RIVER FOREST, ILL. – On a dark and windy day at Concordia Stadium, the CUC Football team (3-6, 2-5 NACC) took on the Benedictine Eagles (6-3, 3-2 NACC) for their last home game of the season as they honored their seniors. A big defensive effort followed by strong offensive drives put the Cougars ahead of the Eagles 34-26.
Before the start of the game, the Cougars recognized their nine seniors for their hardwork and dedication to the CUC Football program. Seniors
Jaylen Glass (Merrillville, Ind.),
Justin Aduo (Grand Prairie, Texas),
Eric Molina (Fort Myers, Fla.),
Christian Covington (Corinth, TX),
Jacob Potthoff (Woodstock, Ill.),
Jelani Warner (East Chicago, Ind.),
Amir Cavic (Des Plaines, Ill.),
Adam Torok (Tamarac, Fla.), and
Julian Ramirez (Zion, Ill.) all received their recognition prior to the game.
Inside the Box
- Troy Pratley (St. Joseph, Mich.) led the Cougars offense with a total of 42 passing yards and a gain of 33-yards on the ground.
- E'derian Sykes (Lake Village, Ark.) led the Cougars with 15 rushing attempts for a total of 75-yards gained.
- Covington followed behind Sykes with four rushing attempts for a total of 32-yards gained.
- Blake Henson (Potosi, Mo.) and Devin Bledsoe (St. Charles, Mo.) both grabbed one pass for 23-yards and 19-yards respectively.
- Ramirez, Aduo, and Marquis Overstreet (Hazel Crest, Ill.), each recorded one sack apiece.
- Brandon Arredondo (Dalton, Ga.) led the defensive end with 11 total tackles while Travon Thomas (Wauchula, Fla.) and Ramirez both followed behind with nine apiece.
Winning the coin toss and deferring to the second half, the Cougars found themselves fighting the wind on the opening kickoff. Unable to get down the field on their first drive the Eagles were forced to hand things over to their special teams resulting in a backwards punt due to the severe wind. The Cougars picked up their first offensive drive on the 19 yard line. With Pratley leading the charge for the Cougars, a pitch to the right side into the arms of Sykes would give them their first touchdown of the day, less than five minutes into the game. Unable to grab the PAT, the Cougars kicked off once again this time leading 6-0.
Forcing the Eagles out of their offensive efforts in a mere three plays, the Cougars picked up off the punt. In a third and long situation, Pratley faced some pressure in the backfield but was able to find Bledsoe more than ten yards ahead. Back-to-back runs for Covington would give the Cougars a total of 23 yards before another long pass this time from Pratley to Henson would put them in a first and goal situation. A rush from sophomore
Darryl Speed II (Douglasville, Ga.) into the endzone followed by a good PAT from
Ryan Auer (Newark, Ohio) would put the Cougars up 13-0 with six minutes to go in the first.
Handing the game back over to the defense, the Cougars continued their intensity forcing the Eagles to punt yet again in just a mere three plays. Freshman
Brandon Montford (Fairburn, Ga.) got his hands in the way of the punt blocking it while junior
Martin Egbo (Williamsburg, Va.) was able to recover it in the end zone for the touchdown, giving the Cougars the lead 20-0 to close the first quarter. The 20-0 lead marks the highest scoring first quarter for the Cougars since 2019.
With the Eagles pushing back in the second half, the Cougars fell stagnant as they were unable to score. Freshman
Jakob Redmond (Bishop, Calif.) stepped in as the quarterback for the Cougars grabbing his fourth appearance of the year. Benedictine was able to find the end zone twice and bring the game within seven points as the game headed into halftime. Prior to the halftime performance from the CUC Dance team, the lone senior for the dance team was recognized.
Madeleine Rodriguez received her recognition for her dedication to the program.
Fresh out of the half with the Cougars receiving, Pratley stepped back onto the field. Unable to convert on the opening drive, the Eagles gained possession on their own 35-yard line. Pressuring the Cougars a little bit with a 22-yard pass and entering Cougar territory, the Eagles were also unable to convert on their opening drive of the half. On a fourth and eight situation at the CUC 39-yard line, a massive sack from Aduo would turn the ball over to the Cougars.
Rushes from Henson, Sykes, and Pratley moved the chains and put the Cougars in scoring position. A 27-yard rush from Sykes down the left side pushed the Cougars further ahead with a score of 27-13.
As Benedictine battled in the third quarter with back-to-back touchdowns, the Cougars found their lead to be cut to one point at 27-26. Starting off the fourth quarter with the ball, the Eagles had the opportunity to take the lead. Three plays for a loss of 24 yards resulted in a forced Eagle punt. With a partial block on the punt
Brendon Baugh (Tamarac, Fla.) picks it up for the Cougars and returns a 30-yard run to give them their fifth touchdown of the day, extending their lead to 34-26.
With a little cushion after the last touchdown, the Cougars locked down on the defensive end to close the game. Forcing the Eagles to play four offensive possessions without moving into any scoring position, the Cougars were able to maintain their eight point lead.
Today's win marks the first time the Cougars took down the Eagles since the undefeated 2012 season while it also marks the first time since 2007 that the Cougars found victory at home over the Eagles. Following their last home game of season, the Cougars will hit the road up to De Pere, Wis. For their last game of the year against the St. Norbert Green Knights. Coverage can be found at cucougars.com while all other updates can be found on Instagram and Twitter @
CUCFbFamily.
