Full speed ahead Oracle sophomore Matt Brown fights through the mud and Benton Central’s defense Friday night at Berto Field. Delphi claimed the Homecoming victory 25-16. Bill Stauffer photo Despite the wild powerful beast that they are named after, this year’s version of the Benton Central football team is a calmer, tamer animal. The Bison failed in their attempt to upset the host Oracles, who ran their record to 3-5 (2-3 Hoosier Conference) with a 25-16 win over BC 0-8 (0-5 Hoosier Conference).

The game wasn’t without its exciting moments. After building a 19-0 lead in the third period the Oracles allowed the winless Bison to fight back to within three points before Braden Atwood scored the game clinching TD with 1:05 left to play.

To start the game there was no power to some of the lights, in addition to no scoreboard. It did not matter though as both teams’ offenses started with their own power outages. The closest either team came to scoring in the first period was when the Oracles had a drive stall at the BC 28 yard line, where they attempted a 36-yard goal. The kick was well short. In defense of place kicker Andrew Taylor, who also missed on three extra points, field conditions were horrible after three days of rain. Many NFL kickers may have struggled in this mud, which had seen several activities in the days leading up to the game.

Oracle Homecoming queen Senior Danielle Burge was crowned Delphi’s Football Homecoming Queen during half-time festivities Friday night. Her escort was Andrew Martin. Bill Stauffer photo Power was restored in time to start the second quarter, just in time for the scoring to begin. On their first possession of the period the Oracles ran six minutes off the clock and took ten plays to score on Atwood’s seven yard run. Less than a minute later Karson Bender intercepted a Nick Patterson pass and returned it to the BC 17. Atwood’s second TD, this one from one yard out, made the score 12-0 going into the locker room at the half.

Brad Roth recovered a Bison fumble to start the third quarter, but the Oracles did not capitalize on the opportunity; they failed on a fourth down at the BC 20. Dustin Salyer made up for it though. He picked off a BC pass at the 28-yard line and ran it into the end zone. Andrew Taylor’s extra point made the score 19-0 with five and a half minutes remaining in the third. An excellent kickoff return set up the Bison at midfield. Patterson went 5-for-5 passing, including the two-point conversion, in a six-play drive that closed the score to 19-8 entering the final period.

Three plays into the fourth the muddy field contributed to a three-yard punt by the Oracles. This gave the Bison great field position at the Delphi 47. Suddenly those tame Bison that started the game were a charging herd. Despite a second and 29 at their own 25 BC managed to score another TD, with Patterson going 6-for-6 in passing, and then tossing another two-point conversion. Bender insured that on the next BC possession there would be no more heroics by Patterson when he picked off his second interception of the game and returned it 38 yards to the BC 27.

A facemask penalty against the Bison allowed the Oracles to have the ball at the 17. Three plays later Atwood put the game out of reach with a one-yard run.

Delphi entertains the 6-2 Tipton Bulldogs Friday in the regular season finale. Remember that this game has a later start time, 7:30 p.m.