Lodge Begins Fourth Season As Berkeley Coach
By David Shelton
Senior Writer
Moncks Corner – After a pair of six-win seasons in his first two years, Berkeley head football coach Eric Lodge guided the Stags to a 10-3 record last fall.
Lodge is hoping and expecting to see continued growth and development in 2026 and recently put his prospective team through spring drills. The purpose of the spring is to identify roles and hopefully find rising talent that can assist either as backups or starters this fall.
“Our spring is about evaluating kids, all of them, to see where they fit in,” Lodge said, “Those practices are very important to the growth of the program. We get everyone involved amd work to get them up to speed. Once we get into the summer, we are working hard to get stronger in the weight room along with seven-on-seven stuff.”
Lodge says most of the returning experience is on the offensive side and the Stags should be explosive. Henry Rivers, a senior, will be a fourth-year starter and rates as one of the best in the state. Hethres for more than 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, adding 803 rushing yards and 16 more scores.
Returning at receiver are John Cleveland, Eli Mitchell and Johnathan Mitchell, who combined for more than 60 receptions last season.
Anchoring the running game are returners Lawrence Washington, Bryson McGee and Jesse Brown. That trio will work behind a revamped offensive line but Lodge sees potential in the developing unit up front.
“I like our depth at running back and receiver, and of course we have a veteran leader at quarterback,” said Lodge.
There are significantly more holes to fill on defense. The Stags lost an all-state tackle and three starting linebackers that were three-year starters. There also are three holes to fill on the back endd.
“We have identified some young men who we feel will step in and be solid players for us,” Lodge said. “Replacing the experience is tough but we have some guys who will learn and grow over time. We’re not new to having young guys on the field. The talent is there and there are opportunities for guys to get on the field.”
