By Kate Sinsel
The Silver Lake Mustangs put on a show Friday night, cruising past the Dorchester Longhorns with a decisive 66–12 victory.
The first half was all Mustangs. In the opening quarter, Silver Lake jumped out to a commanding 26–0 lead and carried that momentum into the second, adding 27 more points before halftime. The Mustangs’ defense remained relentless, keeping Dorchester scoreless through the first two quarters.
Senior quarterback Beau Bonifas connected on four passes for 86 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. Two of those scores went to fellow senior Jaxon tenBensel, who averaged 22.5 yards per reception. The dynamic duo even flipped the script when tenBensel launched a 40-yard touchdown pass to Bonifas. Junior Brody Knehans also hauled in a 29-yard touchdown pass from Bonifas.
tenBensel shined on the ground as well, rushing for 173 yards and three touchdowns on just seven carries, accounting for five of the team’s ten touchdowns on the night. Senior Lanham Skrdlant broke free for a 36-yard touchdown on his only carry of the game, while sophomore Braedyn Snell added a rushing touchdown of his own, gaining 21 yards on two carries. Defensively, Knehans and Skrdlant anchored the unit with 9 and 8 tackles, respectively.
With a commanding lead at halftime, more Mustangs took the field in the second half. Silver Lake added 13 more points to the board, while Dorchester finally found the end zone twice, bringing their total to 12 points.
Sophomore Tanner Vance took over at quarterback, completing four of six passes. He connected with sophomore Laikyn Krueger twice for 63 yards, one of which resulted in a touchdown. On defense, junior Lane Magarin led the charge with seven tackles, helping the Mustangs close out the dominant win.