Bennington has a strong argument for being one of the best football teams in the state

Another high school football season has come and gone in the state of Nebraska. The 2022 campaign was capped on November 22nd with Bennington's impressive 38-14 victory over Gross Catholic in the Class B State Championship game. The win gave the Badgers their third state title in program history, back-to-back state crowns in Class B and extended their winning streak to 26 games. After watching Bennington, along with several Class A and B squads this year, I truly believe Bennington has a strong argument for being one of the best football teams in the state. Throughout this column I'll give my take on how the Badgers would stack up against some of the best teams across the state.

Was the Sequel Better? 2021 was an absolutely magical season for the Bennington football team. After an early exit in the playoffs in 2020, the Badgers entered the season motivated and hungry. Bennington rolled past the competition to a perfect 13-0 season and the program's first state title since 1989. The 2022 version came into the year with the target on its back as the kings of Class B. Bennington fended off all goes on its way to its second-straight Class B State Championship. What may be the most impressive aspect of Bennington's two-year run is the fact they won two state titles with nearly completely different contributors each year. Bennington graduated a record-breaking running back, its whole offensive line, the leading receiver, four of its top five tacklers and several other key defensive pieces from last year's unbeaten squad.

Fast forward to 2022 and an almost brand new team not only exceeded expectations on their way to a state title, but even had better numbers than their predecessors. Both state championship winning squads averaged more than 40 points per game. Despite fielding a new running attack, the Badgers plowed through the competition. Senior Nick Colvert ran for 1,751 yards and 22 touchdowns behind a completely new offensive line. Senior Trey Bird, one of the few contributors back from the 2021 squad improved his passing game immensely in year two. The senior gunslinger threw for 2,409 yards and 33 scores. Senior Isaac Conner became the go-to target, tallying 64 catches for 1,122 and 15 TDs. Senior Jonathan Williams record 46 receptions for 588 yards and nine scores. Three other receivers recorded at least 17 catches combined for more than 600 yards and nine touchdowns.

The biggest jump from the 2021 unbeaten bunch came on the defensive end. After allowing 16 points per game in 2021, the 2022 Badger defense held opposing offenses to just eight points per contest. Once again, a new batch of Bennington defenders led the way. Sophomore Kyler Lauridsen guided the defense with 100 tackles. Junior Gunnar Lym was second on the team in tackles with 91 and interceptions with four. Senior Westin Beck notched a team best five picks, while junior Ben Gilliland led the squad in sacks with six. After the final 2021 football game last year, I truly believed Bennington was the top team in the state. I believed the Badgers could have defeated Gretna or Westside (the two Class A representatives in the state finals in 2021) or any other Class A team I had watched. Although I went with what I had watched on the field to backup my reasoning, other publications and members of the media failed to see my view. The highest I saw Bennington ranked in a postseason all class poll was seventh. Seventh, really? I truly found it hard to believe there were two, let alone six schools, better than last year's Bennington squad. What makes this year's team even more amazing and incredible is they might have actually been better than the 2021 Badgers. So my question is how would the 2022 state champion Badgers stack up against some of the top teams in Class A? Let's take a look.

Entering the postseason, Elkhorn South was my pick to win the Class A State title. They had a phenomenal defense and a strong running game; the perfect formula for a deep playoff run. Unfortunately, the Storm fell in the quarterfinals to Creighton Prep. As I mentioned, Elkhorn South hung its hat on its physical play. A strong defense led by the best defensive player in the state, Maverick Noonan, anchored the Storm defense. Cole Ballard led Elkhorn South's potent running attack. In this result, I see Bennington coming out on top. The Badgers showed in the state title game, they have the defense and the toughness to stop a potent running attack in its track. Entering the state title game in Class B, Gross Catholic was one of the top running teams in the state. The Badger defense held the Cougars to 96 yards on the ground. Bennington has the size and physical mentality to stack up with Elkhorn South, along with the athletes to make plays for the Badgers. Winner: Bennington Creighton Prep Similar to Elkhorn South, Creighton Prep was a physical, hard-nosed football team. Led by Marty Brown, the Junior Jays literally and figuratively ran to the semifinals before falling to Gretna. I believe Bennington would be more than capable of defeating Prep. I saw Creighton Prep a few times and I viewed them as a less dangerous Elkhorn South. Outside of Brown, the Jr. Jays did not have any other playmakers on offense. Although this would be the biggest offensive line the Bennington defense would face, I believe the depth of the Badgers upfront and their explosive playmakers on the outside would eventually wear down the Jr. Jays. Winner: Bennington Bellevue West Now we look at a team far different than Elkhorn South or Creighton Prep. Bellevue West has produced several Division I caliber players the past few years. The Thunderbirds were loaded once again this year, led by quarterback Daniel Kaelin. Bell West went 7-4 this season and lost in the quarterfinals to Gretna. Although Bell West has been one of the most talented teams in the state the past few years, the T-Birds have faltered in the postseason. Despite being a Class B squad, Bennington has some amazing and talented football players. The Badgers have talent on the same level as those in Class A. Now they may not be as big or tall or whatever metric Division I coaches use; but they are still more than athletic enough to matchup with any Class A squad. Bellevue West has shown a tendency to struggle in later months when the weather starts to decline, while the Badgers have flourished the past two years. Bennington's athletes and physical play I believe would be too much for the Thunderbirds. Winner: Bennington

The final two teams we will look at are the top two squads in Class A, and have been the past two years. Gretna made two-straight trips to Lincoln behind the arm of Zane Flores. The Oklahoma State commit became the all-time leading passer in Class A this past season with more than 8,000 yards. Many people believe Flores to be the best pure passer in Nebraska high school football history and with the numbers and plays he has made it is hard not to agree with those statements. Flores of course had help to make two state title game appearances. The Gretna defense, similar to Bennington's defense, was highly underrated. Defensive linemen Mason Goldman and Korver Demma were nightmares for opposing offenses and wreaked havoc in the backfield. The Dragon front line collected 30 sacks and forced 35 turnovers on the season. The duo of Demma and Goldman would be Bennington's toughest matchup, besides Elkhorn South's defensive front. Gretna had the ability to make teams one-dimensional and had the athletes to capitalize on the pressure from the senior defensive linemen. Add to it the most prolific passer in Class A history and the Badgers have one tough outing against the Dragons. Despite these factors, I believe the Badgers actually matchup well against Gretna. The play of Gilliland, Ethan Nguyen and Weston Heinemann in the state title game, and all season, made a living putting pressure on the quarterback and stopping the run. The defensive backs for Bennington can matchup with the Dragon receivers. Owen Douglas, Beck and Lym were shutdown defensive backs all season. If the Bennington offense could find success and establish the run game, Bennington would be able to not only hang with the Dragons, but pull off the victory. Winner: Bennington

And finally the Class A state champion, the Westside Warriors. This is by far the most athletic team in the state. Anthony Rezac gave opposing defenses fits as a dual-threat quarterback. With Caleb Benning, Jalen Lloyd, Teddy Rezac and Trevor Spady on the outsides, and Jahmez Ross in the backfield; the Warrior offense is high-powered and dynamic. The Westside defense is no push over either. Westside did an excellent job of making Gretna a one-dimensional team in the state title game and stopped the run. The Warriors' athletes at linebacker and defensive back might be able to keep the Badger passing game in check as well. This is by far Bennington's toughest test. The athletes and Westside's ability to stop the run could present problems for the Badgers. The Westside offense, especially Anthony Rezac's running ability at QB, would be a tough matchup. I truly believe Bennington could keep the game close with Westside but Westside might be too much for the Badgers in this one. (Winner: Westside) Where do they rank? Going through the list of teams that were listed, Bennington more than has an argument to be the second-ranked team in the state overall. Now if a publication or media outlet were to rank Bennington third overall, there would not be as much of an objection from me. But anything lower is where I would throw up the challenge flag. Head coach Kam Lenhart and this coaching staff does not get enough credit for what the Badgers accomplished this year after graduating last year's spectacular senior class. Congratulations to the Badgers on their state championship and I am sure they will be back in the mix next year with a new group.

Tyson Agler

Date

November 27, 2022

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5 min

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