Savannah football highlights: What important wins mean for Benedictine, Johnson and Beach

Dennis Knight, Savannah Morning News

September 28, 2022 at 5:21 PM·8 min read

Benedictine was coming off a bye last week and the Cadets were more than ready to get back on the field as they traveled to Jacksonville to take on a Florida power in the Bolles School.

The defending GHSA Class 4A champion Cadets (3-2) came away with a 26-7 win behind a strong defensive performance and four field goals from senior Asher Sigmon.

The Benedictine football team bursts onto the field prior to a game earlier this season against Jenkins High at Memorial Stadium.

Quarterback Luke Kromenhoek, who has committed to play at Florida State, had a pair of scoring passes. He hit Ack Edwards for a 46-yard touchdown and had an 8-yard scoring pass to Thomas Blackshear.

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"Our defense played really well tonight," Benedictine coach Danny Britt said in a phone interview on the bus ride home after the win. "We've got some things to work on, but this was a big win for us. We went down there and saw the 14 state championship banners they have up, and a national championship banner — that's pretty special stuff. So to come away with a win from there was a good thing. We're getting better and better."

Britt was fired up about an interception on the first series of the game, as junior nose guard Jeremiah Thomas came away with the pick.

"(Linebacker) Wilkes Albert batted it up in the air and Jeremiah laid out to make the play," Britt said. "That was pretty amazing to see a 305-pound lineman make a play like that."

Britt said junior linebacker Bryce Baker also played well, and senior defensive back Cody Brinson picked off two passes. Senior defensive lineman Alijah Alexander had a couple of sacks, and the defense made several big fourth-down stops, Britt said.

"It was a big win for us; we're getting back on the right track," Kromenhoek said. "We had some drives that ended up in field goals instead of touchdowns, but we stayed positive and got points on the board. Our defense is unbelievable and they've been playing stellar football. They're the reason why we are in most games. We don't plan to lose any more games."

Benedictine will play at New Hampstead (4-1) in its Region 3-4A opener next Friday.

Johnson 22, Liberty County 21

The Atom Smashers won their fourth game in a row as they held on to beat the Panthers in a Region 3-3A matchup at Savannah High Stadium.

Liberty County (2-3) scored late and decided to go for the win with a two-point conversion. But strong safety Anthony Cooper was the first defender there as a host of Atom Smashers converged to stop the play and secure the win.

Senior Samari Dowdy was the star of the game as the speedster ran for 302 yards on 20 carries and scored all three Atom Smasher touchdowns, coach Kenderrick Bonner said. Dowdy, who was second in the Class 3A 100 meters at the state meet last year, broke one touchdown for 80 yards.

Jaden Boone of the Johnson football team.

"I want to give a shoutout to two of our seniors who go both ways on the line," Bonner said. "Jaden Boone and Malon Petty were great tonight, and our offensive line was phenomenal — this win wouldn't have been possible without them.

"Our team has been fighting through adversity and we've become battle-tested," Bonner said. "We have 21 seniors who have been answering the call. These guys aren't afraid to fight and they have been the key to our season."

Johnson (4-1) will face its toughest challenge yet as the Atom Smashers are on the road next week against Calvary Day (4-0).

Beach 28, Groves 0

The Bulldogs won their first game of the year as they shut down Groves in a Region 3-3A matchup at Islands Stadium.

Freshman quarterback Demetrius Holloway had three touchdown passes for the Bulldogs (1-4). He connected with senior Shamarrie Hugie twice and had a scoring pass to Sidney Simmons. DeAndre Jones added a touchdown run for Beach.

The Bulldogs defense got big-time performances from Ryan Lovett, who had an interception and three solo tackles; Dakari "DJ" Smith, who had 3.5 sacks; and Jamon Miller, who made a fumble recovery and pair of sacks. Aarin Moore and James Tisby also made interceptions for Beach.

Effingham County 29, South Effingham 3

The Rebels beat the visiting Mustangs for the third year in a row and now lead the series in the crosstown rivalry 17-2.

Jayden Evans ran for 128 yards and pair of touchdowns on 20 carries for the Rebels.

Keysean McCarr ran for a short score and Damion Gordon broke loose for a 48-yard touchdown run in the third quarter for Effingham County.

Next Friday, Effingham County (3-2) plays at Glynn Academy (2-3), and South Effingham (2-2) is at Screven County (5-0).

St. Andrew's 43, Memorial Day 0

The Lions rolled to a dominant win at home in front of a big crowd as the Edwards brothers led the way.

Senior Zyere Edwards had 195 yards rushing and a touchdown on 12 carries, while sophomore quarterback Zayden Edwards completed 13 of 19 passes for 124 yards and a pair of scores, while rushing for 44 yards and two touchdowns.

Richaard Williams had 74 yards receiving and a touchdown catch and made an interception for the Lions (2-3). Ethan Wilkens had a scoring catch and Jonathan Rickert made a 5-yard scoring run.

The defense was strong behind Rakari Harrison and Hayward Pollard, who had three sacks each. Jaylen Sheppard added an interception.

The Lions will play at Robert Toombs Academy (3-3) next week.

Bethesda 52, Palmetto Christian 6

After a bye week and winning by forfeit over the last two weeks, the Blazers were happy to get back on the field and the celebrated homecoming at Daffin Park Field with a resounding victory to improve to 6-0 on the year.

Triston Randall of the Bethesda Academy football team.

Junior quarterback Triston Randall completed 7 of 9 passes for 167 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He hooked up with classmate Thomas Peters three times for 96 yards and a touchdown, while Jalil Calhous had two catches for 31 yards and a score.

Coray Stafford rushed for 92 yards and three touchdowns on just seven carries, and Marcus Harris added 54 yards on the ground and a score on three carries. Noah Jenkins added 53 yards and a score on seven carries for Bethesda, while Caleb Dillon had an interception.

Bethesda will play at Orangeburg Prep (0-5) on Friday.

Wayne County 17, Jenkins 14

Wayne County scored 11 points in the final seven minutes to ruin homecoming for Jenkins at Memorial Stadium, according to Travis Jaudon of the Prep Sports Report.

Billy Johnson scored the first touchdown for Jenkins by recovering a bad snap on a punt in the end zone. Josh Pridgen ran for 58 yards and a score on seven carries, Jaudon reported.

Davis Tanner hit a 19-yard field goal to win the game in the final seconds for Wayne County (4-1). Matthew Fuller rushed for 217 yards and two touchdowns for the Yellow Jackets.

Jenkins (1-4) has a bye week before playing at Ware County (4-0) on Oct. 7.

Coffee 51, Richmond Hill 17

The Wildcats fell to 3-3 on the season as Coffee improved to 4-1 with a strong performance at home in Douglas.

Senior running back Zion Gillard rushed for 122 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Wildcats, while Brian Ruland and Aiden Grant had six tackles each.

The Wildcats have a bye next week and then begin Region 1-7A play as they host Camden County (4-2) on Oct. 7.

Long County 28, Savannah Country Day 14

Savannah Country Day quarterback Barton Mixon had a pair of touchdown passes as the sophomore hit K.J. James and Brooks Kleinpeter for scores as the Hornets lost a Region 3-3A game on the road, according to a report from the Prep Sports Report.

SCD (2-3, 0-2 in region) is set to host Beach (1-4) in a Region 3-3A game next Friday night.

Other scores

Calvary Day 34, Savannah Christian 28

Vidalia 36, Windsor Forest 14

Telfair County 36, Bryan County 20

Bulloch Academy 42, Savannah High 0

MCA 40, Bradwell Institute 13

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Benedictine, Johnson and Beach had big Week 6 wins in Savannah area football

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