Panthers Upend Eagles in Home Opener

CORDOVA, TN (August 27, 2021) – In front of a raucous, near capacity crowd, St. Benedict at Auburndale scored two second half touch downs, but its first half deficit proved to be too much as SBA fell to Bartlett 42-13. 

An Antonio Adams four-yard scamper midway trough the third got the Eagles (0-2) on the board and Jonathan Johnson converted the PAT to make it 30-7. On the first play of the very next drive, Alex McAlpin hit Cayden Wills for an electric 75-yard TD, the Eagles longest play from scrimmage this season.

McAlpin ended the day 6-of-16 for 138 yards. Willis was on the receiving end of two long plays, totaling 106 yards to go along with his score. Adams caught two balls for 13 yards while Seamas Carrasco and Zander Schmidt also had receptions.

Adams ran for 30 hard-fought yards on 11 carries against the Panther's stout defense to lead the SBA rushing attack.

For the second-straight week, Carrasco led the way on defense, racking up six tackles, including one for a four-yard loss. Rodrick McAtee had five tackles while Tavarius Burton and Myles Morrow each tallied four. Ryan Weston recorded a sack on the night.

SBA went three-and-out on its first four possessions and Bartlett jumped at the chance, building a 30-0 lead by halftime. 

The Eagles came out of the break with a renewed energy and put together a seven-play, 54-yard drive the first time they touched the ball in the second half. Faced with a third-and-nine, McAlpin hit Willis for 31-yards in the air, all the way down to the Panthers nine. Adams eventually found paydirt to get the Eagles on the board. Johnson's PAT was right down the middle.

After a solid defensive stand, SBA wasted no time as Willis burned his man and McAlpin dropped a 75-yard beauty in his hands, making the score 36-13.

Bartlett would tack on a late score to give the game a final count of 42-13.

The Eagles are back on the road, Friday September 3 with a visit to MUS. Kick off is slated for 7 p.m.