There’s a new attitude at Benton Academy this football season – the kind of attitude that comes with opening with a pair of wins.
The Raiders improved to 2-0 Friday with a 19-14 win over River Oaks.
Unlike the season opener at Porter’s Chapel, week two’s win didn’t come easy.
In fact, it wasn’t until Austin Moore grabbed an interception with just 33 seconds left in the game that the Raiders could be sure of the victory.
JB Middleton kicked a field goal to give Benton a 3-0 lead in the first quarter, but Miguel Gonzalez returned the following kickoff for a touchdown to immediately eras the lead.
After the extra point kick, River Oaks led 7-3 with nine seconds left in the first quarter.
Will Vaughan grabbed an interception to set up BA’s next scoring drive.
Josh Dearman scored a five-yard touchdown, and Middleton added the kick for a 10-7 lead with 6:55 to go in the second quarter.
But River Oaks quickly answered once again.
Clay Simonton scored on a 13-yard carry, and Nick Perino added the extra point kick for a 14-10 lead with 1:43 to go before halftime.
The Raiders suffered a significant setback later when quarterback Arion Warren was injured and forced to leave the game.
Wil Saxton made a sack for a loss of four yards that seemed to change the momentum in BA’s favor.
Middleton took over at quarterback and connected with Dearman for a first down pass. Big runs by Middleton and Vaughan were called back for penalties, and the Raiders were unable to score.
On the next drive BA’s JT McDaniel got a sack for a loss of four to bring up fourth down and force a punt.
Heading into the final quarter River Oaks still held a 17-14 lead.
Middleton scored on an eight-yard keeper and added the PAT kick for a 17-14 lead with just over 10 minutes left in the game.
The Raiders defense held strong with Wil Saxton and Slayton Saxton making a tackle to force a punt, but the Mustangs grabbed an interception to get right back on the offensive.
The BA defense held once more, but the Mustangs took advantage of another turnover with a fumble recovery. With just 1:30 left on the clock, River Oaks still had a chance to win the game.
Zac Nesbit dropped the quarterback in the endzone for a safety, and a 19-14 lead with 52 seconds left to play.
Just when it seemed like the Raiders could breathe a collective sigh of relief, River Oaks recovered the onside kick for another shot at victory.
Moore’s interception secured the win.
This week the Raiders (2-0) travel to Newton County Academy (1-0). Newton County opened the season Friday with a 54-7 win over Porter’s Chapel. BA defeated Porter’s Chapel 28-0 the previous week.
