By Kevin Connelly

kconnelly@vindy.com

RICHFIELD

It was Cardinal Mooney’s worst playoff loss under head coach P.J. Fecko.

The region’s top seed, Cleveland Benedictine, played like the state’s top team and rolled up 555 yards of offense in a 56-16 drubbing of the Cardinals in Friday’s Division IV regional semifinal at Joseph F. Pappano Stadium.

The Bengals (11-1) scored on five of their first six possessions and found the end zone on four consecutive plays to build a 33-point, first-half lead.

“Coming in we knew their big-play capability was something that we had to be careful with,” Fecko said. “We knew that they were big up front and at their skilled positions they were extremely athletic and then, obviously, their speed.”

Offense was coming from all angles for Benedictine. Running back Dontez Rash needed just 10 carries to run for 180 yards and three touchdowns. When it wasn’t Rash, DeCavilon Reese was running wild on the Cardinals. The sophomore ran for 166 yards and two scores on 14 carries.

And, oh yeah, wide receiver Justin Layne caught five passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns — in the first half.

“They wanted it more than us tonight,” quarterback and safety Jon Saadey said. “They’re great athletes out there. We just weren’t in our gaps.

“They just made plays that took advantage of us being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Benedictine was hitting on all cylinders from the start. Warren Saba took returned the opening kickoff 58 yards to the Mooney 32. Five plays later, Rash powered his way through tacklers for his first touchdown.

From there, the rout was on.

“We talked about creating positive plays and that meant getting downhill,” said Benedictine coach Joe Schaefer.

The Bengals had nothing but positive plays for mostly the entire game and it seemed like the field was slanted in whatever direction their players were running.

“They got that second-level speed where when they get to that second level, not many people are going to catch them,” Saadey said. “It’s a very hard thing to stop.”

To make matters worse for Mooney (6-5), four-star linebacker — and Ohio State commit — Jerome Baker was a wrecking ball on defense. He was in just about every stop for the Bengals, recording eight solo tackles, two for loss, and two sacks.

Saadey managed 88 yards rushing and a touchdown on 19 carries, but most of that yardage came during garbage time in the fourth quarter. C.J. Amill scored in the final minute of the game to make it a 40-point margin of defeat.

The worst postseason defeat under Fecko prior to this was a 35-10 loss to Butchel in the third round of the Division III playoffs in 2010.

There won’t be a return trip to the state championship for Mooney, but Benedictine had the look of a championship contender on Friday night.

“I believe that we were the best teams in our region and whoever won this game had a shot at winning state,” said Cardinals junior Andrew Armstrong. “They’re a great football team and I believe they have what it takes to win state.”

Before the Bengals can get to Columbus, they have to get through Bay Village Bay in a regional final.

That’s all Schaefer wants his kids thinking about.

“We can’t [win state] unless we win next week, so that should be pretty simple to stay focused,” he said.