Savannah is 9-1 against Benton since September of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Savannah Savages will venture away from home to square off against the Benton Cardinals at 7:00 p.m. Savannah's defense has only allowed 5.2 points per game this season, so Benton's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Savannah took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They claimed a resounding 53-0 win over Lafayette at home. Given the Savages' advantage in MaxPreps' Missouri football rankings (they are ranked 96th, while the Fighting Irish are ranked 215th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Savannah got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Aiden Knechtenhofer out in front who rushed for 88 yards and three touchdowns. Jaiden Martinez was another key pass catcher, gaining 122 total yards and a touchdown.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Savannah was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 348 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted was before the start of last season.
One reason for the win was Savannah's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Kegan Bechtold and Braylon Ellis, who racked up all four sacks between them. Another thorn in Lafayette's side was Gage Bowland, who made 11 total tackles (1.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Benton fell victim to University Academy Charter/Kauffman and their airtight defense on Saturday. They received a blow as they fell 16-0 to the Gryphons. The Cardinals' defeat continues a trend for the squad, making it three in a row.
The win got Savannah back to even at 2-2. As for Benton, their loss dropped their record down to 1-3.
Everything came up roses for Savannah against Benton in their previous matchup back in September of 2023 as the team secured a 50-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Savannah since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
