With the Estero Wildcats riddling the defense for nearly 400 yards passing, the Cape Coral Seahawks were in dire need of some help.

It was the Seahawks’ offense that answered the call, led by Kurt Benkert. The junior quarterback connected on 17-of-30 passes for 290 yards and four touchdown strikes as the Seahawks held off the District 5A-11 rival Wildcats 44-42 Thursday night at Dave Warkentin Field.

Benkert tossed TD passes of 68 yards to J.D. Irons and 27 yards to Rashaan Gaymon in the first half as the Seahawks, who never trailed in the game, took a 16-14 halftime lead. Benkert hit T.J. Jiles and Gaymon with TD passes in the second half while getting runningback Dustin Thibodeau involved for two rushing touchdowns.

“This was a big win, no doubt,” said Seahawks coach Brad Metheny. “Kurt made some big throws. I was pleased with the way Thibodeau ran the ball tonight. We took what they gave us.”

Thibodeau, who ran for 42 yards on eight carries in the first half, found plenty of gaps in the Wildcats’ defense in the second half. He finished with a game-high 143 yards on 21 carries.

While Benkert had success leading the Seahawks up and down the field, Wildcats counterpart Ryan Sides was better. He completed 30-of-38 passes for 396 yards and five TDs. Neither QB threw an interception, but the Seahawks had two sure picks slip off their fingertips.

Sides completed 13-of-14 passes in the first half, hitting wide-open receivers on big gain after big gain. It was a defensive coordinator’s worst nightmare.

“We had to replace some great players on defense from last year, so we knew it would be tough,” said Metheny. “We’re depleted in our secondary with injuries, and one of the replacements we sent out there hurt his shoulder tonight. We just needed to get a stop, and those fumbles were huge.”

The Wildcats turned the ball over on fumbles twice. The first came early in the second half when Eric McFadden muffed a punt and Cape’s Mario Dominguez covered the ball just 10 yards from the end zone. Two plays later, Thibodeau bulled in from eight yards out for the first of his two TD runs.

Thibodeau’s score started a string of seven straight alternating scoring possessions that ended on Gaymon’s 22-yard TD catch giving the Seahawks a 44-34 lead late in the fourth.

The Wildcats were driving for the eighth straight score when the Seahawks sacked Sides on a first-and-10 play in the red zone.

Junior defensive lineman Dylan Humenay fell on the loose ball at Cape’s 22 to stop the drive with five minutes remaining.

The Seahawks ran seven offensive plays, picking up two first downs and reaching midfield before being forced to punt.

Sides and the Wildcats had one push left in the tank.

On fourth-and-10 from their own 38 with 58 seconds left on the clock, Sides was flushed out of the pocket, rolled right and hit Justin Milcetich on the sidelines in front of the Seahawks bench. Milcetich collided with two defenders making the catch, broke free and raced the rest of the 62 yards for a touchdown.

After the two-point conversion, the Wildcats went for the onsides kick with 44 seconds left. It only advanced seven yards and the Seahawks fell on it at the Wildcats’ side of midfield.

Benkert took a knee on two snaps to end the game.

The Seahawks (3-2, 2-0 district) travels to Immokalee next Friday night.

Estero 0 14 14 14 – 42

Cape Coral 0 16 21 7 – 44

Second Quarter

CC – J.D. Irons 68 pass from Kurt Benkert (T.J. Jiles run).

E – Eric McFadden 10 run (Christian Phillips kick).

CC – Rashaan Gaymon 27 pass from Benkert (Trey Daniels pass from Jiles).

E – Zach Culvahouse 7 pass from Ryan Sides (Phillips kick).

Third Quarter

CC – Dustin Thibodeau 8 run (Johnathan Ramirez kick).

E – Culvahouse 21 pass from Sides (Phillips kick).

CC – Jiles 4 pass from Benkert (Ramirez kick).

E – Culvahouse 13 pass from Sides (Phillips kick).

CC – Thibodeau 24 run (Ramirez kick).

Fourth Quarter

E – McFadden35 pass from Sides (kick failed).

CC – Gaymon 22 pass from Benkert (Ramirez kick).

E – Justin Milcetich 62 pass from Sides (McFadden pass from Sides).