Ben Bekiers special in multiple ways for Chaminade in win over St. Francis Prep
Benjamin Bekiers of Chaminade, far right, celebrates his kickoff return for a touchdown with Shaye Sykes (45) and his teammates during a CHSFL game against St. Francis Prep on Sunday in Mineola. Credit: Dawn McCormick
Sometimes, when the first two phases of a football team are lagging, the third one has to save the day. Luckily for Chaminade, its third phase picked up the slack when needed.
The Flyers defeated visiting St. Francis Prep, 45-22, in CHSFL action behind a masterful performance on special teams from senior Ben Bekiers in Mineola on Sunday. He returned both a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown to help flip the momentum of the game and steer his team to victory.
A 3-yard rushing touchdown from Anthony Trapani in the first quarter and a 39-yard field goal by Justin Jones in the second put Chaminade up 10-0 with 11:56 left in the first half. However, St. Francis Prep responded immediately with a 31-yard rushing touchdown by junior Rafael Espinal to make it 10-7.
Bekiers fielded the ensuing kickoff to his left at the 4-yard line. He darted upfield and broke a tackle past the 20-yard line, from where noticed a gaping hole back inside to his right. Bekiers hit the gap and zipped his way near midfield, where he split two defenders and raced all the way for a 96-yard touchdown.
“Everything is about the team, and every time I get the ball in my hands, I’m looking to make an impact for my team,” Bekiers said. “All my guys met me in the end zone. It was amazing.”
That return loomed large for the rest of the first half, as St. Francis Prep (3-2) cut it back to a three-point game (17-14) on its next possession with a 57-yard touchdown pass from Jack Leary to Rocco Petronella. Leary almost threw a 59-yard touchdown as the first half expired, but Sean Ibert barely stepped out of bounds at Chaminade’s 15-yard line.
The Flyers needed a spark out of halftime, and they got it on their first drive of the second half when Trapani broke three tackles with two stiff arms for a 13-yard run. From there, an 18-yard pass to Henry Peterson and a 3-yard run by Trapani set up Sean Carnevale for a 1-yard score on a quarterback sneak.
“We go over that stuff in practice all the time, to see that work out in the game is awesome,” Trapani said. “I just made the most of my opportunities and helped the team win.”
Trapani rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries.
Bekiers had another chance to make a play on special teams after Chaminade forced a three-and-out with a 24-14 lead. Bekiers fielded the punt at Chaminade's 45-yard line before he made one man miss and again saw an opening. Bekiers turned it up around the left corner, juked a defender down the sideline and cut it back inside to his right, allowing him to take it the rest of the way for a 55-yard touchdown.
Bekiers had never returned a punt for a touchdown before Sunday.
“I was honestly so excited,” Bekiers said. “I felt like we got a momentum change there. Everybody was excited, and I think we were ready to go.”
Chaminade (4-2) closed the game with runs by Trapani, along with fellow running backs Maccoy Wallace and Arryn Blades, who added a 4-yard touchdown run.
Mike Anderson is a high school sports reporter who has covered 12 sports so far at Newsday. He was the sports editor of Stony Brook University's campus newspaper for two years.
