The new guy at Crespi
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Well, it looks like Game One of the post-Kevin Prince era got off to a fine start for Crespi last Friday. Behind another trademark performance by E.J. Woods, the Celts rolled to an expected blowout win over Kennedy.
While Woods once again showed why he’s one of the best two-way players in the region, what really caught my attention was new QB Bryan Bennett. In his first start, the sophomore threw four TD passes as the Celts scored 36 unanswered points in the second half.
“He started out a little shaky, but once he got his wings underneath him, he played well,” Crespi coach Jeremiah Ross said. “It’s a matter of learning and growing. We know he’s going to make mistakes, but as long as he can learn from those mistakes, he’s only going to get better.”
I know we can’t read too deeply into a performance against Kennedy, but Bennett is obviously ready for another challenge -- and he’ll definitely get it from Centennial this week. Ross said he plans to “keep it simple” for Bennett in the upcoming weeks as the Celts go up against some of the area’s top teams in Centennial, St. Bonaventure and Canyon.
But is Crespi good enough to beat these teams with Bennett at the helm?
I’m sure Ross (and a lot of other coaches) would rather have Prince under center for those games, but at least the Crespi coach is keeping an upbeat attitude about the situation. Having the chance to develop Bennett as the QB of the future is, according to Ross, “the silver lining” of Prince’s injury.
Still, Ross expects a battle for next year’s starting job between Bennett and Malibu transfer Dusty Kramer (who’s playing on the junior varsity team because of CIF transfer rules).
“Obviously, I think Brian is going to have a leg up on Dusty due to the competition he’ll see this year,” Ross said. “We’ll see what happens.”