Benson's back: Techmen steamroll Franklin 56-20 for first state playoff berth in 10 years

By Steve Brandon

The Portland Tribune, Nov 7, 2009

Benson Tech football is officially back.

The Techmen left no doubt about that on Friday, blitzing Franklin with their speed and overall play in a 56-20 victory at Cleveland that vaulted Benson into the state playoffs for the first time since 1999.

Benson scored 42 unanswered points to break open a game that was tied 14-14 with two minutes left in the first half.

The Techmen improved to 5-4 overall and finished 2-2 in PIL 6A, earning the No. 3 playoff seed behind league champion Grant and runner-up Lincoln.

Benson will open the playoffs at home next Friday against Aloha, the No. 3 seed from the powerful Metro League.

"We know that's an outstanding league, but we're going to go compete," Benson coach Anthony Davis said.

The Techmen have made quite a turnaround in two years under Davis and his staff.

After seasons of 1-8 in 2006 and 0-9 in 2007, they went 2-8 a year ago with victories over only Parkrose and Roosevelt.

Last year, the Techmen lost to Franklin 35-14.

"Making the playoffs is a big thing for us," Davis said. "We really wanted to be the first group to do again. We're growing as a program."

Franklin, which ended its season at 3-6 overall and 1-3 in league, battled in the trenches but gave up too many big plays in the open field to stop the Techmen.

And the Quakers lost their main man on offense, running back Jacob Gardner, to a thigh injury early in the game. The injury came on Gardner's touchdown run, a fourth-and-four play that gave Franklin a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter. The Quakers drove 65 yards in 13 plays, with Gardner toting the ball 10 times for 60 yards.

Benson came right back with a seven-play, 52-yard drive, led by its top back, Freddy Jackson. He scored on a 21-yard run, but Franklin blocked the kick to preserve a 7-6 lead.

Tech took a 14-7 lead less than a minute into the second quarter, going 55 yards in seven plays. Quarterback Zac Fuentes scored on a 16-yard gallop and passed to Carlos Johnson for the two-point conversion.

An interception by Franklin's Damian Woods and his 50-yard return set up the Quakers at the Benson 35-yard line, and Franklin tied the score on QB Cameron Bratcher's 15-yard run and Damon Hines' PAT with 3:59 left in the half.

But the Techmen went 68 yards to take the lead for good. Fuentes completed consecutive passes of 19, 15 and 24 yards as Benson moved to the Franklin 10.

Benson standout Jackson went down with a shoulder injury on a two-yard run, but Darray Frazier ran for a seven-yard TD to give Tech a 20-14 halftime lead.

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