High school football: Six things to watch during opening week in Greater Savannah area
The opening night of the 2022 high school football season is finally here as New Hampstead hosts May River on Thursday at Pooler Stadium.
Here are six things to watch for in the opening week of the season.
Breakout players to watch: The breakout prep football players to watch in the Greater Savannah area for 2022
Top returning players: Top returning high school football players in Greater Savannah area for the 2022 season
1. Luke Kromenhoek's first start at quarterback for Benedictine
The junior quarterback waited for this day as he backed up Benedictine star Holden Geriner the last two seasons, while playing a big role in the Cadets' run to the state title last year as a safety and tight end.
He will get his first start behind center as BC faces Jenkins at Memorial Stadium on Friday with a kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.
Anyone who has seen Kromenhoek practice knows about his powerful arm and pinpoint accuracy. Power Five college recruiters took note, and Kromenhoek committed to play at Florida State in March.
Kromenhoek saw plenty of action in a scrimmage against Toombs County last week as he completed 17 of 24 passes for 178 yards and three scores, with a pair of touchdown passes to Ack Edwards and another to Ladon Bryant.
Look for Kromenhoek to add a new dimension to the ground game as he showed off his toughness and knack for knowing when to take off in the scrimmage, as he had five carries for 49 yards.
The Jenkins defense will be led by a future teammate of Kromenhoek as Warriors lineman Tavion Gadson committed to play with the Seminoles last week.
The 6-foot-5, 265-pounder said he has yet to meet Kromenhoek. It promises to be an interesting game featuring Jenkins — the latest Savannah public school to reach the Final Four under Jason Cameron in 2019 — faces a BC squad looking for its fourth state crown since 2014. BC leads the overall series 43-11, with Jenkins' last win coming in 2019.
Power rankings: Here are the Savannah Morning News 2022 high school football preseason power rankings
2. Savannah High hosting Josey in first game at new stadium
Savannah High coach Michael Moore and his squad can't wait to finally take the field at the new Savannah High Stadium as the Blue Jackets host Josey at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
The SCCPSS District was hoping to have the stadium open for last season, but weather and construction delays curbed the opening until this season. The stadium, which cost $5.2 million to build through ESPLOST tax funds, has a capacity to seat up to 2,000 spectators.
Savannah High will play four games at the new stadium this year, a venue that will be shared with other schools in the district. Johnson is set to play three games there this season.
Moore said the stadium is adding a sense of excitement to his program, and the Blue Jackets have 45 players on the team this year. He had just 15 out for the squad when he started as head coach three years ago during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"There is a big buzz around the school and the program about having our first game at the new stadium," Moore said. "And we want to be part of Savannah High history. We want to put that 'W' in the books Friday and we're anticipating a good night."
3. New Hampstead ready to play in 'Kickoff Classic'
Kyle Hockman starts his fourth season leading the Phoenix and New Hampstead is set to host the first game of the season for local teams as they host May River on Thursday night at Pooler Stadium with a 7 p.m. kickoff.
A coaching veteran of 21 seasons, Hockman had an impressive 11-year run at McEachern, where he won five region titles, while posting a 103-32 record.
At the SCCPSS Media Day event on Tuesday, Hockman joked about getting the chance to lead things off with the first game: "Put that in the headline, we're playing in the 'Kickoff Classic' and we're fired up about it."
There's no doubt that Hockman will have his young squad fired up to play. Last year, 10 Phoenix seniors signed to play college ball.
Senior Pauly Seeley, who recently committed to play at Wofford College, is back at quarterback, after throwing for 1,925 yards and 22 touchdowns last season. His primary target should be senior Zion Griffin.
Hockman said he will have only a few starters returning on both sides of the ball this year. Alijah Lacey, an outside linebacker with offers from The Citadel and Georgia Southern, is one to watch.
Junior Elijah Blige is set to be the primary running back but is banged up right now, Hockman said. Look for a running back by committee with Kaleb Smith and Jamari Bonaparte in the mix, running behind a line led by Zach Pearson.
This will be New Hampstead's first meeting with May River. The team from South Carolina went 8-3 last year. New Hampstead is coming off a 7-4 season, as the Phoenix were edged by Cairo 33-31 in the first round of the GHSA Class 4A playoffs.
Can't miss games to watch: Here are 24 of the most interesting games to watch this football season in Greater Savannah
4. Calvary Day at Islands
Calvary Day makes the move up to Class 3A this year and the Cavaliers are stacked with big-time talent. Georgia Public Broadcasting has Calvary Day ranked No. 10 across all classifications in the state in a ranking of teams based on total college prospects on the roster.
Junior Jake Merklinger, a four-star quarterback prospect, and his four-star tight end classmate Michael Smith are featured in the offense. While defensive tackle Terry Simmons Jr. (committed to Duke) and linebacker Troy Ford Jr. (UCF) lead the defense.
The squad opens at Islands on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. Defensive tackle Sha'Ron McGert should be a great matchup for standout Calvary center Jalin Scott. Receiver Roland Ferguson and running back Jamari Sanders are key players on the Sharks offense.
5. Windsor Forest at Savannah Country Day
Savannah Country Day opened in 1955, with Windsor Forest opening just two miles down the street in 1967, but remarkably the schools have never played each other in football, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association.
That changes Friday night in the opener for both teams as SCD is set to host Windsor Forest with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.
Savannah Country Day sophomore Barton Dixon is expected to get his first start at quarterback at he replaces SCD legend Barry Kleinpeter, a four-year starter about to play his first season at the University of New Hampshire. Having senior running back Michael Grandy (739 yards rushing and nine scores last year) should take some of the pressure off Dixon. SCD has a very young squad, with just two seniors on the roster.
Windsor Forest will be led by senior quarterback Donte Dorman, who went out after the third game last year after suffering a broken jaw. Two-way lineman Samuel Whitley and linebacker Eric Williams — coming back after missing his junior season with a serious injury — are key players for the Knights, who are dropping down a classification to 2A this year.
6. Effingham County at Richmond Hill
These teams have been region rivals in recent years as a strong rivalry has developed. Effingham leads the overall series 8-4, but Richmond Hill has won the three meetings over the last three years by a cumulative score of 114-20, including a 28-6 win last year. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Effingham is looking forward to the return of Keion Wallace, the 6-3, 215-pound receiver who missed nearly all of last season with an injury. He has offers including Georgia Tech and Texas A&M. Timmy Brown and Ashley Thompson are standout defensive backs, and Keysean McCarr anchors the defensive line after a season with 12 sacks last year.
Richmond Hill has Ty Goldrick back at quarterback, with an offense featuring receiver Ravon Grant and running back Zion Gillard. All three are seniors looking to close out their prep careers on a high note.
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: Greater Savannah H.S. football: Six things to watch in the opening week
