Brett Quackenbush runs for extra yards during a homecoming game versus Benavides this past Friday. The Seahawks went on to win 33-6. Riviera-Kaufer High School’s varsity football team had little trouble fending off Benavides 33-6 during homecoming on Friday.

Cesar Gomez gave Benavides’ punter nightmares early by blocking two punts, the second of which he picked up and ran for a touchdown at 8:09 of the first quarter.

Kevin Jimenez’s extra point gave the water-birds a 7-0 lead.

Jacob Salinas scored on an eight-yard run at 1:22 of the first period. Kaufer’s defense stepped up late in the second quarter.

Heston Van Fleet halted an Eagle drive with an interception. Chris Foster quashed another Benavides drive with an interception 10 seconds before halftime.

Van Fleet, at quarterback, threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to homecoming king Brad Jameson at 8:17 of the third quarter, Kaufer now led 21-0.

The Seahawks, however, lost some of their composure during the remainder of the third quarter by committing five penalties; three personal fouls among them.

Those penalties helped the Eagles get into Kaufer’s red zone and they later scored on a one-yard run at 2:24 of the third period.

More poised after talking things over with their coaches during a timeout, the Seahawks pulled away when Justin Jimenez scored on an eight-yard run at 2:58 of the fourth quarter.

Kaufer’s defense recovered a Benavides fumble a couple of plays later and Wade Moore scored the game’s final touchdown on a 17-yard run with 1:21 left.

“I think the kids came out and started off very well,”Assistant Coach Perry Graves said afterwards. “But I think we later lost our intensity, started blowing some assignments and Benavides took advantage of those mistakes and started moving the ball.”

Numerous Seahawk coaches took turns reminding the boys about playing with class after the game.

“We reminded them about what Coach Artie’s philosophy is and how we are going to behave this year,” Graves said. “We are going to win and lose with class and not going to do the things that get us personal fouls and cause us the kind of penalties that end up keeping us out of the playoffs.”

Kaufer, who previously had two consecutive bye weeks scheduled, visits Premont next week.

“We did not want to have two byes in a row because then you lose the momentum,” Head Coach Arturo de la Rosa said. “We need to play a game before we go into our bye (October 2) and before district begins.