Benedictine football coach Kurt von Bargen could be excused for potentially dropping his expectation level heading into the 2026 season.

After all, the Cadets lost 13 starters to graduation from last year’s 11-win team that ended the season with a shutout win over Trinity Episcopal and a third-straight VISAA Division I title.

But that's not how he operates.

“While we have a lot of new starters, it’s guys that have been in the program. So even though guys have increased roles, they have been in our program since the sixth grade,” he said. “Their role might increase, but they know the expectations because they’ve been with us for so long.”

The Cadets’ road to a historic fourth-straight title begins Saturday with a home game against Blue Ridge and title-game rematch with Trinity Episcopal in Week 2.

When Benedictine takes the field on Saturday, it will be one of von Bargen’s “program players” that will undoubtedly draw a lot of eyes. Six-foot-four quarterback Ralphie Puccinelli, a University of Richmond commit, grew up in the Benedictine program, but transferred to Glen Allen for his junior year. He accounted for over 1,800 yards of total offense and 25 total touchdowns in an injury-shortened season before transferring back to the school he grew up attending.

“He’s just so diverse. The biggest thing I’d say is he can play off schedule. It doesn’t have to be a perfect picture for him,” von Bargen said of his signal caller. “He can make things happen because he’s played so much football. I think the ability to improvise when needed but also play within the system at the same time has been one of his biggest strengths.”

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“That’s where it gets fun,” Puccinelli said. “When the pocket collapses and you escape, it’s almost like a new look at the field, and you’ve got a different angle at it and there’s throws that you couldn’t have made in the pocket that you can now make.”

Puccinelli has some returning firepower to help the transition back to Benedictine green. Starting running back Fred Dolan was an All-Metro selection after rushing for 1,015 yards and 11 touchdowns a year ago. It will also be hard to miss Sam Faniel, the 6-foot-5-inch tight end (committed to Virginia Tech) across the middle of the field.

“I have always been a sucker for an offense that has a really dynamic pass-catching tight end. You get a big athletic tight end going down the seam – down the middle of the field – I just think it’s really hard to defend,” said Gary Hess, the play-by-play voice of 910 The Fan's high school football coverage. “If you find a way to defend it, it’s going to open up the guys you have on the outside. It is a dynamic that makes your offense next-level, and Sam has that.”

Defensively, von Bargen has another star returning in interior lineman Sean Boyd, who racked up 12 sacks, 22 total tackles for loss and 65 total tackles in just nine games as a junior. Known for his bullrush and speed on the interior, Boyd has a goal of 20 sacks in his final year before heading to Princeton. In addition to putting heat on the quarterback, one of his biggest jobs will be to help ease a new set of starting linebackers into the fold. Boyd singled out sophomore Zavie Brandon and junior Andrew Beavers as two players he expects to grow into important roles.

“I can speak for myself as taking a lot of pressure off of them – looking at formations helping them out – until they can really get into a flow and they’re all just playing without thinking,” Boyd said. 

What Benedictine’s coach is perhaps most excited about heading into Saturday’s contest is the play of his outside wide receivers and secondary – which are largely the same unit. 

“It’s a lot of really talented, really young kids. Some older as well, but it’s a really talented group that has taken on some leadership roles in the program,” von Bargen said. “It’s not just their production on each side of the ball, but it’s their mentality in practice. They’ve had really good offseasons and I expect big things from those guys.”

The grouping mentioned includes seniors Malachi Mingo, Issac Cuevas, Eman Moore, and junior Joshua Moore as well as Dolan. While they’ve all been two-way players, the group is more experienced defensively, where the entire secondary returns from a season ago. Mingo recorded three interceptions and 43 tackles a year ago and expects the unit to allow the front seven to operate freely.

“All of our DBs have confidence, and we know if we cover as best as we can, we can get our linebackers and the defensive line in to get to the quarterback. With them doing that, they’re able to rely on us whenever they need to,” he said.

If Benedictine is to make a historic run to a fourth title, the Cadets will need to transform the offseason work into real-world results. For Dolan, the task might be tough, but it isn’t complicated.

“We just really keep working harder and keep pushing to the next level,” the senior running back said. “We always say next week is our priority. Going into Week 1 is where we start, and we just get better from Week 1 up until Week 12, and then the playoffs, and hopefully come out with more wins and keep everything going.”