Too many mistakes in too short a time doomed the Cass Colonels (9-3) Friday night, as the Colonels committed five turnovers in a 21-7 defeat to Benedictine Cadets.
The Colonels actually struck first, stunning the Cadets with a 44-yard touchdown pass from Brodie McWhorter to Elijah Slocum just three minutes into the game. McWhorter’s deep ball was tipped at the defender’s hands, but the deflection landed perfectly in Slocum’s arms for a 7-0 Cass lead.Benedictine answered immediately. On the Cadets’ first possession, the quarterback kept it on a read-option and raced 39 yards untouched to knot the score at 7-7.
Cass went three-and-out on the next series, and disaster followed. Benedictine’s return man fielded the punt cleanly and sprinted 60 yards down the sideline for a touchdown, giving the Cadets a 14-7 lead with still 4:52 left in the opening quarter.
After the wild first 12 minutes, the defenses took over. The teams combined for five punts and a pair of turnovers over the rest of the half. Cass got a huge break when Cam Beauford intercepted a deep shot in the end zone late in the second quarter, but the Colonels gave it right back two plays later on a miscommunication between McWhorter and his receiver that resulted in another Benedictine interception. The score remained 14-7 at halftime.Benedictine seized control on the opening drive of the second half. Six straight runs moved the Cadets 70-plus yards, capped by a 6-yard touchdown plunge that pushed the lead to 21-7 with 9:44 left in the third.
Cass’s offense continued to sputter. Early in the fourth quarter, deep in Benedictine territory, McWhorter’s pass was picked off again — his third interception of the night.
The Colonels’ defense gave the offense one final lifeline, jarring the ball loose and recovering a fumble at midfield with 7:15 remaining. But on the very next snap, Cass threw its fourth interception of the game.
With the ball and a two-touchdown lead, Benedictine went into victory formation and ran out the clock, sealing the 21-7 win.The five turnovers — four interceptions and one lost fumble on the punt return — proved too much for Cass to overcome against a disciplined Benedictine squad that converted the short fields into 14 quick points and never looked back.