Football Falls Against Benedictine

EUREKA, Ill. – A lopsided first half hurt the Eureka football team as they fell to Benedictine 42-0 on Saturday afternoon.

The Red Devils' defense struggled early, allowing three straight touchdowns to open the game, giving Benedictine a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. The Eagles maintained their momentum, scoring three more touchdowns in the second quarter to take a commanding 42-0 lead going into halftime. Although Eureka's defense found some rhythm in the second half and held Benedictine scoreless, the offense could not gain any traction, and the game ended 42-0.

Brandon Inaccus (Lake Worth, Fla./Santaluces) recorded a season-high nine tackles, seven of which were solo. Nshimirimana Ezechiele (Atlanta, Ga./Druid Hills) added eight tackles for the Red Devils, including six solos. Derrick Payton Jr. (West Seattle, Wash./O'dea) recorded a sack and two tackles for loss, while Willie Cox (Decatur, Ill./Decatur MacArthur) made a tackle for loss and recorded his first sack of the season.

On the offensive side, Eureka recorded 173 yards on 50 plays, with 130 yards coming through the air and 43 on the ground.

Braden Tollett (Crossville, Tenn./Cumberland County) started at quarterback for the Red Devils, completing 15 of 27 passes for 130 yards. His longest pass of the afternoon was a 27-yard connection with DeVayne Isom (Hawthorne, Nev./Mineral County).

Jayden Crowder (Springfield, Ill./Lanphier) led Eureka's ground attack with 38 yards on nine carries, highlighted by his run of 27 yards in the third quarter. Crowder also contributed to the Red Devils' aerial attack with 32 yards on two receptions.

Jack Butler (Tinley Park, Ill./Tinley Park) led the Red Devils in receiving yards with 36 on two receptions, while Nathanael Vroman (Hilliard, Fla./Hilliard) and Silvano Martínez (Evansville, Ind./Evansville Central) each recorded three receptions.

UP NEXT

The Red Devils will head to Rockford on Saturday, Nov. 2, to face the Regents. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.