Wildcats, Bennett ready to build off successful first year

When Mathew Bennett stepped on campus at Ninety Six High School to take over the football program, he knew he faced a difficult challenge. The morale was incredibly low as were the expectations that a team that went 5-6 in 2022 could muster a much better effort in 2023, especially with a first-year, first-time head coach.

Funny thing, what love can do.

Bennett employs a simple strategy to lead his team of young men: love on them. Ask Bennett about any one of his players and he starts gushing like a 1960s school girl telling you about her favorite member of the Beatles. Before he is clear of his second sentence, Bennett is hopping from foot to foot, nearly out of breath with enthusiasm for…whatever. That is just who he is.

Bennett led the Wildcats to an 8-3 overall record, and a 4-1 clip in region play, and took home the inaugural SK Media Shell Dula Coach of the Year Award. The Wildcats parlayed a tough shutout loss to Saluda into six straight wins before playing Abbeville in the final week of the season with the region title on the line. That was something that seemed wildly out of reach in Week 0 when senior quarterback Braden Mitchell went down with a knee injury in the season opener against Emerald. The Wildcats eventually won the game, but it cost them Mitchell, who was out until region play began.

Next man up, they say, and the man behind Mitchell was unproven sophomore Carver Davis. Davis, though he looked shaky at times, led the Wildcats to a 4-1 record before Mitchell returned to the lineup. Davis looked timid in the passing game and his mechanics could get away from him at times last season, but he was clearly a skilled runner and a natural leader. Davis takes over the reins from Mitchell, who took his talents to Newberry College upon graduation.

“Carver (Davis) has really bought into being a quarterback and being a leader,” Bennet said of his signal caller. “He’s throwing the ball a lot better and making a lot better decisions. We feel pretty good with him back there.”

Joining Davis in the backfield is Corey Carter Player of the Year Finalist Zayvion King, one of the area’s top running backs. King has offers from the likes of Lenoir-Rhyne, Limestone, and North Greenville, and looks ready to top last season’s effort of nearly 1,400 all-purpose yards and 20 touchdowns. When King gets a rest, the Wildcats trot out Gabe Hackett, who rushed for over 400 yards last season on more than seven yards per carry. That does not seem too far-fetched behind a line that returns four starters: led by First-Team All-Lakelands performer Austin Wertz, Jordan Swink, Carson Reynolds and center Cruze Kennemore.

“It’s great to have four starters back on the offensive line,” Bennett said. “That’s a group that loves to work and is really special to me. Coach (Roy) Lemmons has done such a great job with that group and they really love to get after it.”

Defensively, the Wildcats will miss defensive backs Ladarion Waldrop and Evan Adams, but Kayden Conway will step into the defensive backfield along with up-and-comer Carter Patterson. Hackett and Kayden Payne return at linebacker for the Wildcats and will be leaned upon heavily to lead the front seven. The defensive front is anchored by Nathan McCary, who Bennett affectionately (love, remember?) refers to as his “bulldog.”

“Coach (Chase) Duncan and Coach (Tripp) Henderson have done a really good job revamping our defense,” Bennett said. “Last year, we were really experienced in the back end and this year we are more experienced in the box. The defensive staff has done a really good job of retooling what we do to fit our personnel.”

Prediction: The Wildcats nonregion slate is like a well-balanced breakfast, a healthy mix of winnable contests mixed with challenging ones. The traditional annual matchup with Abbeville will take place midseason following the Panthers’ departure to Class A during the most recent realignment. And, unfortunately, realignment dropped he Wildcats right in the middle of one of the toughest regions in Class 2A with the likes of Batesburg-Leesville, Saluda, Pelion, and Strom Thurmond. American Leadership Academy remains an unknown until we can see some film. The tough nonregion schedule means Ninety Six could just as easily be 1-4 as 4-1, and their region schedule holds a similar range of outcomes. The Wildcats more likely finish up the season at 6-4 and head on the road for the first round of the playoffs. In spite of that, Bennett will get his first postseason win as a head coach before a second-round loss.