WHEATON Ill.- The Benedictine University football team dropped its First Round matchup in the NCAA Division III Playoffs on Saturday, falling at Wheaton College by a score of 43-14.
 
Wheaton jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead with two touchdowns following two BenU three-and-outs. On Benedictine's third possession, Ryan Keener's four consecutive completions and an eight-yard run by Artie Monaco put the Eagles in Thunder territory, but a sack forced BenU back to midfield and to put for a third time. Wheaton took over on the 21-yard line and drove 79 yards to extend the lead to 21-0 early in the second quarter.
 
The Benedictine offense came to life in the second quarter, driving into the red zone on both drives. Keener completed six out of eight passes on the first drive of the quarter, but fired an incompletion intended for Jake Valas on fourth-and-goal from the five yard line to turn the ball over on downs with 6:40 remaining. After Wheaton punted on the ensuing drive, BenU drove 49 yards for its first touchdown of the day, a 12 yard pass from Keener to Greg German.
 
With just 1:02 left to play in the half, Wheaton drove 65 yards and scored with just 00:12 remaining on quarterback Johnny Peltz's second touchdown pass to Luke Thorson.
 
Benedictine came out strong to start the second half, as Drew Keil forced and recovered a fumble on Wheaton's first play from scrimmage. After two BenU punts and a Wheaton field goal, Niko Paaloalo forced the team's second fumble of the quarter. Two plays after Micayel MeKechnie recovered the loose ball, Keener hit Jake Valas in stride down the right sideline for a 58 yard touchdown pass to pull to within 17.
 
Down 31-14, Benedictine's Ryan Johnston recovered an onside kick from Keil after the Valas touchdown. Four plays later, Keener threw his first interception of the day. From that point on, BenU was held to just four first downs the rest of the game, as Wheaton controlled the clock and scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
 
"We played a very good football team today," said Head Coach Jon Cooper. "We fell behind 14-0 early, and as the game progressed, we competed very well. The kids kept fighting and they played their hearts out. We have senior leadership like I have never seen on a football team, and that's a big reason why we didn't fold up our tent and improved as the season went on. There was never and quit in our guys all season, and I am extremely proud of these young men."
 
"It's nice to put this program back on the map," said Artie Monaco. "A few years ago, we were back-to-back conference champions with back-to-back NCAA Playoff appearances. Now that we are back in the playoffs, it allows our younger players to see this kind of atmosphere and get a feel for it. Hopefully the team can take this and build momentum heading into next year."
 
Through the air, Keener finished 22-for-41 with 259 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Max Seibert led BenU with seven catches (67 yards), while Valas tallied 92 yards on five receptions. On the ground, Monaco gained 38 yards on 11 carries.
 
Defensively, Lecas led BenU with 16 tackles and blocked two extra points. Keil added 12 tackles, while McKechnie chipped in 10.
 
Benedictine finishes with a 6-5 record overall and recorded its third trip to the NCAA Playoffs in the last five seasons.