[Football] Bees kick off 2019 season with 45-37 win over Spartans
After a cancelation pushed the season opener back a week, St. Ambrose seemingly needed another quarter before really kicking off its season.
But it was all worth the extra wait as St. Ambrose recovered from a sluggish first quarter to post a 45-37 win at Missouri Baptist Saturday afternoon.
St. Ambrose trailed 23-7 12 minutes into the contest, but John Benckendorf rushed for two touchdowns and threw for another, and Jeremiah Jackson Sr. intercepted a pair of passes, including one he returned 61 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, to lead the rally.
Jackson's pick six gave SAU a 38-30 lead five minutes into the fourth, and seven minutes later, after Michael Fettkether recovered a fumble on a punt return at the MBU 15-yard line, Benckendorf connected with Vince Vignali on a six-yard touchdown to all but seal the win.
Missouri Baptist (0-2, 0-1 MSFA) used a long kickoff return to punch in a score to trim the margin to 45-37 with 2:12 left, but the ensuing onside kick went out of bounds. The Bees needed a three-yard Garret Tiarks run on a 4th-and-2 play before running out the clock.
Benckendorf, who split time under center with Dino Borrelli, completed three passes for 33 yards and had two first-half touchdown runs, including a two-yard score on the final play of the half that gave the Bees their first lead of the afternoon at 24-23.
Tiarks added a six-yard touchdown run in the opening stages of the third quarter before MBU answered to get back to within a single point, leading to Jackson's big interception.
Tiarks and Brandon Baalman each carried the ball 17 times for 89 yards, helping the Bees total 208 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Matthew Coovert had a five-yard scoring run on his only carry that brought St. Ambrose to within 23-14 late in the first quarter.
Tom Gillen kicked a 40-yard field goal late in the second quarter following Jackson's first interception of the day before Benckendorf's short run gave the Bees the lead for good.
Borrelli completed 12 passes for 149 yards in the win. J.D. Villafuerte hauled in five catches for 100 yards and Vignali caught three balls for 34 yards. Eight different Bees finished with at least one reception.
Along with the two interceptions, Jackson led the Bee defense with eight tackles. Griffin Zajac and Dillon Valdez were each in on seven tackles. Ethan Miebach and Ryan Zitkus each had a sack. The St. Ambrose defense limited Missouri Baptist to just 67 yards on the ground.