Great expectations: Iron Horses prepare to strike with fire, urgency

There have been two constants since Philip Simmons High School opened its doors in 2017 and rolled out its first football team, a squad that competed at the junior varsity level. 

One constant has been Coach Eric Bendig’s vision for the program. The other constant is the team’s mission. 

“Our expectations haven’t changed in nine years,” said Bendig, the founding father of football at PSHS. “Even when we didn’t have seniors in the school, we had high expectations. We’ve built a standard in this program, and I love that about us. 

“We’ve won region championships and made meaningful playoff runs, but a state championship is something you have to earn,” Bendig added. “We’re on a mission every year, both on-and-off the field, and we’re going to focus on one championship at a time – Region, Lower State, then State. If we do what we’re capable of doing, we’ll give ourselves a chance. But we have to earn it every day because nobody is going to hand it to us.” 

For the second straight season, the Iron Horses are coming off a 10-3 record, won another Region 6-AA championship, and made a deep playoff run. They averaged 39.4 points on offense and allowed 15.3 points on defense. 

Expectations are great as the Iron Horses made final preparations for their season opener Friday, Aug. 21, at Hanahan High School. The program returns 34 lettermen, including 18 starters. How’s this for perfect balance? Nine starters return on offense and nine are back on defense. 

The offense features quarterback Hayes Goddard and a troika of talented receivers: Ashton Kellermann, Patrick Clarke, and Blake Johnson. 

Godard passed for 2,675 yards and 30 touchdowns, and Kellermann led the Iron Horses with 70 receptions for 1,314 yards and 14 scores. 

“Having Hayes back at quarterback is obviously a huge advantage,” Bendig said. “He has experience, understands our system, and has been through big games. We also have a talented group of receivers around him, so there’s a lot of potential there. Now we have to put it all together and execute.” 

Christian Cromedy, Sullivan Tollison, Greyson Salvo, and Liam Doherty are returning lineman who are skilled at pass blocking and opening holes for the run game. Running back Jeremiah Richardson also returns. 

The defense is just as stacked with nine starters back. Linemen Alex Tchoryk, Jordan Johnson, and Roman Hood worked hard over the summer. Linebackers Nate Elsey, Layson Stockton, and Diavante Irving play with intensity and go sideline-to-sideline. 

Returners in the secondary include Maurico Curry, Ryland Donley, and Omonte Taylor. 

The team has talent as it heads into the 2026 season. It also has esprit de corps. 

“They genuinely enjoy being around each other, and they’ve continued to push each other,” Bendig said. "We’ve also seen some younger guys really step forward, which is always exciting. We have an awesome freshman class, and while not many will play a lot on Friday, they will get invaluable game reps on our jayvee team. 

“Our biggest concern is that we can’t afford to give games away,” Bendig added. “We have to play with a fire and urgency like we’re still proving something. We can’t start slow, make mistakes, or give away opportunities and expect to overcome them every week. We need to play with a chip on our shoulder.” 

2026 PHILIP SIMMONS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE