Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin football made an early impact on both sides of the ball and maintained control throughout a 31-13 victory over Benedictine on Friday night at John Carroll University.

The Lions struck first in a difficult situation. Facing third-and-19, quarterback Brady Capel connected with Casey McInnerney for a 58-yard touchdown to give NDCL the early advantage.

The defense quickly added points of its own. Carmen Cirino intercepted a Benedictine pass and returned it for a touchdown, extending the lead to 14-0.

After Benedictine answered with a punt-return touchdown, NDCL responded before halftime. Capel connected with Drake Berschig for a touchdown to send the Lions into the break with momentum.

Benedictine scored on the ground after halftime, but NDCL again had an answer. Behind a strong push from the offensive line, Robby Lipowski helped move the Lions down the field and finished the drive with a rushing touchdown to extend the lead to 28-13.

Eli Lauric added a field goal to complete the scoring.

Lipowski finished with 81 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries while contributing 10 tackles defensively. Capel threw for 137 yards and two touchdowns and added 50 rushing yards.

McInnerney caught three passes for 90 yards and a touchdown, while Berschig recorded three receptions for 37 yards and a score in addition to 10 tackles. Braden Ryan also finished with 10 tackles.

The victory marked NDCL's first over Benedictine since 2012, adding a program milestone to a night defined by contributions throughout the lineup.

NDCL improves to 3-1 and travels to Bedford for its next contest.