How Benedictine came up short in season-opening loss to a stacked Rabun Gap-Nacoochee squad

Benedictine football Coach Danny Britt has led the Cadets to four state titles since he took over the program in 2011, and he has no qualms about testing his team by stacking the schedule with premium opponents.

This year, the Cadets are playing in the rugged Region 1-4A, which many consider to be the toughest in Georgia, and Britt set up a formidable non-region slate featuring Buford and Archbishop Moeller along with an opener with Rabun Gap-Nacoochee. Calpreps.com ranked BC's schedule as the toughest in Georgia.

On Saturday night, BC faced its first test and didn't play to the level at which Britt was hoping as Rabun Gap took down the Cadets 41-17 in a game in the Erk Russell Classic played at Georgia Southern's Paulson Stadium.

Rabun Gap is stacked with Division I talent including senior offensive lineman Justin Hasenheutle (committed to Georgia Tech), tight end Marshall Pritchett (committed to North Carolina), defensive back Patrick Williams, who is headed to Cincinnati, linebacker Antoine Deslauriers (committed to Syracuse) and defensive lineman Terry Nwasbuisi-Ezeala, who is headed to Wake Forest.

Gavin Owens, the left-handed senior quarterback, holds offers including Kentucky and Boston College, and he was on point in the passing game as he completed 21 of 32 passes for 313 yards and three scores, with one interception. Running back Anthony Quinn Jr. was tough between the tackles as the senior ran for 101 yards and two scores on 18 carries.

Benedictine also lost two starting lineman to knee injuries as defensive lineman Isaac Scott III and offensive lineman Carlton Hall both left in the first quarter with what seemed like serious knee issues.

"We didn't perform as well as I thought we would tonight, but we knew these first two games (BC is on the road next week at Buford) were going to be extremely difficult," Britt said. "And losing two starting linemen early like that was devastating; that was hard overcome. I though we kept our heads and stayed calm. When we set up this schedule, we knew how difficult it was going to be. But I think if we keep on fighting, we'll have a chance to win every game we play. We have to take this and get better from it."

Rabun Gap won the battle in the trenches as the Eagles held BC to 13 yards rushing on the night. Junior quarterback Stephen Cannon was making his first start behind center. He had some impressive moments ― highlighted by a 16-yard scoring pass to Bubba Frazier , but also had some mistakes as he completed 9 of 20 passes for 93 yards with two interceptions, one that was returned for a 37-yard touchdown by Khory Moss.

Benedictine's Zach Maxwell Jr. returned the favor with a 40-yard pick six of his own and made several strong plays in the defensive backfield, along with Wyatt Estabrook. BC was hurt by the absence of Micah Williams, the junior defensive back with offers from Georgia Tech and North Carolina, who was sidelined with turf toe.

Another bright spot was the play of highly regarded kicker/punter Connor Ferguson. The senior connected on a 48-yard field goal and had several towering punts that forced fair catches or no returns at all.

Junior defensive lineman Kam Cody kept his composure and showed leadership with his positive attitude on the field and on the sideline.

"That was probably the best offensive line I've ever played against," Cody said. "They were tough and able to hold their blocks. We took the loss, but we have to remember this is only Week 1. We need to go to work and come back with a better version of ourselves."

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: How Benedictine came up short in season-opening loss to a stacked Rabun Gap-Nacoochee squad