THATCHER, Ariz. — Benjamin Franklin took control in the second quarter Friday night and pulled away for a 38-0 win over Thatcher, handing the Eagles their first shutout loss at home in nearly 18 years.
The last time Thatcher was held scoreless on its home field was Oct. 3, 2008, when Benson defeated the Eagles 32-0.
Benjamin Franklin finished with 347 yards of total offense while holding Thatcher to 120.
The Chargers opened the scoring with 4:37 remaining in the first quarter when Nate Stineman connected on a 41-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
Quarterback Gavin Wyler and the Benjamin Franklin passing game then took over in the second quarter.
Wyler connected with Christian Sorenson on a 10-yard touchdown pass with 11 minutes remaining in the half. The pair struck again with 7:24 left when Wyler found Sorenson for a 25-yard touchdown, pushing the lead to 17-0.
Benjamin Franklin added another score before halftime when Wyler connected with Trent Dutkiewicz for a 25-yard touchdown with 2:21 remaining, sending the Chargers into the locker room with a 24-0 lead.
Neither team scored in the third quarter, but Benjamin Franklin put the game away with two more touchdowns in the fourth.
Wyler threw his fourth touchdown pass of the night with 10:35 remaining, finding Michael Kimball from 15 yards out to make it 31-0.
Aaron Dwiggins capped the scoring less than two minutes later with an 18-yard touchdown run. The extra point made it 38-0, which stood as the final.
Wyler completed 17 of 30 passes for 235 yards and four touchdowns. Sorenson was his leading target with nine catches for 78 yards and two scores.
Dwiggins led the Chargers on the ground with 98 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Benjamin Franklin finished with 235 yards passing and 112 rushing.
Thatcher quarterback Kase Palmer completed 7 of 19 passes for 76 yards with one interception.
Teagan Damron led the Eagles in receiving with two catches for 34 yards. Josh Jones carried six times for 20 yards and added an 11-yard reception.
Thatcher finished with 76 passing yards and just 44 yards rushing.
The Eagles will have a short turnaround as they look to bounce back Thursday night against Florence at Eastern Arizona College.
