Division III's top team whips Mooney

By John Bassetti
Bengals running back Raymond Williams is the school's all-time leading scorer.
& lt;a href=mailto:bassetti@vindy.com & gt;By JOHN BASSETTI & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
BEDFORD -- Cardinal Mooney found out how good the top team in Division III is as Cleveland Benedictine won its eighth straight game, bouncing the Cardinals 17-0 Friday at Bedford Stadium.
The unbeaten Bengals were led by senior running back Raymond Williams, who piled up 278 yards on 27 carries.
On Benedictine's first possession, Williams ripped off a 58-yard touchdown run that made him the all-time leading scorer in school history. At that point, the 5-11, 185-pound Williams had 418 points.
Williams' total topped that of Larry Zelina, a 1967 graduate who later played on Ohio State's 1968 national championship team.
On Friday night, Benedictine was the tougher team. The Bengals finished with 358 yards to Mooney's 159. The loss dropped the Cardinals to 6-2.
"There's no mystery about it," Mooney coach P.J. Fecko said. "They're a very good football team."
Team praise
Fecko gave Williams a thumbs-up, but noted the supporting cast.
"We have not seen a back like him this year and we may not see one," he said. "He's very elusive and explosive. He's an integral part of their strength, but he's not the only piece."
Benedictine had a 7-0 halftime lead.
After Williams scored at 9:19 on the Bengals' first series, the remaining minutes of the half were a defensive struggle.
Mooney reached Benedictine's 19-yard line early in the second quarter, but Dustin Hinkle's 36-yard field goal attempt hit the crossbar and fell to the turf.
The Bengals took the opportunity to get the ball back and threaten again when Williams ripped off a 57-yard gain to Mooney's 25-yard line. The Cardinals, however, held tough and forced Benedictine to try its own field goal attempt. Sam Koyl's 45-yard boot was wide left, and Mooney regained possession with 4:34 left before the half.
Each team managed another pair of possessions, but even an interception by Mooney's Kyle McCarthy with 34 seconds remaining in the half wasn't enough as the Bengals sacked quarterback Ron Stoops at Mooney's 41-yard line.
The sack was one of two executed by Benedictine's defense that held the Cardinals to 79 yards on 30 rushing attempts.
A big cog in the defense was 6-5, 228-pound Joe Schaefer, who was also a blocking back for Williams and Maurice White, who scored the game's other touchdown in the fourth quarter. Koyl had both PATs.
Koyl made the score 10-0 with a 26-yard field goal in the third period.
Credit for Mooney
Benedictine coach Art Bortnick said the opening defensive series of the second half was crucial because Mooney ended up punting after three downs.
Benedictine's ensuing series concluded with Koyl's three points at 5:33 of the third period.
"The offense stalled, but we were able to come up with a field goal and that built momentum for us," said Bortnick.
He gave Mooney credit for what he described as an inconsistent offense by his players.
"Our defense hung as tough as it could, but our offense had to come out and execute, and going up by 10 points helped," he said.
Stoops completed six of 18 passes for 80 yards and had two intercepted, both by Joe Cigas.
McCarthy caught three aerials for 53 yards.
Benedictine's 17 points were its fewest scored this season.
The Bengals, however, were on the verge of scoring late in the game when Bortnick opted to let the clock run and take a delay-of-game penalty before handing off one last time.
"It was sportsmanship," Bortnick said.