Benedictine looks to repeat state championship

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Last season, the Benedictine Cadets brought home the GHSA Class 4A State Championship. The team says now they’re as focused as ever as they head into their 2022 campaign.

The Cadets have won three state football championships in the 120 year history of the program. All of them won under Head Coach Danny Britt.

“I think always when you play for Benedictine, you understand that it’s going to be a lot of pressure, a lot of things happening, you know - expectations to win, so really it isn’t any different than any other year,” Britt said.

2014 and 2016 BC was the king of 2-A and in 2021, they were able to finish atop the Class 4A.

In 2022, they look to do it again.

“There’s a lot of talk about a repeat, but we don’t like to talk about that,” BC senior Alijah Alexander said.

“One game at a time, just trying to get one win at a time,” junior Luke Kromenhoek said.

Britt says the front seven on defense can be special this season, and their biggest question mark going in to fall camp is the offensive line.

Last year’s starting quarterback, Holden Geriner is now at Auburn, but the Cadets have their QB 1 already set.

“Luke Kromenhoek is going to be very talented at quarterback, but a lot of unknown there too to see what he can do, because he’s played a lot of other positions but not quarterback,” Britt said.

Kromenhoek played backup last year for Geriner, but also played some defense and receiver. The 6-4 dual threat QB is a talent, rated as a three-star by most major recruiting services despite never being the starter at Benedictine. He received a host of Division One offers and committed to Florida State in the spring.

“I kind of put that away a little bit ago after I committed and I’m kind of just focused on this team right here, right now, you know, trying to be the best high school quarterback that I can be and winning as many games as possible,” Kromenhoek said.

Losing seven starters to Division One Power Five programs, the Cadets say they’ve really had to embrace the “next man up” mentality.

“Everybody is, you know, putting in hard work. Getting better in the weightroom. Stronger, faster, so everybody has really been stepping up and starting to fill those shoes,” Kromenhoek said.

Of course, a repeat state championship is a goal, but one thing the Cadets don’t want to repeat from last season is their 0-2 start.

“I think the biggest thing they learned is how you practice matters. They saw that last year and they saw us change up practices and start practicing at a much higher level, and how it then affected the game, so I think this group understands that how you practice, how you work, how you do other things really matters when you go to play the games on Friday,” Britt said.

The Cadets will continue the grind on Father Albert Field leading up to that first kickoff.

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