Keaton Studsrud rushed for a career-high 178 yards and three touchdowns, while also throwing for 104 yards, in leading Benilde-St. Margaret’s to a 49-42 win over Robbinsdale Cooper in the team’s 2012 season opener.
 
The game appeared to be anything but a high-scoring affair in the first half as the team’s combined for seven turnovers while the Hawks took a 16-7 lead.
 
The Red Knights, who fell behind, 8-0, got on the scored board with 6:42 to play in the second quarter after Spencer Shaver returned a fumble 26 yards to the Cooper four-yard line. Three players later, Thomas Gorrilla scored on a one-yard plunge and Mikey Koller’s conversion kick cut the Hawks’ lead to one.
 
Big plays would highlight Cooper’s scoring efforts and the Hawks took a 16-7 lead into the lockerroom on the first of four long scoring plays when Leroy Taylor took a screen pass from Briceton Scott-Burch 67 yards with 2:29 to play in the half.
 
BSM scored on its first two possessions of the second half, with Studsrud splitting the Cooper line before sprinting 66 yards just 2:17 into the third quarter and, less than two minutes later, Jack Goldstein capped a 53-yard scoring drive by hitting Sam Lynch with a seven-yard scoring pass to give the Red Knights their first lead of the night at 22-16.
 
Billy Kellogg scored the first of his two touchdowns on Cooper’s next possession but Studsrud answered with a three-yard TD run to restore BSM’s six-point lead.
 
The Hawks would take a 30-28 lead early in the fourth quarter when Ashanti Payne blocked a punt out of the end zone for a safety and then scored on a 49-yard run, 3:12 into the final frame, but BSM scored on three of its final four possessions.
 
Garrett Haughey carried on three of the Red Knights’ next four plays, gaining 26 and 39 yards, the latter taking the ball to the Cooper one, from where he scored on a dive play and, with Studsrud’s two-point conversion run, the hosts had a 36-30 lead.
 
The Hawks would need just two plays on their ensuing possession before Kellogg scampered 65 yards for a touchdown but Koller’s 32-yard kick return to midfield set BSM to take the lead for good.
 
Studsrud gained two yards on the first play of the drive and completed a three-yard pass to John Backes to set up a third-and-five play at the Cooper 45. Once again he found a hole up the middle and sprinted the distance for the go-ahead touchdown.
 
The Hawks responded on the first next scrimmage play, however, as Scott-Burch found Malik Rucker sprinting down the right sideline and the duo hooked up for a 68-yard touchdown. However, a failed conversion attempt enabled BSM to maintain a one-point lead.
 
The visitors would force BSM’s fifth turnover of the game when the Red Knights got the ball back as Cooper took over at its own 40.
 
Facing a fourth-and-three, the Hawks put the ball in the hands of Kellogg, who finished with 200 yards rushing on the night. As he carried the ball to the right, Mikey McGill shed a block and took down Cooper’s top runner for a four-yard loss at the Hawks’ 43.
 
That set up the game-clinching touchdown at BSM need just five plays to get into the end zone as Haughey took the ball up the middle and jumped over a downed lineman for another one-yard TD.
 
Cooper had one last chance as they got the ball back with 1:40 to play at their own 40. The Red Knights were willing to allow several short plays and, with 10 seconds to play, the visitors were faced with a second-and-10 at midfield. Scott-Burch looked for Taylor down the left sideline but his pass was intercepted at the 20 by Studsrud with three seconds to play in the game.
 
The BSM junior quarterback finished his career-best night with 178 yards on 19 carries. He also completed eight of 11 passes for 104 yards to finish with 282 yards of total offense.
 
Haughey also had a career-best night rushing the ball, carrying 13 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Sam Lynch, who returned three kickoffs for 79 yards, led the defense with 12 tackles, including 10 solos. He also intercepted a pass at the one-yard line, late in the third quarter, and returned it 19 yards. Ashanti McFarland added nine tackles.
 
The Red Knights are home again next week when they face Spring Lake Park in a 7 p.m. game at BSM Stadium.
 
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