After an embarrassing loss to St. Christopher’s last week, the Benedictine football team was determined to look better when it traveled to Collegiate Friday afternoon.

  The underdog Cadets, predicted to lose by a 14-point margin to the favorite Cougars, did look better. They looked quite good, in fact, that as their fans began chanting “This is our house,” at Collegiate’s home field, few could dispute the claim.

  Benedictine took advantage of six Collegiate turnovers and rolled to a 30-14 victory over their rivals.

  Benedictine coach Greg Lilly said consistency is the biggest challenge the Cadets face this season.

  “We weren’t very good last week,” Lilly said. “We’re just young – sophomores and juniors – so we come out some weeks and look great, and come out some weeks and don’t look very good at all. As coaches we need to stay on them and work with them. When we find an answer, we can come out looking great every week.”

  The Cadets (3-2) amassed 367 yards total offense. Quarterback David Geary completed nine of 20 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Kendall Squire led their rushing attack with 18 carries for 130 yards and two touchdowns.

  Squire said the importance of the game kept the Cadets motivated.

  “Before the game we were just thinking of two words – big game,” he said. “It was one of the biggest games of the season. Coming off last week, losing 21-0, we had to prove to everyone around Richmond and Goochland that we weren’t giving up.”

  For Geary, it was the offensive line that played a major role in their victory.

  “The line was huge,” Geary said. “There’s no doubt about it. The line, they just played amazing, I would say.”

  While Geary had a lot of protection, his counterpart, Collegiate quarterback Wilton Speight, faced a Cadet pass rush that grew more aggressive as the game wore on. He was sacked seven times, and most of his four interceptions were thrown under duress created by the intense rushing pressure.

  The Cougars (2-1) managed to move the ball well. They had 279 yards total offense – a negative rushing output marred Speight’s 16-of-33, 304-yard passing performance – but their troubles keeping the ball marred their performance even more. The six Collegiate turnovers helped put them behind early in the game and killed their chances of a comeback later.

  Speight threw two interceptions in the first half. The first, to Squire, led to Benedictine’s first touchdown, on a 41-yard run by Squire. The second, to Corey Downey, led to a 27-yard field goal by Geary to give the Cadets a 9-0 lead with one second remaining in the half.

  Collegiate’s offense looked like it was set to make a comeback in the second half, closing to within two, 16-14, with 8:01 in the game, but a combination of turnovers and penalties – many of them holding penalties – dissipated any momentum the Cougars built up.

  Part of the dissipation stemmed from the efforts of Benedictine’s Nigel Williams, who had five solo tackles – including three sacks – and threw the Cougars for a total of 35 yards worth of losses. Williams also caught two passes for 22 yards and one touchdown.

  “Our whole mentality is as long as we work our hardest, nobody can stop us,” Williams said. “That’s what we go through during the summer. I don’t think anybody works as hard as us. We all push each other – in the weight room, in the film room – every day.”

  Benedictine’s DeShawn Wells put the Cadets victory in doubt, then sealed it with a remarkable turnaround. On the kickoff following Collegiate’s second touchdown, Wells fumbled the ball deep in Cadet territory. The Cadet defense held, but Benedictine wasn’t out of danger.

  On the next drive, Wells caught a Geary pass and carried it 70 yards for a crucial insurance touchdown.

  “I just had to get my mind right and just think to get the next big play,” Wells said. “If I keep on thinking about it, I’m going to keep on doing bad. When my team needed me to make a big play, I made a big play.”

  Collegiate coach Mark Palyo said turnovers weren’t the most important factor in the Cougars’ defeat.

  “To me, the entire game came down to execution,” Palyo said. “When you look at it overall, you have to throw. You have to catch. You have to lock up your guy when it’s your responsibility to block the guy. When you tackle, you have to wrap up.”

Benedictine ..................6 3 7 14—30
Collegiate ......................0 0 7 00—14
B – Squire 41 (Geary kick)
B – Geary FG 27
C – Speight 13 run (Sharpe kick)
B – Williams 9 pass from Geary (Geary kick)
C – Moore 20 pass from Speight (Sharpe kick)
B – Wells 70 pass from Geary (Geary kick)
B – Squire 39 run (Geary kick)
RUSHING
Benedictine – Squire 18 carries 122 yards, Downey 7-21, Clarke 2-15, Geary 7-31, Wells 1-3. Collegiate – White 6-1, Speight 10-(minus 28), Williams 1-2.

PASSING
Benedictine – Geary 9 completions 20 attempts 175 yards, 0 interception. Collegiate – Speight 16-33-304-4.

RECEIVING
Benedictine – Squire 1 receptions 12 yards, Meyer 2-34, Williams 2-22, Downey 2-24, Curtin 1-13. Collegiate – Moore 6-166, Williams 1-15, Thalhimer 1-19, White 4-56, Holly 1-8, Randolph 2-27, Cochran 1-12.