The Chillicothe Hornets were at Benton for the regular season finale on Friday night in an MEC matchup with a lot on the line. Both teams entered at 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the conference, with the winner finishing with a winning record and a top three spot in the conference standings.
Benton recognized the importance and struck early on. From the first play from scrimmage, senior quarterback Boston Cook uncorked a deep ball down the sidelines hitting Porter McCarthy for an 84 yard touchdown pass to open up a 7-0 lead. Chillicothe started slow offensively punting on their first two drives while the Cardinals continued to soar with the ball. Cook connected with McCarthy for another touchdown pass, this time on a diving catch in the left corner of the endzone. Early in the 2nd quarter Benton extended their advantage on a 9 yard rushing score from Xander Tiller opening up a 21-0 lead.
Chillicothe responded on the next series as Henry Hurtgen opened up a 64 yard run, then Cooper Robinson capped off the drive taking a handoff on 4th and 3 for a 4 yard score. Benton moved the ball quickly down the field and added a field goal before halftime to make the score 24-6 at the break.
In the third quarter a different Hornets team emerged from the locker room with much more energy. Burke Beetsma hit Ezra Leppin for a 25 yard pass down the sidelines and Chillicothe punched in with a Hurtgen touchdown making the score 24-12. Benton’s offense continued to create plays, marching the ball down the field while draining eight minutes off the clock, using the remainder of the third quarter and scored in the early 4th on a quarterback sneak with Cook to go up 31-12. The Hornets were marching into the redzone when Hurtgen fumbled and Benton recovered to stall the drive. Chillicothe’s defense tightened up the rest of the way, not allowing Benton any points on their final four drives, which included a couple sacks and a fumble recovery by Leppin. The Hornets took advantage for another score by Hurtgen who eclipsed 200 yards on the ground for the 7th time in 9 games, but Chillicothe was unable to come all the way back, falling 31-20.
With the loss, Chillicothe falls to 4-5 and finishes 2-3 in the MEC, placing 4th in the conference while Benton notches a top 3 spot just behind Savannah and Maryville. The Hornets will begin district play next Friday.
