The Benedictine is preparing for the defense of the title, the busy week 1 begins on Wednesday
Luke takes over and he’s an equally talented young man. In fact, he’s already signed up to Florida State to play quarterback even though he hasn’t started a game as a quarterback yet, so that’s kind of funny. But it’s going to be exciting to watch. He is 6ft 4in and a big kid and can really throw it. He has the same type of arm as Holden and he can also really move. He can run and is really physical. He played strong safety and receiver for us and he has that type of mentality. Being young, he’s going to make mistakes early on, but we’re ready for that and ready to overcome that. It will be exciting to see him progress.
That’s right, he had 25 catches for you last season at receiver and also 44 tackles in that safe zone. I know his older brother, Mac, was on the team last year and just graduated. Talk about it a bit.
Yes, Mac was one of those key leaders who helped us establish this improvement that we saw and he graduated and went to Massachusetts Maritime Academy to play football and become a river pilot.
Besides quarterback, I know Holden also played for you last season. Will Luke handle the punting like Holden did last year?
No, we have a specialist in Asher Sigman who manages our field goals and extra points, but Luke will be the punter’s replacement. My whole philosophy is that if you’re a quarterback, you can kick, you can hold, and you’re an athlete. They will therefore always be asked to intervene if necessary.
I don’t want to focus too much on last year, but we have to mention Justin Thomas and what he was able to do on the court last season. How does he fit in your mind with the other great players coming to the program?
After all these years, it’s hard to categorize kids, but he’s really, really special, as everyone knows. He’s probably the best to ever do it, just because he could do so many things very, very well. Running the ball, blocking, receiving, returning, defending and everything he did was special.
It looks like the guy you have this year who will be in the spotlight is going to be Zaquan Bryan and he had a big season last year with 95 catches, 1,300 yards and touchdowns.
Yeah, with Zaquan we’re going to put him in that slot role so he can catch and run and also block more and he’ll also contribute in the return game and on defense. He has the same athletic abilities and he’s just very soft and flowy. He’s not as tall as Justin so we’ll have to deal with that, but he’s very tough and going to be exciting to watch.
Defensively, you were talking about being able to be a little more aggressive last year and take more risks and create more turnovers.
Yes, we have lost great players, but we have exceptional guys coming back for us. The top seven are going to have to be a strong point for our football team. We feel really good with our first three and the guys with multiple offers. We are great at nose tackle. At linebacker, we have a lot of guys competing for that role. Bryce Baker is back and he’s going to be really good for us. We moved him to linebacker Sam where Holden Sapp was last season and we’ll see more of his athletic ability.
You mentioned the defensive tackle position with guys like Cole Semien, he had five sacks for you last season as a junior, where do you see him this year in terms of matching that level of production?
It has a great engine. It will be his third year starting and he will have to show it and I have a feeling he will.
CLASS 4A WEEK 1 TIMETABLE
REGION 1
Bainbridge
Cairo
Hardaway
Shaw
Westover
Thursday August 18
Hardaway vs. Carver–Columbus
Shaw vs. Marion County
Friday August 19
Bainbridge vs. Cedar Grove
Cairo in the center of Thomas County
Westover to Dougherty
REGION 2
Baudouin
Griffin
Howard
Pear
Spalding
Lawrence of the West
Westside Macon
Thursday August 18
Griffin vs Ola
Friday August 19
Baldwin vs. Peach County
Howard vs. the Southwest
Spalding vs. Eagle’s Landing
Westside-Macon to Central-Macon
REGION 3
Benedictine
Burke County
he is
New Hampstead
South East Bulloch
Wayne County
Thursday August 18
New Hampstead vs. May River
Southeast Bulloch vs. Liberty County
Friday August 19
Benedictine versus Jenkins
Burke County vs. Thomson
Islands vs Calvary Day
Wayne County at the Bradwell Institute
REGION 4
Fayette County
Barn
North Clayton
Riverdale
Starr’s Mill
Trinity Christian
Troop
Living Water
Thursday August 18
LaGrange at Smith Station (AL)
Friday August 19
Fayette County vs. McIntosh
Trinity Christian vs. Woodward Academy
Harris County Troop
REGION 5
Hampton
Lovett
Luela
McDonough
Mount Zion-Jonesboro
rhythm academy
Stockbridge
Woodland-Stockbridge
Friday August 19
Hampton to Tri-Cities
Lovett v Westminster
Luella vs Eastside
McDonough at Locust Grove
Woodland-Stockbridge to New Manchester
Saturday August 20
Mount Zion-Jonesboro versus Jonesboro
Pace Academy vs. Holy Innocents
Stockbridge vs. Southwest DeKalb
REGION 6
Charter of Hapeville
Holy Innocents’
Miller Grove
South West DeKalb
Stephenson
westminster
Clarkston
Druid Hills
stone mountain
Thursday August 18
Charter Hapeville to Newton
Friday August 19
Miller Grove vs. Tucker
Stone Mountain at Chapel Hill
Westminster to Lovett
Saturday August 20
Holy Innocents vs. Pace Academy
DeKalb South West to Stockbridge
Stephenson vs. Dutchtown
REGION 7
Cedartown
Central-Carroll
Heritage-Catoosa
Northwest of Whitfield
Sonoraville
south east whitfield
Friday August 19
Cedartown at Rockmart
Central-Carroll vs. Redan
Heritage Catoosa in Ringgold
Northwest of Whitfield to Pepperell
Sonoraville vs. Pickens
Southeast Whitfield to Coosa
REGION 8
cedar benches
Cherokee Bluff
Chestatee
East Forsyth
East Room
Madison County
North Room
North Oconea
walnut grove
Johnson Gainesville
Secker
Wednesday August 17
Cherokee Bluff vs. Kell
Thursday August 18
Cedar Benches at Clarke Central
Friday August 19
Chestatee vs. Hebron Christian
East Hall to West Hall
Johnson-Gainesville in Banks County
Madison County to Franklin County
White County North Hall
North Oconee in Oconee County
Seckinger vs. Peachtree Ridge
Walnut Grove in Jasper County
