Print
Comment
Rate
Bobcats spoil Bisbee homecoming
Thelma Grimes/San Pedro Valley News-Sun
The Benson Bobcats played spoilers to the Bisbee homecoming celebrations Friday night, taking care of business in the first half of play to finish with a 48-26 victory.
Defenses are still trying to find a way to slow down star tailback Kyle Graf, who is hitting his stride and racking up the yards. In three quarters of play Friday night, the senior runner had 13 carries for 142 yards and 3 touchdowns.
The only runs where Graf was held under 10 yards were at the goal line.
Coach Chris Determan said the offensive line, consisting of Alex Montijo, Dain Dastrup, Damien Austin, Robert Bernal and Miguel Metheney, did a good job protecting the backs.
Altogether, the Bobcats had 265 yards on the ground, with Mike Rowe racking up 49, Erin Merrill rushing for 43 and Dastrup for 31.
In what started out as a defensive battle Friday night, the Bobcats were able to find their edge after Bisbee quarterback Sergio Rivera fumbled on a handoff attempt. Benson recovered the fumble deep in Pumas territory, starting from inside the 20. Five plays later, quarterback Mark Mabry capitalized on the turnover, plunging in from one yard out for the score. Graf ran in the two-point conversion to give the Bobcats a 8-0 lead.
Just 22 seconds after the first touchdown, the Bobcats' defense again came on strong, as Merrill recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, taking it 16 yards to the house, and just like that, Benson held a 14-0 lead.
In the second quarter, Graf found the end zone, turning on the speed in a 35-yard run. Mabry capped off the two-point conversion, hitting Carlos Ravago, and giving Benson a 21-0 lead.
Mabry, who was 2 for 7 for 79 yards, increased the Bobcats' lead before halftime, hitting Tyler Denewith on a short crossing route. Denewith capitalized, following blockers downfield to turn the short pass into a 69-yard touchdown.
Before halftime, however, Bisbee was able to find the end zone, capitalizing on a Mabry interception. Rivera plunged in for the score, and with the two-point conversion, the Bobcats' lead at halftime was cut to 28-8.
In the third, the Bobcats' offensive attack was relentless, as Graf scored on a 7-yard run, and again from 9 yards out and Dastrup put it away with a 13-yard touchdown run.
Before the end of the third, the Bobcats led the 2A East Conference rival 48-14.
Along with 31 yards rushing on offense, Dastrup also led the defense with 9 solo tackles, one fumble recovery and 1 assist.
After the game, Bisbee Coach Truman Williamson told reporters, "They kicked our butts."
With the junior varsity players in for the fourth quarter, Bisbee scored a couple more touchdowns for a final score of 48-26.
"We got better this game," Determan said. "Our offensive line did a good job of opening holes for our backs. They can still get better, but they are improving and that is what we need. The backs are starting to run harder and are tougher to bring down, but we still are putting the ball on the ground, and that needs to be cut down along with penalties."
The Bobcats had three turnovers in the game, with Graf and Rowe losing fumbles and Mabry throwing an interception. In a four-game stretch, the Bobcats have turned the ball over 17 times.
Determan said while the defense hit extremely hard in the game, and held Bisbee's run game to -15 yards in the first half, they still have room for improvement as the season goes on.
The Bobcats, now 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the conference, will play a non-conference game against Peoria in Phoenix on Friday. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
The Bobcats' next home game will be the 2009 homecoming celebration on Friday, Oct. 9 against Pima.
The Benson Bobcats played spoilers to the Bisbee homecoming celebrations Friday night, taking care of business in the first half of play to finish with a 48-26 victory.
Defenses are still trying to find a way to slow down star tailback Kyle Graf, who is hitting his stride and racking up the yards. In three quarters of play Friday night, the senior runner had 13 carries for 142 yards and 3 touchdowns.
The only runs where Graf was held under 10 yards were at the goal line.
Coach Chris Determan said the offensive line, consisting of Alex Montijo, Dain Dastrup, Damien Austin, Robert Bernal and Miguel Metheney, did a good job protecting the backs.
Altogether, the Bobcats had 265 yards on the ground, with Mike Rowe racking up 49, Erin Merrill rushing for 43 and Dastrup for 31.
In what started out as a defensive battle Friday night, the Bobcats were able to find their edge after Bisbee quarterback Sergio Rivera fumbled on a handoff attempt. Benson recovered the fumble deep in Pumas territory, starting from inside the 20. Five plays later, quarterback Mark Mabry capitalized on the turnover, plunging in from one yard out for the score. Graf ran in the two-point conversion to give the Bobcats a 8-0 lead.
Just 22 seconds after the first touchdown, the Bobcats' defense again came on strong, as Merrill recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, taking it 16 yards to the house, and just like that, Benson held a 14-0 lead.
In the second quarter, Graf found the end zone, turning on the speed in a 35-yard run. Mabry capped off the two-point conversion, hitting Carlos Ravago, and giving Benson a 21-0 lead.
Mabry, who was 2 for 7 for 79 yards, increased the Bobcats' lead before halftime, hitting Tyler Denewith on a short crossing route. Denewith capitalized, following blockers downfield to turn the short pass into a 69-yard touchdown.
Before halftime, however, Bisbee was able to find the end zone, capitalizing on a Mabry interception. Rivera plunged in for the score, and with the two-point conversion, the Bobcats' lead at halftime was cut to 28-8.
In the third, the Bobcats' offensive attack was relentless, as Graf scored on a 7-yard run, and again from 9 yards out and Dastrup put it away with a 13-yard touchdown run.
Before the end of the third, the Bobcats led the 2A East Conference rival 48-14.
Along with 31 yards rushing on offense, Dastrup also led the defense with 9 solo tackles, one fumble recovery and 1 assist.
After the game, Bisbee Coach Truman Williamson told reporters, "They kicked our butts."
With the junior varsity players in for the fourth quarter, Bisbee scored a couple more touchdowns for a final score of 48-26.
"We got better this game," Determan said. "Our offensive line did a good job of opening holes for our backs. They can still get better, but they are improving and that is what we need. The backs are starting to run harder and are tougher to bring down, but we still are putting the ball on the ground, and that needs to be cut down along with penalties."
The Bobcats had three turnovers in the game, with Graf and Rowe losing fumbles and Mabry throwing an interception. In a four-game stretch, the Bobcats have turned the ball over 17 times.
Determan said while the defense hit extremely hard in the game, and held Bisbee's run game to -15 yards in the first half, they still have room for improvement as the season goes on.
The Bobcats, now 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the conference, will play a non-conference game against Peoria in Phoenix on Friday. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
The Bobcats' next home game will be the 2009 homecoming celebration on Friday, Oct. 9 against Pima.
 |
||
| Tigers wallop Patagonia |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of bensonnews-sun.com.
btownalum wrote on Sep 30, 2009 11:34 PM:
There O line is awful. "