The Benet Academy Redwings entered their Class 7A second-round matchup with seemingly very little chance of winning. After all, their opponents, the Hononegah Indians, were the top seed in the class and had yet to lose a single game. Despite that, Benet entered the game with the belief that they were equally as talented, if not more so, than their opponents. On Saturday, they proved that and then some.

The Redwings shutout the Indians in a 26-0 rout at Benedictine Stadium to advance to the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year. This marks the first time in the school’s history that they have done so.

From the opening kickoff, one could tell that this game was going to be a defensive battle. Benet had only allowed 17.4 points per game heading into the matchup, while Hononegah had given up an average of 11.6 points per game. These numbers reflected the respective performances of each team in the first half: the Redwings held a 10-0 lead at halftime.

Benet completely shut the Indians down through the air, only allowing one deep pass all game. Devin Petersen and Ben Cooney each had interceptions in the second quarter, while Connor Reid and Billy Lawler contributed with pass deflections of their own. Indians quarterback Ryan VanSchelven was held to just 63 passing yards and was sacked five times in just the second half. Hononegah’s ground game wasn’t all that efficient, either, as they only ran for 49 yards.

Benet’s offense started off slow but picked up steam as the game went on. They got on the board first off of a field goal by Victor Karam in the first quarter. The senior kicker played a big role in the victory, as he ended up going four-for-four for the night, including a 41-yard kick which bounced off of the crossbar.

Quarterback Colin Gillespie threw two interceptions in the first half, but he was able to move the ball well consistently. He found Jack Eschenbach in the end zone on a comeback route with 38 seconds left in the first half, giving Benet a two-possession lead. Gillespie was also able to pick up a handful of yards with his feet. After a fairly slow start, the sophomore signal-caller played a mistake free game in the second half.

Ben Hickey had a phenomenal game running the ball, racking up 140 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Hickey displayed superb ball carrier vision, athleticism, and lower body strength: Hickey was nearly impossible to bring down. Fellow junior Mike Wymer, who has played predominantly on defense this season, also contributed in the ground game.

The Redwings’ offense benefitted greatly from their defense’s ability to force Hononegah to punt. In all, they punted 10 times, a handful of which resulting in Benet getting the ball in the Indians’ territory. Benet, on the other hand, did a great job of flipping field possession on punts. Gillespie pinned Hononegah at the one-yard line on one of his punts, while Connor Seely ended up landing a punt inside the five.

After a surging victory, Benet enters the quarterfinals with an 8-3 record. They will travel to New Lenox on Saturday, November 11th to face off against No. 9 Lincoln-Way Central (10-1), who has only allowed seven points in its first two playoff games. The game begins at 1 o’clock.