Clarke, Benedictine ride about-face into state-championship game

The soul searching is long past.

There’s no more questioning, no struggling to find just the right combination and certainly no concerns about team chemistry.

After losing three of their first five games, the Benedictine Cadets improved to 8-3 Saturday with a 34-0 victory over visiting Collegiate at Bobby Ross Stadium in the semifinal round of the VISAA Division I playoffs.

Since their uncharacteristically ragged start caused by a perfect storm of injuries to key players and an uber-strong early schedule, coach Kurt von Bargen’s guys have shut out four of their six opponents and outscored them 188-12, so with their Nov. 21 matchup with Trinity Episcopal for the state championship next on their competitive docket, suffice it to say that they’re locked in, ready to rock and on a big-time roll.

Benedictine has won six consecutive games, and a seventh straight win will give the Cadets their fourth straight state title.

“The guys are jelling together,” von Bargen said as the boisterous celebration among players and a throng of Benedictine faithful swirled around him on this cold, windy, overcast afternoon. “They’re playing as a unit as one team, all three phases.

“The kids are seeing the results of all their hard work, and they’re gaining confidence because of that.”

The Cadets amassed 371 yards of offense (214 rushing and 157 passing).

The Cougars (8-2) managed 152 yards (59 rushing, 93 passing) but surrendered four costly turnovers and fell victim to four sacks. 

“We had a bad taste in our mouth going into our bye week (after their fifth game) that motivated us as a team,” said Sean Boyd, a 6-0, 280-pound senior and anchor of the Cadets’ defensive line. “We knew we had to lean back on each other and lean back on our training starting from January all the way through the summer and come together as a team and finish off the season strong.”

A fumble recovery by Manny Evans on Collegiate’s 45 set up the Cadets’ first touchdown, a 17-yard run by Jordan Clarke followed by the first of James Gasperini’s four extra points at 7:24 of the first quarter.

“It was inside zone to the left,” said Clarke, a 6-0, 215-pound junior running back who rushed 13 times for 144 yards.  “I got a good block, cut back right and just ran to the end zone.”

Josh Moore’s 33-yard punt return to the Collegiate 9 set up Clarke’s second TD, a 1-yard blast off the right side on a fourth-and-goal situation at 3:05 of the first quarter.

The Cougars answered with a promising foray that reached the Benedictine 30, but, alas, it ended with Nigel Veney’s fumble recovery, which paved the way for a six-play, 70-yard drive that ended with Clarke’s 43-yard TD run on a fourth-and-1 5:11 before halftime.

“It was a little clogged up (on the right side), so I had to make something happen,” Clarke said. “I lowered my shoulder, got low like my coach always says and moved my feet. I just saw daylight, so I had to run.”

The Cadets then stopped Collegiate three-and-out, and, as they had done on their three previous possessions, converted their fourth into yet another score to take a 28-0 lead into the break.

After a punt sailed out of bounds on their 26, quarterback Luke Kincaid engineered a quick, four-play drive that culminated when he teamed with Eman Moore for a 60-yard catch-and-run TD.

“We were taking advantage of their secondary,” said Kincaid, a 6-1, 200-pound senior who completed 13 of 23 passes for 157 yards. “We spread out our offense and took advantage of our access with the runs as well.”

None of the Cadets’ offensive prowess would have been possible without the big guys up front.

“Our offensive line blocked really well today,” Kincaid said. “They did an amazing job creating holes for our running backs. The O-line did their job really well today.”

The Cougars returned after the break rejuvenated and inspired and stopped the first Benedictine drive three-and-out.

At that point, Harris Mischke, a five-star Stanford commit, boomed a 74-yard punt into the end zone.

Undaunted, the Cougars responded with an inspired drive that ultimately reached the red zone, but the threat came to an abrupt end when Fred Dolan intercepted a middle screen pass on the 4-yard line.

After an exchange of possessions, Kincaid led the Cadets on an eight-play, 48-yard drive that ended when he found receiver Isaac Cuevas in the end zone for their final TD at 10:12 of the final quarter.

“We’ve come together as a team,” Kincaid said as he reflected upon Benedictine’s success the past six weeks. “We’ve really built a brotherhood and camaraderie. We play as a team and know we have each other’s backs, for sure.”