Benjamin Bekiers had a Senior Day to remember.

On Sunday at Gold Star Stadium, the defensive back had not one, but two kick-return touchdowns to lead Chaminade to a dominant 45-22 victory over St. Francis Prep. 

"It meant everything for the team," said Bekiers on the importance of Sunday's triumph. "If we're all together, working our butts off, I think good things are going to happen. We all got each other's backs, we're starting to come together, and we're ready to take on the next challenge."

"I think this is a huge win for us because of where we were after last week," reflected Chaminade head coach Tom Claro. "It doesn't matter if you're a AA team or a AAA team; these guys come to play, and they're great opponents. I'm just happy to win this football game."

After weeks of slow starts, Chaminade finally got off on the right foot in this contest. On their second drive, the offense took advantage of a short field to tally the first score of the game. Running backs Anthony Trapani and Maccoy Wallace led the way, with the former finding paydirt from six yards out to give Chaminade the early lead. 

The Crimson and Gold threatened on their next possession, but penalties forced a field goal attempt. Justin Jones - who had been struggling in the previous two games - drilled a 39-yard field goal to extend the lead to 10. 

Penalties continued to plague the Flyers, as they committed eight infractions during the game.

Despite two early punts, the St. Francis Prep offense turned it on; like Chaminade, they looked to their ground game to do so. 

Halfbacks Sean Ibert and Rafael Espinal proved troublesome for the Flyers defense. On 4th-and-1 from the Chaminade 32, Espinal found a gaping hole and galloped all the way to the house to get the Terriers on the board.

Immediately, Chaminade responded.

On the ensuing kickoff, Bekiers received the ball from his own three, tip-toed down the left sideline, broke a few tackles, and outran the rest of the Terriers for an electric 97-yard return. Just like that, the lead was back to 10.

However, the Terriers wouldn't go away. On the next possession, QB Jack Leary found receiver Rocco Petronella on a deep post for a 57-yard score, making it 17-14 in favor of the home team.

St. Francis Prep got the ball one last time before halftime, and they were inches away from taking the lead. On the last play of the second quarter, Ibert caught a short pass out of the backfield and raced down the left sideline for what seemed to be an improbable 58-yard touchdown. However, the side judge ruled that Ibert had stepped out of bounds at the 15-yard line, negating the touchdown and keeping Chaminade in front by three. 

During the break, Claro and the rest of the Chaminade coaching staff needed to send a message.

"I said, 'Guys, remember how you felt last week after the game, when you wished you could go back in time? There were so many things that you could change in a game against St. Peter's where you just couldn't, and you lost. Well, you have a half, so go out and play a good half of football,'" said Claro. 

Fortunately, the Flyers answered their coach's call.

After forcing a quick punt, Chaminade's offense promptly marched down the field behind the efforts of Trapani and QB Sean Carnevale. The latter finished off the drive on a QB sneak to extend the lead back to 10. 

Not long after, Bekiers added an encore.

This time, he received a punt on his own 45 and raced down the left sideline before swerving back inside and crossing the goal line for the score, much to the delight of the Flyer faithful gathered at Ott Field. All of a sudden, the Flyers were in total control, leading 31-14.

"I caught it over my shoulder and I was like, 'I don't even know how this is going to work out,'" explained a smiling Bekiers. "I followed [Liam] Trainor, I followed my guys, and I found a seam. I trusted all of them, and I took it to the end zone."

"He gave us a spark," said Claro of Bekiers. "Stuff like that is how you win. You have to have guys that make plays. Today, Ben was the guy."

The offensive onslaught was not done.

To start the fourth quarter, Trapani dished out a stiff arm on his way to a 20-yard TD run - his second of the contest and eighth of the year - to extend the lead further.

Trapani ran for 100 yards over 11 carries on Sunday, yet another strong performance from the Flyers' top back.

Before the game, Claro identified "dominating the line of scrimmage" as one of the focal points of the game plan. The Flyers did just that, rushing for 185 yards, by far their most in a game this season. 

"It felt great," reflected Trapani. "We were prepping for this all week. Our line up front battled today, and the running backs made it worth it."

Each team tallied a late touchdown, courtesy of Ibert for St. Francis and Arryn Blades for Chaminade, to make the final score 45-22. 

Ibert continued his dominant campaign for the Terriers, accumulating 190 yards from scrimmage, including 145 through the air. He will continue to be a huge weapon for the Terriers as they make a bid for the AA-I crown.

This was an important win for Chaminade, especially after last week's deflating loss to St. Peter's. However, the Flyers still have work to do before they welcome in the Iona Prep Gaels, MaxPreps' top team in the state, next weekend.

"We faltered at times with penalties and other mistakes," said Claro. "We shot ourselves in the foot. That's not how we're going to win the next couple of games."

Chaminade will kick off their matchup with Iona Prep on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. As for the Terriers, they will look to turn the page on Friday night when they visit St. Joseph by the Sea; kickoff for that contest is set for 7 p.m.