Last season ended in heartbreaking fashion for the Benedictine football team as the Cadets were edged in the state semifinals in a 42-35 loss to visiting Jefferson.
Georgia commit Malaki Starks ran for 300 yards and four touchdowns in the game for Jefferson, but the BC offense was up for the challenge as quarterback Holden Gerinerwas 19 of 29 for 244 yards with two touchdown passes. Starks intercepted Geriner's passin the end zone to end the game.
The semifinal loss will be a motivating factor for a Cadets squad that returns a strong coreof talented players. Geriner, who has committed to Auburn, is back for his senior campaign, along with Justin Thomas, the senior slotback who was named the Savannah Morning News Offensive Player of the Year last season. Za'Quan Bryan, who had an excellent sophom*ore season,will play a bigger role at wide receiver with the graduation of Trent Broadnax, now playing at Duke.
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Holden Sapp, a senior linebacker with offers from Army, Middle Tennessee State, Wofford and Lenior-Rhyne, thinks the Cadets' defense, which allowed 26.75 points per game last year, will be much improved.
"We've got a bunch of seniors coming back and we're going to be more physical and communicate better," said Sapp, who had team-highs with 102 tackles and 11.5 sacks last year to earn All-Greater Savannah first-team honors. "Losing that game to Jefferson is going to make us want it even more this year. We've got a lot of leadership, and our goal is to win state."
Senior Matt Kromenhoek, sophom*ore Bryce Baker and senior Evan Scarbrough join Sapp in a talented crew at linebacker.
Thomas and Bryan are set to start at cornerback, with Hunter Dunn at free safety and Ben Hollerbach at strong safety. Junior Cole Semien will anchor a front line featuring Tyler Brown and sophom*ore Jeremiah Thomas.
The Cadet offense averaged 39 points per game last season, and BC should be lighting up scoreboards once again. Geriner, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound four-star prospect, completed 68% of his passes for2,770 yards with 25 touchdowns and three interceptions. He added 115 yards rushing and five touchdowns.
"It's tough to beat those numbers, but we actually think Holden can improve on last season," BC coach Danny Britt said. "His continued leadership will play a big part in that — and with the experience he has, I think he'll be able to use his feet more and tuck the ball in and run it more when he needs to."
He will have a plethora of weapons including Bryan, who had 45 catches for 710 yards and five scores, while adding 292 yards and a rushing touchdown. Thomas is back as the versatile slot man after651 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns with 35 receptions for 693 yards and seven more scores, as he racked up 25 total touchdowns.
Sophom*ore Ashley "Ack" Edwards takes over as the starting running back with the graduation of standout LeShon Brooks (now atAlderson Broaddus University). Dunn and Baker will also rotate in, Britt said.
"This is going to be a fun final season for our senior class," said Geriner, who committed to Auburn in February."We have high expectations after last season, and we've got a lot of playmakers in our offense. Za'Quan is going to be a big asset. He loves the game, and has that speed and ability to go up and get the ball. With Justin coming back, defenses won't be able to focus on just one guy."
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The offensive line has fiveseniors returning in Drew Morin, Shayne Strickland, Henry Hale, Brian Johnson and center Nyle Rehman.
Britt mightbe the only coach in America who has two quarterbacks with Power Five offers on his roster. Sophom*ore Luke Kromenhoek, the younger brother of senior linebacker Mac, didn't throw a pass last season. But the 6-4, 185-pounder has the attention of college recruiters after excellent showings in 7-on-7 action and various camps over the summer. He received an offer from Florida State in June.
"We're going to get him some reps at quarterback, maybe some at receiver and as a defensive back and on special teams," Britt said. "Luke is a special player and he can do a bit of everything."
Georgia Public Broadcasting published its Class 4A Preseason Top 10 on Tuesday, with BC ranked No. 5 behind Bainbridge, Carver Columbus, Jefferson and defending state champ Marist at No. 1.
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The Cadets enter their 12th season with Britt at the helm. He's posted a 106-24 record in his tenure, including state championships in 2014 and 2016. Britt has a career record of 138-46 including his time at Calvary Day.
Benedictine should be battle-tested come playoff time after a non-region schedule that includes Burke County, North Oconee, Wayne County, Ware County and Columbus of Miami, which will travelto face the Cadets at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 27.
"We're looking forward to this season," Britt said. "Normally we set goals that are right in front of us, from game to game. But losing in the semis last year has changed things,and our goal is to make it to the championship game. We're going to go through this gauntlet of a schedule we have and come out of it as the best team we can be."
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter:@DennisKnightSMN
