Daniel beats Pendleton for their ninth straight win

By Team Reports Oct 22, 2023, 12:57pm

Recap: Daniel Lions vs. Pendleton Bulldogs

The Daniel Lions put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their undefeated season alive. They took their contest on the road with ease, bagging a 56-28 victory over Pendleton. Given Daniel's advantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina football rankings (they are ranked eighth, while Pendleton is ranked 54th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Daniel was led to victory by Kolton Chapman and Kari Bennett. Chapman threw for 279 yards and a touchdown, while Bennett gained 228 total yards and four touchdowns. Bennett is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last three games he's played. Tremaine Davis jr made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.

Daniel's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB eight times. The heavy lifting was done by Dexter Johnson and Jaedyn Young who racked up 4.5 sacks between them.

Despite the loss, Pendleton still got an impressive performance from Luke Gray, who threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns, and also punched in two touchdowns on the ground. Gray is on a roll when it comes to passing yards, as he's now passed for 300 or more in the last five games he's played. Kory Jones also helped out as he racked up 130 receiving yards.

Daniel's win was their sixth straight on the road, which bumped their overall record up to 9-0. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.7 points per game. As for Pendleton, their loss dropped their record down to 7-2.

Daniel will look to defend their home field on Friday against Crescent at 7:30 p.m. Crescent is also coming in off of a big victory, so somebody is in for a big reversal of fortune. As for Pendleton, they will head out on the road to face off against Walhalla at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.