DIVISION III FOOTBALL Benedictine blanks Kenton for state title

The Bengals' defense -- and Raymond Williams -- highlighted the victory.
CANTON (AP) -- The undisputed star of Cleveland Benedictine is Raymond Williams, the tailback who rushed for 2,099 yards and 27 touchdowns during the regular season.
On Friday, another star emerged -- the Bengals' defense.
Williams' running game coupled with a suffocating defensive effort led Benedictine to its fifth state title with a 12-0 win over Kenton in the Division III high school championship game.
"They had some very quick athletic guys up front. That's more pressure than we've seen all year," Kenton coach Mike Mauk said.
No room to run
The Benedictine defense held the Wildcats to minus-30 yards rushing on 18 carries. The Bengals, meanwhile, finished with 301 yards rushing, behind Williams' 237 yards and the game's only touchdowns.
Kenton quarterback D.J. Underwood, moved from receiver to quarterback midway through the season, was sacked six times, and hurried numerous other times by Benedictine defenders. He finished 16 of 37 for 196 yards.
"I was trying to read the defense and a lot of time I couldn't," Underwood said. "Up front they had a lot of quickness. Every time I tried to set up or roll out I got hit."
"Our defense came through," Benedictine coach Art Bortnick said. "Sacks are so important. It took them out of field position and gave our offense a chance to get on the field."
When the Benedictine offense was on the field, all eyes were on Williams. The Ohio Associated Press Mr. Football averaged 5.5 yards for each of his 43 carries and powered through defenders for crucial first downs.
"Their defense is like a swarming defense. At certain points in the second half our men were getting hats on the defenders and they couldn't get to the ball," Williams said.
"In the beginning we were taking it in slow motion, that's how they were making their tackles. We knew we had to speed it up," he said.
Williams put the Bengals (14-1) on the board with 6:36 left in the third quarter on a 5-yard run, carrying Kenton defender Tyler Root across the goal line.
The No. 3 Bengals scored again early in the fourth quarter, when quarterback Joe Laffey pitched the ball to Williams on a second-and-goal from the 6. Williams ran left, then cut upfield for the score.
Unranked Kenton was going for its third consecutive state title, a feat last accomplished in Ohio by Delphos St. John's between 1997 and 1999. The Wildcats were the surprise team in this year's finals, after moving up from Division IV, graduating 2002 Ohio Mr. Football Benny Mauk and starting 2-3.
Benedictine was runner-up in Division III last year, losing to Columbus Bishop Watterson in the finals.