Heavy is the Head That Wears the Crown: Bennington, Class B

They are awfully impressive numbers, three and 39. Oh, maybe nothing special on their own (no offense, 3 and 39) but in the context of Bennington Badgers Football they sure are.

The three represents the program’s three consecutive state championships, a record for Class B football, and the 39 represents unbeaten way they have won them, again in Class B state record fashion. See? Impressive.

Both those streaks seemed imperiled early last season, starting with the near-miss against Skutt Catholic in the season opener and continuing through workman like wins over good teams like Plattsmouth and York in Weeks 2 and 3. (You know you are on a heater when you beat good teams like Plattsmouth and York and it somehow seems like a downer.)

But starting the back half of the regular season with runaway wins over top ten teams Elkhorn High and Blair got the ball rolling, and the shutout win over Elkhorn North in that much anticipated Week 8 contest was nice, yet it was in the playoffs where the Badgers’ championship mettle was on full display.

That was never more the case that in the quarterfinal round, one round before the much anticipated rematch with Elkhorn North, when Bennington showed some guts by holding off a very good Norris team, 23-20, proving it could win a game about anyway you’d like. The Elkhorn North game got away from the Wolves early as Bennington rolled to a 30-6 win and the Badgers defense, its season-long trump card, dealt a winning hand on Championship Tuesday, shutting out Skutt 21-0 in the state final.

“What sticks out to me about last year was how fast I thought our defense played. The way our guys would fly to the football and gang tackle impressed me,” says Bennington head coach Kameron Lenhart. “We were able to give multiple looks and play a lot of players on that side of the ball and that is because of the dedication the defensive guys had during practice. Offensively, I remember how every week we got just a little bit better, and by the end of the season you could tell the group was confident. We had many guys on the offense who were starting for the first time so we knew it would take time. They didn’t get discouraged. They also came every week to practice to improve from the previous week.”

And to me that is the most impressive aspect of Bennington’s most recent state championship season, the part where there were many new starters and a lot of unknowns entering last season. To be honest you had an idea they were more “knowns” than not, but still. And the one thing you could be sure of was that Badger D, it was loaded with headliners.

“We relied on our defensive group, especially early in the season simply because it brought back the most experience from the previous season. Guys like Gunnar Lym, Kyler Lauridsen, Layne Boever, Kale Kaufmann, and Jack Jansen who were all starters the previous season knew what it took to make plays when it was needed to win games,” points out Coach Lenhart, rattling off the names of a bunch of all-staters. “Offensively, I was very impressed with how our QB, Peyton Sanmann, handled the transition of becoming the starter his senior season. Peyton is one of the smartest football players I’ve coached and watching him learn and control the offense as the season progressed was very impressive. We had some experience coming back on the offensive line with Jimmy Miller, Jacob Strader, and Gage Koso which helped get the run game going down the stretch, and our running back, Quinton Archer, seized his moment rushing for over 1,800 yards his senior season.”

Last year it was Skutt in the opener this time around it will be Waverly, another Class B powerhouse and fellow state title contender. The schedule is consistently challenging, which is often the case in the condensed world of Class B football, but these seems a little extreme, as the Badgers will also face 2023 playoff teams like Hastings, Grand Island Northwest, Blair, Elkhorn High, Skutt and Elkhorn North, and that doesn’t even count the Gretna game, as the Dragons return to Class B. That’s a lot.

In preparation the Badgers will hit the weight room, compete in 7-on-7 passing leagues, and also conduct team skill sessions. Also on the schedule is a return trip to GI Northwest’s monster one-day camp. “It is great for our kids to see schools from central and western Nebraska,” adds Coach Lenhart.

There will remain some star power on the 2024 Bennington team - the knowns, if you will - and lots of seniors who are expected to rise to new challenges.

“As far as unit leaders coming back we will rely on (all-staters) Jack Jansen and Kyler Lauridsen to use their experience to help the new guys,” says Coach Lenhart. “Other seniors that I believe will have pivotal roles in leadership will be guys like Gavin Olson, Jacob Strader, Nic Deyo, and Hudson Neuverth.”

Olson seems a contender for the starting quarterback role while Strader will be the team’s center, Neuverth a leader in the receiver corps, and Deyo a key DB.

It is going to be a more veteran team in 2024 as the Badgers return eight starters on defense and six on offense but for Coach Lenhart tracking the overall growth of the team is one of his favorite parts of the job.

“I love seeing new guys step up and make a name for themselves. One of my favorite moments is watching a kid who wasn’t the most talented as a freshman but who has bought into the process, believed in himself, the coaches, and the program, and by their junior or senior year has become a really good football player. We return a lot of starters but I’m excited to see who fills those missing spots. I’m excited to see who is willing to do the ordinary things better than others and earn their role.

“We have great kids at Bennington so I’m just excited to get back to work with them all on the football field.”