When head coach Marc Benavidez ’12 led the Avila Eagle football team to a signature win over nationally-ranked Kansas Wesleyan University on October 24, most of the attention rightly went to the outstanding performances of juniors Malik Nesbitt and Andrew Williams. But in improving to 3-1 for the 2020 season, Benavidez earned his 17th career win and became the winningest head coach in Avila football history.
“Whatever records I’ve set since being named head coach are all down to the players I’ve had the pleasure of coaching in my three seasons,” Benavidez said. “I’m proud to help build the program up to where it is now.”
The victory was the third consecutive win for Avila after an opening loss to Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas. But the No. 6 ranked Kansas Wesleyan presented a far greater challenge, even if their 25-game Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) winning streak ended the week prior.
Avila’s offense rose to the challenge, gaining 594 total yards of offense — the most they’ve accumulated in a game since 2018. Nesbitt picked up 189 yards on 33 carries with three touchdowns, while Williams pulled in six catches for 145 yards and another touchdown. Quarterback John Jacobs completed 12 passes for 313 passing yards for a season high and an additional 92 yards on the ground.
“Despite this season looking very different than any other in our program’s history, I am very excited about the players who have stepped into leadership roles this year,” Benavidez said. “We’ve established a tradition of success in the past few years and victories over top programs like Kansas Wesleyan show just how much progress we’ve made already.”
Benavidez played multiple positions including quarterback while becoming a four-year letter winner for the Eagles and started behind center in the first ever game hosted at the Zarda Multisport Complex in 2011. After graduation, he joined the Avila football coaching staff as a running back coach and subsequently served as a coach for several different positions on the offensive side of the ball before moving up to the top post in 2018.
After an opening game loss to Bethel College, the team reeled off four straight victories in its 20th anniversary season—including a 59-0 blowout of conference rival Tabor College on October 31. The team is scheduled to finish the fall 2020 season with conference matchups against the University of St. Mary and McPherson College, but results were not available for publication.