Wildcats Push Benedictine to the Finish, Fall 27–23 in Savannah
SAVANNAH, Ga. — Camden County went on the road Friday night and gave Benedictine everything it had.
For four quarters, the Wildcats matched the Cadets in a physical, tightly contested football game. Camden trailed by just two points at halftime, later built a six-point lead with momentum on its side, and remained in position to win before Benedictine ultimately escaped with a 27–23 victory.
The loss drops Camden County to 2–1, but afterward, head coach Tucker Pruitt wasn’t interested in excuses, finger-pointing or moral victories.
His message was much simpler.
The Wildcats have to fix the details.
A Fight From the Start
Camden’s offense established itself early behind sophomore running back Malahki Poole.
Poole scored the Wildcats’ first two touchdowns of the night, helping Camden stay within striking distance throughout the opening half.
When the teams went to the locker room, Benedictine held only a 17–15 advantage.
That two-point margin reflected the kind of game being played. Neither side had created much separation, and Camden had already shown it wasn’t going to be overwhelmed by the moment or the environment.
The Wildcats continued battling after halftime and eventually moved in front.
Camden held a six-point lead with momentum, but one of the game’s defining moments came on fourth-and-one. A high snap disrupted the opportunity, and another potential scoring chance ended with a missed field goal.
Pruitt addressed both plays immediately afterward.
“Offense, we were up six, had all the momentum, fourth down and one, and we get a high snap. We miss a field goal.”
Against a team like Benedictine, those moments proved costly.
Poole Leads a 170-Yard Rushing Attack
Camden finished with 286 yards of total offense, including 170 rushing yards on 32 carries, an average of 5.3 yards per attempt.
Poole led the ground attack with:
63 rushing yards
13 carries
2 touchdowns
34-yard long run
Senior quarterback Xavier “Zay” Collins completed 12 of 20 passes for 116 yards and added 36 rushing yards on eight attempts, accounting for 152 yards of Camden offense.
Senior Jesse Newsome contributed in both phases, rushing four times for 27 yards and catching three passes for another 17 yards.
Newsome also scored Camden’s third touchdown of the night, following Poole’s two first-half scores.
Sophomore wide receiver Ayden Robinson provided another explosive option, rushing twice for 22 yards, including a 16-yard gain.
Senior Adryen Vigil added 11 yards on his lone rushing attempt.
Camden didn’t dominate the stat sheet offensively, but it consistently found enough production to remain in position to win.
Green Continues to Create Explosive Plays
Senior wide receiver Sean Green once again led Camden’s passing attack.
Green caught five passes for 67 yards, including a 36-yard reception.
Vigil added two catches for 26 yards, giving him 37 yards from scrimmage on only three offensive touches.
Newsome’s three receptions produced 17 yards, while Jamie Williams added two catches.
The Wildcats finished the night with three touchdowns — two from Poole and one from Newsome — while spreading the football among several different weapons.
Smith and Coleman Lead a Physical Defensive Effort
On defense, two Wildcats separated themselves at the top of the tackle chart.
Senior linebacker Will Smith recorded a team-high 14 tackles, including nine solo stops, and was responsible for all three of Camden’s tackles for loss.
Junior defensive back Demetrius Coleman was everywhere as well, finishing with 13 tackles, including 11 solo stops, and a pass breakup.
Together, Smith and Coleman accounted for 27 tackles.
Sophomore defensive back Quan Mercer added six solo tackles and a pass breakup.
Seniors Micah Jones and Maliek Patterson each recorded five tackles, with Jones also forcing a fumble.
Daquan Edwards finished with three tackles and recorded Camden’s quarterback hurry, while John Haynes was credited with a fumble recovery.
The Wildcats didn’t record a sack, but the defense continued battling and gave Camden opportunities to stay within one possession throughout the night.
Special Teams Flips the Field
Camden’s kickoff-return unit was another bright spot.
The Wildcats returned three kickoffs for 93 yards, averaging an impressive 31 yards per return.
Quan Mercer — 41-yard return
Sean Green — 37-yard return
Ayden Robinson — 15-yard return
Senior punter Michael Conley also turned in an excellent performance.
Conley punted three times for 146 yards, averaging 48.7 yards per punt, with a long of 59 yards and two punts downed inside the 20.
Those hidden yards helped Camden stay in the field-position battle throughout the night.
But the missed field goal also became part of the larger lesson Pruitt delivered afterward.
“Your Margin for Error Is Very Small”
Pruitt’s postgame speech wasn’t about who deserved blame.
It began with the opposite.
“One thing we’re not going to do is make excuses, and another thing we’re not going to do is point fingers.”
He acknowledged that Camden needed to be better in every phase.
Then he delivered the message that perhaps best summarized Friday night’s game.
“When you play a good team like this, your margin for error is very small. And we had too much error tonight.”
That was the difference between leaving Savannah 3–0 and making the ride home 2–1.
Camden was close enough.
The Wildcats had the lead. They had momentum. They generated 286 yards of offense, rushed for 170, produced explosive plays on special teams and got 27 combined tackles from Smith and Coleman.
But close wasn’t the standard Pruitt was interested in setting.
The details mattered.
And in a four-point game, they mattered even more.
“We Can Still Be Whatever Team We Want to Be”
The most important part of Pruitt’s message may have come next.
The loss didn’t change what he believes this team can become.
“We can still be whatever team we want to be. There’s a lot of season left, but we got to get better, and we got to control the things we can control.”
Rather than allow players to look across the locker room for an explanation, Pruitt challenged each Wildcat to look at himself.
“What can you do as a scout team player, as a starter, as a backup? What can you do to be better to make this team better?”
That’s the challenge Camden carries home from Savannah.
Not whether the Wildcats are capable of competing in games like this.
They already answered that.
The challenge is learning how to finish them.
Let It Sting
Pruitt didn’t ask his team to forget the loss.
He asked them to use it.
“Let it sting you, and think about what can you do to make this team better next week.”
Camden County leaves Savannah 2–1, with its first loss of the season and a clear understanding of how narrow the difference can be against a quality opponent.
Now the Wildcats return to Chris Gilman Stadium for three consecutive home games.
Pruitt reminded his team that the next opportunity is already coming.
“Next week is a brand new week and a brand new day.”
Friday night stung.
It’s supposed to.
Now comes the response.
FINAL: Benedictine 27, Camden County 23
CAMDEN COUNTY RECORD: 2–1
