Defensively, the Benedictine football team held No. 3 Baker University to 0-3 on third-down conversions in the fourth quarter, with the final time setting up what proved to be the game-winning touchdown drive.
Benedictine (3-2) forced Baker (4-1) to punt with 4:37 remaining in the game and then took the ball 84 yards on eight plays to score on a one-yard run by Ricardo Rodriquez with just over one minute left in the game to pull ahead 35-31.
Baker moved the ball 40 yards on six plays in just over a minute before the drive was halted with seven seconds in the game as Benedictine’s Shane Baumann intercepted Baker’s Nick Marra to seal the win for the Ravens.
The Ravens outscored the Wildcats 25-10 as the passed for 174 yards off 11 completions and picked up their fourth interception return for a touchdown this season.
The two teams combined for 21 first-quarter points with Marra throwing two touchdown passes of nine yards and 16 yards while Benedictine’s Jake Koester threw a touchdown pass of 47 yards.
Only 10 points were scored in the third quarter with Baker’s Adonis Powell converting on a 28-yard rush and Benedictine’s Andrew Zubia converting on a 41-yard field goal to send the game into halftime with Baker on top 21-10.
Zubia converted on his second field goal to start off the third quarter for the Ravens, converting from 43 yards out. That field goal was followed up by a 92-yard interception return for a touchdown by Kenny Hersberger.
Koester found Nate Nicholson for the two-point conversion to pull the game even at 21.
Marra and Koester exchanged touchdown passes late in the third quarter, Marra on a 37-yard pass and Koester on a 56-yard pass to sent the game into the fourth quarter tied.
The converted on 6 of 8 third-down conversions through the first three quarters of play before Benedictine’s defense held them in the final 15 minutes of play.
Abram Garcia converted on a 41-yard field goal to give the Wildcats back the lead with 12:30 left in the game but would be the final points Baker would manage as the Ravens went up for good on the Rodriquez rush with 1:13 remaining.
Benedictine finished with 382 yards of total offense – 274 through the air for Koester and 108 on the ground. Baker wracked up 564 yards of total offense but couldn’t overcome four interceptions and a fumble.
Christian Haack led the Raven receivers with 132 yards off nine catches for two touchdowns.
Defensively, Tyler Thrasher led the Ravens with 10 tackles while Dre Graves and Chandler Staley each added eight. Burl Brisbane and Staley added two more interceptions to go along with Hersberger’s and Baumann’s.
Benedictine travels to Fayette, Mo., for a 6 p.m. game against Central Methodist University next Saturday as they wrap up Heart cross-divisional play.
— BC Athletics —