Redwings start 2018 off strong, topple Vikings 27-10

The Benet Academy Redwings football team kicked off their 2018 regular season in dominant fashion, defeating the St. Laurence Vikings 27-10 in the High School Kickoff Classic at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois.

The matchup marked the fourth consecutive year that Benet and St. Laurence squared off in the first week of the season. The Redwings got the upper hand to start the 2017 season, winning 49-28 on the road. As always, the Vikings provided them with a tough opponent to start off the year, but Benet was able to get off to a hot start early on in the game.

“St. Laurence tested us in the opening week, with their speed being a big weapon of theirs,” senior running back Ben Hickey told the Benet Herald. “They were tough to contain on the edges and were always capable to break a normal play into a touchdown. Their speed and good coaching make them a difficult matchup for anyone.”
From the opening kickoff, the Redwings were able to take control of the game on both sides of the ball. The offense marched down the field with ease, while the defense consistently put pressure on Vikings quarterback Darius Wilson. The Redwings tallied four sacks, with three of them coming from junior edge rusher Jacob Snell.

Benet kicked off the game with a six-yard rushing touchdown by junior quarterback Colin Gillespie in a five-play drive highlighted by a 53-yard reception by Jack Cooney on an out route. Gillespie would follow up with another rushing touchdown on the next drive, this time from nine yards out. Meanwhile, the formidable Redwings defense forced St. Laurence to punt twice in the first quarter and held them to a field goal in the second quarter after Gillespie threw an interception.

The junior, who enters his first full season as Benet’s starting signal-caller, made up for his turnover on the next drive by hitting senior wide receiver Drew Eschenbach on a 42-yard hitch-and-go. Eschenbach fumbled the ball in the end zone but was able to recover it, putting six more points on the board. The interception did not affect Gillespie, who was able to move on from his turnover and continued to look ahead to the rest of the game.

“I just think as a quarterback [that] it’s crucial to always stay calm, cool, and collected through the good and bad plays,” Gillespie said. “If I throw a pick or make another mistake, I just try to look forward and put it behind me.”

The second half ended on a high note: an interception by senior defensive back Jack Cooney in the final seconds of the quarter. The Redwings entered the second half with a firm 20-3 lead.

Benet’s only allowed touchdown came off of a pick-six by the Vikings’ Brailyn Johnson, but the Redwings bounced right back on the next drive with a five-yard run for a touchdown by senior running back Ben Hickey. They held onto their 27-10 for the remainder of the game.

The Redwings allowed just 146 yards on defense, which played a key part in their preventing the Vikings from scoring a single offensive touchdown. Benet’s stout defense allowed their offense to play fairly conservative football in the final quarter to run down the clock.

Such a resounding win to start the year was huge for the team as they look to continue their momentum onward throughout the remainder of the year.

“Winning the first game was huge for us,” Hickey explained. “We know [that] we have many great teams on our schedule, so any win is an important win for us. This team has great expectations, and [we] want to build off this win and progressively improve as a team through this long season.”

Benet plays their first home game of the season on September 14, when they take on the Notre Dame Dons at Benedictine Stadium.