SHEVVY FRANKLIN (31) ran for a season-high 52 yards and scored a touchdown in Friday’s 14-12 loss at Concord.

A failed 2-point conversion late in the fourth quarter and a muffed punt with 2:39 remaining left Benicia High’s varsity football team a little short in a 14-12 loss at Concord on Friday.

Trailing 14-6 with under five minutes to play, the Panthers got right back in it when Joseph Lee dropped a perfect pass into the arms of Cavon Etter for a 41-yard touchdown. Benicia, which had an extra point blocked earlier in the game, went for two and appeared to get it when Xavier Judkins hauled in a pass just inside the right sideline. But a holding penalty erased the conversion and a second pass attempt fell incomplete, leaving Benicia two points short.

Benicia’s defense forced Concord to go three-and-out on its next possession, but the Panthers fumbled the ensuing punt, giving the ball right back to the Minutemen with 2:39 remaining. Benicia got the ball back at its own 16-yard line with three seconds left – not enough time to mount a comeback.

It was a frustrating loss for the Panthers, who failed on a late 2-point conversion in a 14-13 loss to Concord last year in Benicia.

“We had it but we got a penalty,” said Benicia head coach Craig Holden. “It is what it is. Obviously that’s not how we want to lose.”

“We couldn’t make it happen at the end,” said senior running back Shevvy Franklin, who rushed for a season-high 52 yards and scored a touchdown. “We had a lot of opportunities and didn’t score enough.”

Concord (4-1) fumbled four times in the first quarter, with Benicia (2-3) recovering two of them. A fumble recovery by Matthew Larks set up Benicia at Concord’s 45-yard line, and eight plays later Franklin scored from a yard out for a 6-0 lead. The extra point was blocked.

The Minutemen answered with a five-play, 60-yard drive ending with quarterback Nick Nunez finding Alex Cruz over the middle for a 24-yard touchdown. Concord’s two-point conversion failed, leaving the game tied 6-6.

It stayed that way until late in the third quarter when Concord marched 57 yards in six plays, Nunez running it in himself for a 17-yard TD. Austin Williams ran in the 2-point conversion for a 14-6 lead.

Benicia’s offense managed only one first down on its first five possessions in the second half but made a huge play on 4th-and-19 with 4:51 remaining – Etter making an over-the-shoulder catch for a 41-yard touchdown.

“I like the fight that we had,” Holden said. “It was a spirited effort. We were in the game all night long and just came up short. I’m proud of the kids. They played as hard as they possibly could.”

“It’s very frustrating,” said senior defensive lineman Trae Crummie. “I was expecting to win this game after the first half. But this was the best game we’ve played all year as a team.”

Benicia’s defense forced six fumbles overall, with Etter, Larks, Judkins and Crummie each making recoveries. Concord came in averaging nearly 35 points per game and didn’t have a first down the entire fourth quarter.

“Everybody thought Concord was gonna roll all over us but we played well,” Franklin said. “We just didn’t get it done at the end.”

Benicia has a bye week coming up and opens the Solano County Athletic Conference season at American Canyon (5-0) on Oct. 7.

“This is a leap forward,” Crummie said. “We’re already looking forward to playing American Canyon.”

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