Benton Academy built up a 28-0 halftime lead and held on to it for the win at Columbus Christian Friday.
Quarterback James Patterson connected with Garrett Vandevere for a touchdown pass and had a 55-yard rushing touchdown to help lead the offensive effort.
Vandevere also had a defensive touchdown on a blocked punt.
Cullen McCain got the Raiders off to a solid start with a kickoff return to midfield.
Daniel Washington added a pair of first down runs, and Collin Washington had a first down run to bring up first and goal from the five yard line.
Waylen Dewitt crossed the goal line for a would-be touchdown that was called back for a penalty.
On fourth and goal from the 10, Patterson completed a pass to Vandevere in the endzone. Evan Michael Williams added the extra point kick for a 7-0 lead with 9:11 to go in the first quarter.
Columbus Christian also attempted to roll the dice by passing on fourth down, but Clayton Saxton grabbed an interception to bring the Raiders offense back on the field.
Patterson got BA back on the board with a 55-yard quarterback keeper. He cut through an opening on the line and stiff-armed the linebacker before spinning out of a tackle near the endzone for the score.
Williams added the kick for a 14-0 lead with 5:51 left in the first quarter.
Kendall Walker made a stop to bring up fourth down to force a punt on the following drive, and the Rams defense was able to hold the Raiders to a punt as well.
Wes Melton made a tackle at the line of scrimmage for the final play of the first quarter with BA leading 14-0.
Brett Pierce made a tackle for loss followed by Parker Nelson, Vandevere and Pierce making another stop in the backfield to bring up third and long. Collin Washington broke up a pass to bring up fourth
See, Raiders, page 7A
down, and the Rams were forced to punt from the endzone.
Vandevere scooped up a blocked punt in the end zone for a touchdown, and Williams added another
kick for a 21-0 lead with 6:02 left before halftime.
McCain recovered the kickoff on the 40 to bring the Raiders offense back on the field.
Patterson threw first down passes to Collin Washington and Vandevere, and Daniel Washington capped
the drive with a six-yard touchdown carry.
Williams continued his perfect kicking streak to make it 28-0.
Columbus was fighting to get a score before halftime, but Saxton ended those hopes with a stop on
fourth down for a turnover on downs.
Coming back in the second half Dalton Robles and Vandevere came up with tackles for loss in the
opening drive to force a punt.
The Raiders kept the ball on the ground and worked the clock in the second half, and the defense
continued to hold strong to preserve the shutout.
This week the Raiders (1-1) are back on the road to face North Delta (1-1) in Batesville. The Green Wave
defeated Indianola Academy 48-30 at Indianola last week.
