#5 Benedictine College football shuts out St. Ambrose at home

ATCHISON, Kan. (KQTV) - Benedictine College football, the #5 ranked team in the NAIA, shut out St. Ambrose 34-0 on Saturday at home.

The Ravens took a 10-0 lead in the second quarter on a 16 yard screen pass touchdown from junior Patrick Heitert to junior Christian Pitts.

The Ravens special teams later made a play as junior Sam Torline blocked a St. Ambrose punt and junior Ben Gilliland picked up the ball and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown. Benedictine College led 20-0 at the half.

"You just gotta be ready for the ball to get blocked, we're coming hard, and so I just saw I got a nice one hop and I just took it," said Gilliland. "Thanks to Sam with a great block. I was just running as fast as I can, I saw the punter coming after me, at that point you just have tunnel vision, so that's all I was thinking about."

In the third quarter, the Ravens got the team's third touchdown of the day on a 3 yard score from junior running back Cooper Hajek. The final touchdown of the day was an 18 yard tocuhdown pass from junior Kaden Austin to senior Joseph Lagafuaina.

Heitert finished 8-for-18 for 90 yards and a touchdown, he also added 60 yards on the ground on 7 rushes. Austin was 4-for-5 for 88 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore running back from Atchison High School Xiomar Hernandez had 70 yards rushing on 11 carries and averaged 6.4 yards a carry. Sophomore Titan Osburn led Benedictine receivers with 3 catches for 68 yards.

Benedictine's defense was stout all day, holding St. Ambrose to 204 total yards. Junior safety Isaiah Hasten had an interception for the Ravens.

"Defensively we were lights out. Special teams was really good as well too, and we really capitalized in the second quarter there at the end of the half," said Benedictine head coach Joel Osborn. "Getting a stop, blocked punt for the score, getting a stop, 2-minute drive for a field goal. That was a lot of momentum in our favor. In the second half, we played really solid."

Benedictine College improves to 4-1 on the season and next hosts Baker University on Saturday, October 3rd at 1 pm.