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ATCHISON, Kan. – The Evangel football team fell on the road Saturday afternoon, 37-10, at Benedictine College in Heart of America Athletic Conference Crossover action.
The Crusaders dropped their second straight road game Saturday as they were unable to overcome a slow start. Benedictine scored on its first possession as they took just 1:07 off the clock for a 19-yard touchdown run from Marquis Stewart.
Benedictine opened the second quarter with a 10 play 66-yard drive to extend its lead to 14-0 before Evangel managed to get on the board. Derek Roberts connected on a 34-yard field with 10:50 left before halftime to pull Evangel within, 14-3.
However, the Ravens answered with their own 29-yard field and finished the half with a quick six play 52-yard drive that took just 1:35. After a quick three-and-out by Evangel, Schaefer Schuetz found Aaron Jackson for a 22-yard touchdown pass and catch with 56 seconds left before halftime to take a 24-3 lead.
Benedictine added to its lead in the third quarter with a 6-yard touchdown run from Stewart to cap a seven play 74-yard drive. Stewart scored twice while teammate Ejay Johnson led the Ravens with 103 yards on 23 carries.
Freshman Terry Robinson scored his first touchdown with 2:36 left in the quarter to pull Evangel within 30-10. The Crusaders drove 74-yards in 10 plays to finish the scoring drive as Evangel again controlled the clock with 37:27 of possession time.
One final score for the Ravens would seal the game with 7:43 left in the fourth quarter. Johnson scored from 1-yard out to push the game to final margin 37-10.
Evangel held Benedictine to just 211 yards passing and 196 yards on the ground, however, the Crusaders rushed for just 43 yards on 35 attempts. The Crusaders also struggled on third down converting just 4-of-14 chances and 0-for-3 on fourth down.
Cameron Hardesty was 13-of-26 for 184 yards as Dallas Hester caught four passes for 49 yards. Brady Collier led Evangel with 76 yards on three catches as six different receivers caught a pass for the Crusaders.
Malachi Cobb led Evangel with nine tackles and 0.5 tackles for a loss. Josh Evans finished with five tackles and 1.5 tackles for a loss. Telacey Wilder recovered a fumble for the game’s only turnover as he also added 1.5 sacks and 2.0 tackles for a loss.
UP NEXT
Evangel will play its first game at home next Saturday against Peru State at 6 p.m. The Crusaders will also honor the first football teams in Evangel history during the weekend to celebrate 40 Years of Crusader football.
