Badgers put title defense, win streak on the line

BENNINGTON – The past two football seasons, Class B has been controlled by Bennington. The Badgers have won 25-straight games heading into Tuesday’s Class B State Championship game against Gross Catholic. A 26th consecutive victory clinches back-to-back state crowns for Bennington. “What makes this team so special is how selfless they are,” Bennington coach Kam Lenhart stated. “They want to win for each other. They are the most selfless group I have ever been around and that’s what makes them so special.” Bennington entered this season as the favorite to repeat in Class B in most preseason polls. “We knew coming into this season everyone wanted to knock us off,” Bennington senior Tyler Mead commented. “We knew we had a big target on our back with how successful we were last year. We knew we had to play to our standards, we could never take a play or a week off and we had to play to the best of our abilities.” Although Bennington’s second consecutive appearance in the state title tilt is not a surprise, the way the Badgers have rolled to Lincoln’s Memorial Stadium might have been. Bennington lost several key starters off last year’s undefeated team. An entire offensive line, the team’s leading receiver, several key defense players and a record-breaking running back led the blue and white to their first state crown since 1989 and second overall in program history. “It was really exciting,” Mead recalled. “Being the first team in more than 30 years to play for a state title was really important to us and we wanted to make sure we made the most of our opportunity. That whole week leading up to the state title game, everyone was excited for the game but also really focused on the game and what we needed to accomplish.”

Despite the loss of key players, the Badgers have not missed a beat. Last season, Bennington’s average scoring margin was 28 points. In 2022, the Badgers are defeating opponents by 32 points in 2022. “We are one of the biggest rosters in the state,” Senior Weston Heinemann noted. “That really helps in practice because we can do only defense or only offense, depending on your system. It helps develop those younger guys so they are ready to step in. I got hurt earlier this year, and the next guy was able to step right in and did great.” Some of the larger shoes to fill were that of Dylan Mostek. A season ago, Mostek set a state rushing record with 3,089 yards and 44 touchdowns. Mostek ran behind a senior-led offensive line. Despite bolstering a completely new running attack, Bennington has continued to control the ground game. Senior running back Nick Colvert leads the squad with 1.626 yards and 25 total touchdowns.“There was a lot of skepticism of the team going into the season,” Heinemann continued. “We lost five big boys up front and we were replacing them with two sophomores, a junior and two seniors on the offensive line. Everyone really stepped up and played to our standard. That has carried us throughout the season and has allowed Nick Colvert to make those plays and score touchdowns.

The Badger passing game took a huge step forward this season as well with the return of senior gunslinger Trey Bird. After passing for 2,181 yards and 24 scores in his first season behind center, Bird has bumped his passing total up to 2,207 yards and 31 TDs in year two. Senior Isaac Conner has emerged as the go-to target for Bird, hauling in 60 receptions for 1,012 yards and 13 touchdowns. Senior Jonathan Williams has 43 catches for 567 yards and nine scores. The balanced attack has made Bennington even more dangerous than its 2021 version. “It goes back to that selfless mindset,” Lenhart said. “When Nick has the opportunity, he takes advantage of it. That brings the defense up and allows us to go over the top with Isaac and Johnny. They have done a really good job of creating plays when they get the ball. We don’t focus on one guy and we have the ability to get the ball to a lot of different people. We trust they will make the plays when they get the ball.” Although the high-powered offense gets most of the attention, the Badger defense has been stout in 2022. During its first Class B state championship run in 2021, Bennington allowed 16 points per game, tallied 11 sacks and forced 31 turnovers. This year, The Badger defense is giving up eight points per contest, has accumulated 20 sacks and forced 21 takeaways. “The defense deserves more attention than they get,” Mead remarked. “What has helped us was we did not lose that many people on the defensive end from last year’s team. We had a lot of younger guys playing in key positions and with the people we did lose, we had a lot of good guys behind them. They were ready to step up and everyone is a really good athlete. We have great speed on the defense, we communicate well and we have a lot of comradery on the defensive end. Being able to rely and trust in each other to make plays has really helped make our defense a successful unit this year.”

Sophomore Kyler Lauridsen leads the team in tackles with 95, followed by junior Gunnar Lym with 87, sophomore Layne Boever with 64 and senior Grant Vanarsdel with 62. Lauridsen’s 13 tackles for loss are tops on the team. Junior Ben Gilliland is the top pass rusher with five sacks, senior Ethan Nguyen and Lauridsen each have four sacks. Lym and Senior Weston Beck each have four interceptions this season to lead the way. Lauridsen and senior Owen Douglas each have three picks. The undefeated Badgers face their toughest test of the season, as they battle undefeated Gross Catholic Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Lincoln’s Memorial Stadium for the Class B State title. “They are a very good football team,” Heinemann spoke. “They have some big boys upfront on the offensive line, which will be a challenge for the defensive line and myself. They look really comfortable in all their offensive plays. The key for us is to disrupt that comfortability and to make them make mistakes and capitalize on them.” Gross may be Bennington’s toughest test during its 25-game win streak, but the Badgers believe they have the players and the game plan to bring home the program’s third state crown on the gridiron. “We have to eliminate their big plays,” Lenhart concluded. “Gross has done a good job all year of breaking off big runs or big passes. We have to do what we have done all year and make tackles and make them drive the field. We want to make them consistently try to drive down the field, that’s what we feel is the best case for us. We have to try to eliminate their run game as best as we can. Their running back (Jake Garcia) is phenomenal and really good in open space. We have to put a hat on him as fast as we can and have multiple guys to the ball. We have to be the best tackling team we have ever been in this game. If we can make them throw the ball, I feel very confident in our secondary. They have been tested all year and have done really well. I like our game plan.”

Tyson Agler

Date

November 19, 2022

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