Benedict Tigers Have Successful Scrimmage Against North Greenville

TIGERVILLE, S.C. – The Benedict College football team were able to compete against an outside opponent for the first time in a year and a half, as the Tigers faced North Greenville University in a controlled scrimmage on Saturday afternoon in Younts Stadium.

While no score was kept, nearly all the observers there were unanimous that the Tigers won the scrimmage.

“I was very, very proud,” said Benedict head coach Chennis Berry. “I think they did an amazing job. We had great communication and great teamwork. They played very well today.”

Berry said after the scrimmage, North Greenville head coach Jeff Farrington congratulated Berry. “He said, ‘Wow, you guys have got a good football team.’ ” Farrington later came into the Benedict locker room to relay that message to the players.

The scrimmage started nearly an hour behind schedule due to weather delays. Once it started, it didn’t take long for the Tigers to make a defensive statement. Defensive lineman Gerald Smith tipped a pass at the line and caught the ball and ran into the end zone for a touchdown.

Also on defense, Ja’ron Kilpatrick had an interception. On offense, Darius Philon had a nice touchdown catch from quarterback Wilson Appleton. The offense had several other big plays. Weather issues forced the scrimmage to end early as well, with the offense in the red zone threatening for another score.

“I really want to give credit to our coaches,” Berry said. “I thought they did an amazing job of preparation and getting ready for North Greenville, which is traditionally a good program. I thought it was more so a great team effort. I thought we ran the ball good, we threw the ball good, I thought our offensive line did a fairly decent job, our D line played really well, our secondary played lights out, the linebackers played well. I thought we did really well on special teams. Kudos goes to the coaching staff for getting them prepared.”

Saturday was the final practice day for the football team this spring. They will finish the rest of the semester concentrating on work in the weight room and finishing strong in the classroom. The coaching staff will hit the road recruiting again in May and begin preparations for the 2021 season opener against Allen University on Sept. 4.