The St. Pius X Golden Lions used a punishing ground game to fend off the host Flowery Branch Falcons for a 38-28 win on Friday in the Corky Kell Classic.
The Golden Lions were efficient in their unique version of the run option offense, rushing 57 times for 398 yards while completing just one pass for five yards. As a result, they dominated time of possession, 31:40 to 16:20 to control the tempo. Further, they implemented rare three-back sets that kept the Falcons off balance, which led to a touchdown score and a pair of 2-point conversion runs. The Golden Lions were 3-for-3 on 2-point attempts.
Mason Benefield had two touchdown runs and 42 yards on seven carries for the Golden Lions, while Jack Grahme led all rushers with 85 yards on 14 carries. Jack Tchienchou had 71 yards on seven carries and Paul Quigley had a touchdown and 38 yards on four carries.
The Golden Lions’ lone pass attempt was a 5-yard touchdown pass from Dennis O’Shea to RJ Brewster, which put them ahead 16-0 with 1:09 left in the first half. O’Shea also had 12 carries for 63 yards.
Though the Falcons defense struggled against St. Pius X, their offense kept them in game for four quarters. David Renard was 16-for-29 passing for 271 yards and two touchdowns and an interception, with his leading receivers being Connor Larson (six catches, 108 yards), Baxley O’Brien (five catches, 102 yards and a touchdown) and Jaizen Ellingham (three catches, 31 yards and a touchdown). Ellingham led the Falcons with 69 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, and Renard rushed five times for 34 and a score.
St. Pius built a two-score lead on Quigley’s 29-yard run with 5:33 left in the first quarter and were set to take a 16-0 lead into halftime, but the Falcons got on the board on Renard’s 11-yard run as the first half expired, making it 16-6.
The Falcons opened the second-half scoring with a 21-yard touchdown reception by O’Brien to make it 16-13 with 7:14 left in the third. The Golden Lions would answer with a Benefield 10-yard touchdown run, followed by a Shug Bentley rush for the 2-point conversion, making it 24-13 with 1:24 left in the third.
Flowery Branch would answer six seconds into the fourth with Ellingham’s 5-yard run to make it 24-21, but the Golden Lions then produced an 80-yard scoring drive that chewed 6:46 of clock, capped by Bentley’s 1-yard run to give them a 10-point lead with 3:01 left.
The Falcons then used a little over two minutes to score on Renard’s 13-yard pass to Ellingham with 3:01 left, but they failed to recover the ensuing onside kick. With all three timeouts and needing a stop, the Falcons were unable to get one, with the Golden Lions taking the first play from scrimmage 35 yards on Jack Grahme’s run, putting them in Falcons territory at the 27. Five plays later, Benefield’s 1-yard run brought the score to its final margin with 1:17 left to play.
The game was not originally part of the Kell Classic, but was a last-minute addition when the Mill Creek-Parkview game was canceled after a positive COVID-19 test in Mill Creek’s program.
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