Palm Beach, FL — Last Friday, the ILS Football team traveled to Benjamin School for a Southeastern Football Conference matchup and suffered their first loss of the season, 40-0.

The Benjamin Buccaneers are one of the top football teams in all of Palm Beach Country, and that was evident early on in this game. The Royal Lions struggled to move the ball offensively and ultimately came way with a difficult loss.

In the wake senior Deondre Dozier’s knee injury, ILS found running the football very difficult. Senior quarterback Francis Coronado ran the ball six times for a team-high 21 yards. Coronado completed four of his 11 pass attempts for 33 yards. Sophomore Jude Servius carried the ball eight times and gained 11 yards.

Senior Zachary Barrios caught a pass for the sixth game in a row, a streak that stretches back to his junior season.

On defense, sophomore cornerback Vashaud Williams led the Royal Lions with six tackles. Junior linebacker Yaniel Rodriguez added five tackles.

Senior defensive lineman Lafonzo Ruffin continued his excellent season with four tackles, include two quarterback sacks. Senior defensive end Dominique Vidal added four tackles, while freshman defensive lineman Dario Melendez chipped in with three tackles.

The SFC contest was called early because of inclement weather. The Royal Lions are on the road next week for another conference matchup, this one at Gulliver Prep.