FORT WORTH, TX - Benedictine College (KS) defeated Texas Wesleyan, 42-33, in the second round of the NAIA Championship Series, marking the Rams' first-ever postseason appearance.
The game, played at Crowley ISD Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas, saw Benedictine (10-2) capitalize on key plays to secure the win, ending Texas Wesleyan's historic 10-2 season.
Texas Wesleyan (10-1) jumped out to an early 14-7 lead in the first quarter. Carson Rodgers threw touchdown passes to Darren White (25 yards) and Ernest Ceasar (6 yards).
Benedictine responded with a 41-yard touchdown pass from Jackson Dooley to Jacob Gathright, narrowing the deficit to 14-7. A missed field goal late in the quarter would not dampen Texas Wesleyan's momentum as their defense remained aggressive.
In the second quarter, Benedictine leveled the score at 14-all with a 40-yard touchdown pass from Dooley to Gathright. Texas Wesleyan quickly regained the lead with a 59-yard drive, capped by Ceasar's 2-yard rushing touchdown, putting them up 21-14.
The Rams extended their advantage to 24-14 with a 50-yard field goal from Diego Chavarria as the half ended. Benedictine's defense played a critical role in keeping the game tight.
The third quarter opened with Benedictine capitalizing on a fumbled punt recovery at Texas Wesleyan's 3-yard line, setting up a short touchdown run by Dalton Witherspoon.
After an interception by Carson Rodgers gave Benedictine another chance, Witherspoon ran for a 21-yard touchdown, giving Benedictine a 28-24 lead.
Benedictine's defense struck again in the fourth quarter when Jackson Hoskins intercepted a pass in the end zone. On the next play, Dooley hit JaShawn Todd for an 89-yard touchdown, pushing the lead to 35-24.
Texas Wesleyan's offense struggled, and another interception ended their hopes. Benedictine added another touchdown to extend the lead to 42-27. Despite a late touchdown from Rodgers to Ceasar, Texas Wesleyan couldn't recover.
Dooley passed for 344 yards, while Witherspoon rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Rodgers threw for 355 yards, and Ceasar had 102 receiving yards.
Benedictine advances to the third round of the NAIA Championship Series, while Texas Wesleyan's season ends in a hard-fought loss.
