By Angela Watts
Content Editor

Twenty-second in a series.

The
T-shirts that members of the South County coaching staff wore during
their pre-scrimmage walk-through Thursday morning said it all: New
School. New Threat.

The Stallions, in only their third season, are no longer trying to compete with the big boys. They are one of the big boys.

“It hasn’t been an easy road,” Coach Pete Bendorf said.
“We played varsity football with no seniors our first year here and
that was rough. We only won one game. But then last year we went 6-4
and made a ton of progress.

“And now it’s just a matter of taking that next step and getting into the playoffs.” With most of its seniors having started since their sophomore year, South County enters this season as one of the most experienced in the area. Among it’s three-year starters are offensive linemen Logan Reed (5-10, 200) and Milton Weatherhead (6-2, 240) and defensive lineman Richard During (6-2, 195). “I’d say where we improved the most from last year to this year — and even from our first to our second year — has been with our strength,” Bendorf said. “We’re not big, not big at all. But we’ve improved our strength tremendously and we’re real mobile. This is probably the fastest group overall that I’ve coached in my 14 years as a head coach. We run well and play good defense, and I think those two things gives you a chance to win every game.” Bendorf says the Stallions will use their athleticism to play aggressively on defense, where they run a multiple-front defense similar to what Virginia Tech employs. Offensively, though, Bendorf has instilled something new this season: The pistol. “I’ve always been an option guy,” Bendorf said. “But this year we’re going to the pistol, which is Nevada’s offense, and it’s been a lot of fun. It’s a short shotgun — that’s why it’s called the pistol — so the ball is snapped about 3 1/2 or 4 yards instead of a traditional, 5-yard shotgun snap. And it’s a spread offense but it is also primarily a running offense. We’ll throw it as much as we can and be successful, but we want to pound the ball.”

South County’s linemen prepare to face off in practice.

He is counting on a pair senior running backs, three-year senior starter Titus Pennington (5-11, 200) and senior Chris Mitchell (5-10, 215), to carry the brunt of the load.

“A
lot of times it looks like an I-formation because our tailback lines up
right behind the quarterback,” Bendorf explained. “But it gives you the
opportunity to run the ball effectively while spreading out the
defense, which is what we want to do.”

But to accomplish its
goal of making a postseason run, South County will have to overcome a
challenging non-district schedule. The Stallions open the season
against Westfield and play Edison just two weeks later.

“Certainly
those two are probably the early favorites in Division 5 and Division 6
in our area,” Bendorf said of the Division 5 Eagles and the Division 6
Bulldogs. “Still, we expect to get to the playoffs. Because once you
get there you just go for it. And we want that opportunity.”

Brotherly Love

Coaching in the Northern Region is a family affair for South County’s Pete Bendorf and his older brother, Mark. Mark Bendorf
has been the head coach at Robinson since 1997. Pete Bendorf was the
head coach at Oakton for 11 years prior to taking over the Stallions’
new program.

“We had a lot of success at Oakton and I really
enjoyed it there,” Pete Bendorf said. “But I took a year off after we
played in the state final in 2002 to take the activities director job
at Madison and decided I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t stay away.
Football has always been my passion. I really enjoy coaching and
working with the guys. And I had always thought I’d like to build a
program from scratch, so when this school opened I knew it was the
right place for me.”

The
two brothers try not to meet during the regular-season anymore — they scrimmage
in the preseason instead — but there was a time when their teams did
square off regularly. (And they could meet again in a playoff situation.)

As it stands, Mark Bendorf holds a 4-2 advantage over his baby brother in game action.

“He’s
a lot different than I am,” Pete Bendorf said. “I consider myself a
little more laid back and easy-going and he’s very stoic. We’ve butted
heads a few times playing and he’s gotten the upper hand. But the last
time we played it really counted. It was the regional championship game
in 2002 and we beat ’em … so that’s the one I like to count.”

The Numbers Game

South County opened only
three years ago, but Bendorf and his staff can already boast a
well-established program. There are 195 athletes in the Stallions’
football program this season, including 70 on the freshman team and 125
on the varsity and junior varsity squads.

“What I like is that
such depth gives us a lot of competition at each position,” Bendorf
said. “We’re not great yet, but we have guys competing at every
position and that’s got to bode well. Over the past two years we’ve
really matured a lot and we’ve gotten physically stronger.

“Our
numbers are huge, and our core guys have made a commitment and they’ve
worked hard. Because of them, this program already has a solid
foundation.”

* DigitalSports’ Preseason Top 10 was chosen by staff members Angela Watts,
Jimmy Thomas and Phil Murphy with input from randomly-selected coaches in the
Northern Region.

The Basics

Team: South County Stallions
District: Patriot (Division 6)
Coach: Pete Bendorf, 3rd year
Last year’s record: 6-4 overall, 3-4 district
Returning starters: 5 offense/6 defense
Players to watch: TE/DE Richard During, Sr., 6-2, 195; DE Samir Haider, Sr., 5-11, 185; DB Kyle Michaels, Jr., 5-10, 170; RB Chris Mitchell, Sr., 5-10, 215; DB Karlos Morgan, Jr., 5-6, 150; LB Tim Pennington, Sr., 5-10, 185; RB Titus Pennington, Sr., 5-11, 200; C Logan Reed, Sr., 5-10, 200; DT Eric Tucker, Jr., 5-10, 235; OL Milton Weatherhead, Sr., 6-2, 240; LB Christian Yow, Sr., 5-10, 185

To see a complete photo gallery from South County’s practice, go to http://www.shutterfly.com/pro/1179855540834/AngelaWatts/SouthCountyftball