McKenzie, Tenn. (08.26.10)- The Bethel Wildcats fell behind 21-0 in the first quarter to No. 4 St. Xavier at Wildcat Stadium Thursday. It proved to be to much to overcome.  

The Cats pulled to within two in the third quarter but a late charge propelled the Cougars to a 49-32 win.

St. Xavier senior quarterback Antony Kropp took charge early in the contest when he found his favorite receiver Mike Maher for two early scores to put the Cougars up 14-0. After a Donnie Selby scoring run the Cats found them themselves down by three scores.

The Cats got on the board with nine seconds left in the first quarter as former Jackson South Side standout Will Masoud found Dominique Harris in the end zone from four yards out to cut the lead to 21-6. Masoud finished with 263 passing yards on 19-of-28 with two touchdowns.

The Cats got the massive crowd back on their feet again with a Josh Boyd one- yard touchdown run with seven and half minutes left in the second quarter. After a John Graham PAT Bethel had cut the lead to 21-13. Kropp found  Maher again with another  scoring pass and the teams went to halftime with SXU leading 28-13.

The third quarter was the former Jackson North Side product Cordarious Mann show. The little guy ran through and around the SXU defense with touchdown runs of 54 and 4 yards. The Cats cut the lead to 28-26 with 4:38 left in the quarter.  Mann totaled 205 yards (152 rushing, 47 receiving) while Bethel's Jahron Reynolds caught 11 passes for 131 yards.

Two Cougar scores put SXU up 42-26. Mann caught a Masoud touchdown pass of 34 yards to cut the lead to 42-32, but the Cats would give up a final score to fall 49-32.

Kropp finished with 444 passing yards, 252 of those to Maher who set a new school record for the Cougars, besting the old mark by nine yards.

Both offenses gained 556 yards each in the contest.

Despite the loss Bethel Head Coach Dino Kaklis was upbeat after the game." We are disappointed about the loss and we should be. But, I am proud of my kids. They hit us hard with the three scores early but we fought back and had a chance to win this game. Mann was super and I thought a lot of our kids did some really good things tonight."  Kaklis added, " We will continue to work hard and get ready to battle   Wisconsin -Eau Claire next week. We still have a great opportunity to be a really good football team this year.

A very special ceremony was held at halftime. Former Wildcat great and legend Kermit Holland was honored as the school dedicated the VIP room at the stadium in his honor. The Bethel icon was a member of three conference championship teams back in the thirties. He remains a faithful supporter of Bethel  and remains a beloved part of the school and its legacy.

The Cats will travel to Wisconsin -Eau  Claire on September 4 for a 7 p.m. kick-off. Catch the game on 100.9 The Farm.