Moncks Corner – When Eric Lodge was hired as the head football coach at Berkeley High, he spoke often of how important it would be to establish a new culture within the program,
Berkeley is considered a prime job for any coach that wants to have community support and athletes on his side. Lodge fully expected his team to compete in 2023 but wins and losses were never a major focal point in year one.
“We knew it could be some tough sledding this year but regardless of how many games we won, we wanted to come in and be competitive and build this in the right way.” Lodge said. “We certainly wanted to win as many games as we could but we never set a goal as to how many wins we wanted. We didn’t say well we need to win five or six or whatever the number. We wanted to build a program, from the b-team on up. We wanted to install our system at every level and get everyone on the same page. That was the big goal.”
Mission accomplished. Not only has Lodge been able to compete but the Stags found success along the way. While far from world beaters, Berkeley went 5-5 during the regular season and opened the Class AAAAA Lower State playoffs with a home win over Conway.
The second round has Berkeley visiting top-ranked and 11-0 Summerville for a second time this season. Summerville won the early season matchup with relative ease but this group of Stags is better and healthier than they were in early September.
“It’s still a big challenge because Summerville is so talented and well-coached, but we are in a better place than we were then,” Lodge said. “Getting to the second round is a big accomplishment for as young as we are but we like to think we’re not done yet.”
Young is an understatement. The 2023 Stags have a bevy of underclassmen in the starting 22. The junior varsity team went 5-4 this season but most of the top players were starting on the varsity.
Freshman Henry Rivers has been the starting quarterback since day one and has lived up to his early season hype. He is closing in on school records for passing yards and total yards, having topped 2,300 yards through the air and more than 400 on the ground.
“He still makes freshmen mistakes but the talent is evident,” Lodge said. “He’s a talented young man who is only going to get better and better as he learns more.”
Two juniors, Kayden Bash and Kevin Boone, are the top two receivers. Boone is nearly at 1,000 receiving yards with 11 touchdowns while Bash has more than 700 receiving yards. Senior Tavon Frazier has more than 40 catches as well.
Working in the run game have been senior Josh Smalls, sophomore K’den Foxworth and freshman Jesse Brown.
Perhaps the most improved area on this year’s team is on defense. The Stags gave up tons of yards and points through the season but have steadily improved as the season wears on,
Sophomore linebacker Marcus Henderson is now over 110 tackles on the season. Two other sophomores, Kevin Rivers, Jr., and Gehad Snead, are playing more consistently. Sophomore noseguard Landon Jackson also has improved his play.
“The front seven, as a unit, has been playing better of late,” Lodge said. “We have a lot of youth on defense but I am excited to see them develop and mature physically.”
Berkeley’s b-team posted a 7-2 record this fall, giving Lodge plenty of reason for optimism.
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