Count on Benicia High varsity football coach Craig Holden to go for two and the win in the final seconds. Faced with that opportunity in Friday’s season opener at Drolette Stadium, Holden’s gamble – and the Panthers – came up a couple of yards short.

Holden’s son – junior Devin Holden – had just come off the bench to quarterback the Panthers on an 89-yard touchdown drive that cut visiting Concord’s lead to 14-13 with 20.4 seconds remaining. The Panthers went for two and the win, but Holden couldn’t find a hole in a scramble up the middle and Concord held on for the victory.

It was a bitter defeat for the Panthers (0-1), who had plenty of chances to topple a Concord team ranked in the Top 10 in the East Bay.

“The way that momentum was going – yeah I’m gonna go for two on that,” coach Holden said afterward. “It’s a preseason game and we went for the win. Sometimes you win and look like a genius and sometimes you don’t.”

“It’s frustrating but we fought hard,” said senior linebacker Blake Pederson. “We didn’t go down easy against a great team.”

“We killed ourselves,” said Alex Osterholt, who scored his first TD of the year on a 2-yard run that pulled Benicia to within 14-13. “They gave us a lot of opportunities and we didn’t capitalize on them.”

Benicia’s defense got off to a poor start. Concord senior Harold Tidwell needed only five carries to go 80 yards on the Minutemen’s opening drive, his last carry a 26-yard weave through the middle of Benicia’s defense for a go-ahead touchdown. Quarterback Izaiah Austin’s 2-point conversion pass to Brandon Espinoza gave the Minutemen (1-0) a quick 8-0 lead.

The Panthers answered right back. Strong runs by Osterholt and a Pitkin 14-yard pass to Cavon Etter set up junior Kyani McFall for a 30-yard touchdown run with 7:26 left in the first quarter. Kyle Sinclair’s extra point made it 8-7 Concord.

Both sides had chances to take control but let them slip away. Osterholt intercepted a pass in the end zone on Concord’s next drive and McFall recovered a fumble near midfield. The Panthers fumbled twice themselves, including once at their own 30-yard line. Benicia had a drive stall at Concord’s 11, and the Minutemen were turned away at the Benicia 22.

Tidwell, who carried 22 times for 203 yards, finally broke the stalemate with a 1-yard plunge with 5:32 left in the third quarter to give Concord a 14-7 lead. The Minutemen failed on their 2-point pass attempt.

Concord delivered its biggest blow with 6:49 remaining. Cornerback Edwin Mundo came late on a blitz and drilled Pitkin from the blind side, causing a fumble that the Minutemen appeared to return for a back-breaking 54-yard touchdown. Though the return was called back, Pitkin had to be carried off the field and Concord had the lead and the ball at its own 46.

“We started playing harder because we realized we could beat these guys,” Osterholt said. “We knew they were bigger and faster than us, but we realized we could play with them.”

Benicia’s defense forced a punt, but two 15-yard penalties and an ejection of long snapper Ryan Blakeman had the Panthers backed up to their 11 with 4:49 remaining. Out trotted the junior Holden, who hit McCall for a 7-yard completion, found Osterholt over the middle for a 14-yard gain and ran four times for 21 yards to set up Osterholt for the short TD run with 20.4 seconds left.

With their long snapper out, the Panthers went for it all. Holden dropped back on the 2-point conversion, then bolted forward in search of the end zone. He never really got close, but the Panthers knew how close they’d come to avenging a 48-13 loss at Concord in last year’s season opener.

“I’m glad it was close,” Pederson said. “This will boost our confidence.”

Pitkin never returned and was taken to the hospital for observation after the game. The senior didn’t appear to be seriously hurt and the Panthers hope to have him back at quarterback for next Friday’s home game against McClymonds.

“All we can do now is build up, get better and beat McClymonds next week,” Osterholt said.