Experienced Stags aiming for better results in 2024

Moncks Corner – With a full year of preparation and improvement in all areas under their collective belt, the 2024 Berkeley High football team looks for better results under second-year head coach Eric Lodge.

Lodge was hired in March of 2023, leaving only a few months to not only implement his new way of doing things but also just learning his players. Berkeley ended up 6-6 in 2023 and even notched a win in the state playoffs. Not a bad showing but leaving Lodge and the Stags wanting more.

Lodge and the coaching staff went pretty young in terms of players on the field last fall. With a host of players back bigger and stronger, the obvious goal would be improvement.

“Certainly we are further along in terms of our players knowing what to do and what our expectations are,” Lodge said. “The players have had a full year to learn and understand things and we as coaches know our players better. We’re bigger and stronger and we’re more experienced. We definitely think we can and should be more competitive and more successful this year.”

Offensively, Berkeley returns an explosive passing game that proved to be among the best in the region. Sophomore quarterback Henry Rivers was the full-time starter last season and passed for more than 2,500 yards while rushing for nearly 600 yards.

Rivers’ top two targets in the passing game, seniors Kayden Bash and Kevin Boone, each tallied more than 750 receiving yards and could be in for 1,000 yard seasons this fall,

Anchoring the offensive line will be junior prospect Zion Britt, along with Hunter Drawdy and Denzel Reid.

A major issue in 2023, the defense, should be very improved this season. The Stags allowed an average of 33.7 points per game and nine opponents scored at least 30 points.

Experience returns at all levels, particularly along the front seven. All three starting linebackers return in juniors Marcus Henderson, Kevin Rivers and Gehad Sneed. Henderson had more tackles than any player in Class AAAAA last season.

Anchoring the front are Andre Williams, Daquan Benekin, Landon Jackson and Jamere Heyward.

“They have worked really hard because they want to prove they are better than they were last year,” Lodge said of the defense.

Back with some experience in the secondary is safety Jehoava Williams.

Another key returner is senior placekicker Preston Short.

Berkeley will open the season on Aug. 23 against Ashley Ridge. Other non-region games are against Winter Park, Florida, Summerville, West Ashley and St. James.