CAVON ETTER of the Panthers (left) stiff-arms an American Canyon defender.

To say Benicia High’s varsity football team lost Friday night to American Canyon would be an understatement. To put it mildly, the Panthers got absolutely annihilated.

American Canyon ran circles around Benicia’s defense all night and embarrassed the Panthers for a 63-21 Homecoming victory in the Solano County Athletic Conference opener for both teams. It was the most points Benicia had ever allowed to the Wolves in the six-year history of the Alpha Bowl and the most points the Panthers had allowed since Bethel tagged 73 points on them in 2002. It was Benicia’s worst loss since a 57-7 defeat against Fairfield in 2008.

“That was a horrible effort by us on all sides,” said bewildered Benicia head coach Craig Holden after the drubbing. “We just self-destructed.”

“We lost to a better team,” said senior defensive back Xavier Judkins. “That’s all I can say.”

The Wolves (6-0, 1-0 SCAC) ran circles around Benicia’s usually stout defense, rushing for 552 yards and nine touchdowns on only 27 carries. Of the nine TDs, seven came on plays of 39 yards or more, including rushing scores of 85, 80 and 71 yards. American Canyon scored untouched eight times and had eight scoring “drives” of three plays or less, including five one-play drives. American Canyon scored five TDs in the second half on only nine plays – all runs.

Anthony Gobert, Kama Aalona and Andrew Rapacon each rushed for 133 yards or more and combined for seven touchdowns.

“When we’d focus on the pitch guys, they’d run a dive, and we when focused on the dive, they’d pitch it out,” Judkins said. “They were toying with us.”

“You’re not going to win a game when you can’t tackle,” Holden said. “You can’t let guys go 60, 70, 80 yards on one play and not get a hand on them.”

The Wolves needed 17 seconds to begin the onslaught. Gobert returned the opening kickoff to Benicia’s 39-yard line and Rapacon went untouched on the next play for a 6-0 American Canyon lead.

Benicia (2-4, 0-1 SCAC) responded with a 10-play, 72-yard scoring drive ending in an 11-yard touchdown pass from Devin Holden to Matthew Larks. The drive was kept alive when Cody King faked a punt and completed a 21-yard pass to Cavon Etter on 4th-and-3. King’s extra point gave the Panthers a promising 7-6 lead.

But American Canyon needed less than two minutes to regain the lead for good when quarterback Darren Antes went untouched up the middle for a 53-yard TD. Aalona rushed for touchdowns on American Canyon’s next two drives to make it 28-7, and the only thing that prevented the Wolves from scoring on all five of their first-half possessions was a huge tackle by linebacker Koe Alava on 4th-and-2 from Benicia’s 6-yard line just before halftime.

The Panthers opened the second half with 12 plays that brought them to American Canyon’s 4-yard line, but on 3rd-and-goal, a high snap sailed over Holden’s head and the Wolves recovered at their own 29. When Aalona went untouched 71 yards for a touchdown on the next play, the Panthers knew they were beaten.

Holden found Etter wide open for a 39-yard touchdown pass, and senior lineman Porter Thornton’s fumble recovery set up Etter for a 10-yard TD run to make it 49-21 with 7:03 left, but the comeback was a mirage. Rapacon responded with an 80-yard touchdown run, Benicia fumbled away the ensuing kickoff (Benicia’s fourth turnover of the night) and Gobert added a late 14-yard scoring run.

The Panthers celebrate “Homecoming” this coming Friday when they take on the host Vallejo Redhawks at Corbus Field.

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