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Bennett's 3 TDs Lead Alonso To Third Straight Victory

By GREGG BECNEL

Tribune correspondent

Published: October 4, 2008

Updated: 10/04/2008 12:38 am

TAMPA - Alonso quarterback C.J. Bennett threw for 209 yards and three touchdowns on 18-of-36 passing to lead the Ravens to a 27-15 win against Freedom at Freedom Stadium on Friday.

The Patriots (1-3) have lost three consecutive games and 12 of their past 14 going back to the start of last season.

Freedom lost two of its playmakers in the first half. Receiver Rodney Lyons went out with a right ankle injury after a 13-yard reception on Freedom's second play of the game.

More devastating was the loss of sophomore quarterback Josh Grady, who suffered a hamstring injury after scrambling for 7 yards. He came back in on Freedom's next possession, but re-aggravated the injury after throwing an interception.

"It doesn't look good," Patriots coach Marquel Blackwell said of Grady's injury.

Alonso (4-1), winner of three consecutive games, got on the board first when Bennett capped a nine-play, 80-yard drive with a 32-yard pass to Justen Davis on fourth down at the 4:38 mark of the first quarter.

Davis also had two interceptions on defense. He would have had three, but the third was nullified by a roughing-the-passer penalty.

Freedom tied it at 6 when Amonty Dilisca ran in for a 2-yard touchdown.

Bennett then marched the Ravens 80 yards in 13 plays to make it 13-6 when he hit Jesse Anaya for a 16-yard score with 7:58 remaining in the half.

Alex Landetta got the Patriots within 13-9 with a 39-yard field goal with 5:27 remaining in the third.

Bennett threw his third touchdown pass - again on fourth down - when he hit Kory Strassberg down the middle of the field for a 35-yard score to push the Ravens' lead to 20-9.

"For a junior, C.J. is really good," Alonso coach Mike Heldt said. "He's a real competitor and studies the game well."

Senior DB Jonathan Bartolomei closed the Ravens' scoring when he scooped up a fumble and returned it 41 yards.

"This was a team effort," Heldt said. "I was happy with how we played on both sides of the ball."

Freedom's Sherrod Cunningham made it 27-15 with a 3-yard run with 2:40 remaining, After recovering the onside kick, the Patriots fumbled the ball and Alonso recovered.

"We're not comfortable with the loss," Blackwell said. "We played pretty good at times, but we have to be able to finish."