Football: Benicia Improves to 2-0 With Win Against American

Benicia 24, American 18

The Star: Benicia quarterback Andrew McNeece, who threw for two touchdowns and 101 yards.

The Turning Point: With 5:33 left in the game, Austin Carr punched in a 7-yard TD run to give Benicia a 24-12 lead.

The quote: "It was a real ugly win," McNeece said.

What's Next: The Panthers play at Armijo Sept. 17 at 7:30 p.m.

Bottom line: Despite not playing a great game, Benicia did enough to pull out a tough non-league win on the road.

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It wasn't the prettiest of wins. It wasn't the ugliest of wins. It was somewhere in the middle.

"This (win) really helps the team with adversity," Benicia quarterback Andrew McNeece said.

McNeece was 12-for-22 passing with 101 yards, threw for two touchdowns and had two interceptions as Benicia pulled out a 24-18 non-league win against American Thursday night at Tak Fudenna Stadium in Fremont.

McNeece, a senior and a 4.5 GPA student, threw for 232 yards and a pair of touchdowns in last week's 45-14 win over Justin-Siena.

"Andrew was a little bit off, so we needed some other guys to step up," Benicia coach Craig Holden said.

That came in the form of running backs Austin Carr and Ryan Wheat, who combined for 104 yards. Carr added a 7-yard touchdown run with 5:33 left in the game that gave Benicia some breathing room with a 24-12 lead.

"Being balanced (on offense) really helps because teams can't concentrate on one or the other," McNeece said.

With the win, Benicia improves to 2-0 to match the same start it had in 2008. Coming off a tri-championship in the Solano County League and with 16 seniors, the Panthers know it will take a better effort in weeks to come.

"We came out a little off," Holden said. "Maybe it was because of practice on Monday, which was a holiday. Maybe it was because it was short week. I have a feeling the guys will sort this out. It's going to take the seniors to step up in situations like that."

The Panthers struck for the game's first 14 points. With 5:02 left in the first quarter, McNeece hit Chris Dadson with a 4-yard touchdown pass. The three-play, 8-yard drive was set up when American botched a punt on fourth-and-15.

Benicia's next score was a seven-play, 48-yard drive that was capped when McNeece hit Matt Crisostomo with a 23-yard touchdown pass, his only reception of the game, with 11:37 left in the second quarter that gave the Panthers a 14-0 lead.

American (1-1) battled back and scored a pair of touchdowns in the span of 8:20, but both times the Eagles failed to get the PAT and after a booming 43-yard field goal by Peter Reyes, Benicia had a 17-12 lead at the half.

After a scoreless third quarter by both teams, Benicia added some separation with Carr's touchdown for a 24-12 lead. That turned out to be a huge touchdown because with 1:02 left in the game, American scored a touchdown to cut that lead to 24-18.

American failed to get the ensuing onside kick and McNeese took three knees to run the clock out.

"We had to score to put this game behind us," McNeece said.

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Benicia 24, American 18

Benicia       7 10 0 7  — 24
American  0 12 0 6 — 18

Scoring summary
5:02, 1^st: B — Dadson 4 pass from McNeece (Reyes kick)

11:37, 2^nd: B — Crisostomo 23 pass from McNeece (Reyes kick)

8:20, 2^nd: A — Johnson 36 run (kick failed)

:52, 2^nd: A — Hines 27 run (run failed)

:14, 2^nd: B — Reyes 43 field goal

5:33, 4^th: B — Carr 7 run (Reyes kick)

1:02, 4^th: A — Hines 2 run (kick failed)

Individual Statistics

Rushing (car-yards): B —Carr 10-67, Wheat 7-37, Dadson 3-5, McNeese 7-(-24). A — Wong 14-111, Hines 16-85, R.Johnson 11-72, Lockett 7-15, Cooper 1-9.
Passing (comp-att-yards-ints): B — McNeese 12-22-101-2; Carr 0-1-0-0. A — Lockett 0-2-0-0.
Receiving (rec-yards): B — Myers 1-34, Crisostomo 1-23, Reyes 5-22, Wheat 2-15, Dadson 2-7, Carr 1-0. A — None.

Team offense (rush-pass-total)

Benicia — 85-101-186

American— 292-0-292

Fumbles/lost: American — 3/1; Benicia — 0/0.

Records: Benicia 2-0, American 1-1.

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