxious moments at the end of the game, needing a 4th down defensive stop in the red zone with under 2 minutes left to secure a 38-30 win.
It didn’t take long for the Cadets to make the scoreboard talk.
Benedictine’s Bryce Baker took the opening kickoff from near his own end zone to the Burke County 16.
Three plays later, Rasean Matthews scooted in from eight yards for a score, putting the Cadets up 7-0 at the 10:59 mark of the first quarter.
Burke County responded with a long kickoff return of its own by Jeremy Richardson, but a penalty pushed the Bears back five yards and took the air out of the drive before it could get started.
That drive ended in a punt and Matthews got his second score of the night five plays later on a 2-yard touchdown run to stretch Benedictine’s lead to 14-0 midway through the first.
Both teams traded defensive stops for most of the second quarter before Burke County’s A’merre Williams broke loose for a 40-yard score. But Benedictine answered right back when Luke Kromenhoek found La’Don Bryant for a 70-yard scoring strike. That flurry made it 24-7, Benedictine at the 5:23 mark of the 2nd.
Benedictine added a touchdown before halftime to make it a 31-7 lead at the break.
Indeed, it seemed like a different Burke County squad emerging from the locker room for the third quarter.
The spark started when Williams found the end zone on a 70-yard touchdown run. Then, a 3-and-out on defense where Brandon Lively sacked Kromenhoek for a near-safety on third down.
After the punt, Sean Vandiver connected with Derrick Streetman on a 35-yard dime to the end zone. Two point conversions after both touchdowns cut the Cadets’ lead to 31-23 early in the fourth quarter.
Kromenhoek responded though by tossing a 43-yard jump ball to his 6-foot-3 wideout Bryant that ended up giving Benedictine a little bit more comfort with a 38-23 lead at the 7-minute mark of regulation.
The fireworks continued when Vandiver threw open Ronderious Gray who ran by his Benedictine defender for a 70-yard touchdown which cut the Benedictine lead back to eight with 6:49 left in regulation.
Benedictine fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Burke County recovered at the 49 but the Cadets’ defense held, forcing a 3-and-out.
Benedictine’s escape gave it a 7-0 record overall and pushed them to 2-0 in Region 3-AAAA play. Meanwhile, Burke County suffers its first loss of the season, but with seemingly plenty to build upon.
Stay tuned for more coverage from this game.
