On Thursday, March 23, nine senior boys from Benet competed for the coveted title of “Mr. Redwing.” The competition was organized by Student Government and was hosted by Christian Manuel, our school’s president. The boys who participated in the competition included John Arnold, Ryan Augustyn, Dale Cservenyak, Ben Hesse, Andrew Manuel, Brendan O’Neill, Jake Perrino, Connor Serafin and Brendan Smith.

The boys engaged in four events throughout the competition, including dating scenarios, showcasing a unique talent, performing a group dance, and flaunting their summer swimwear. The competition judges were three female student judges, namely Caitlin Conway, Abby Eschenbach, Margot Sennett, and one teacher judge, Ms. Eraci.

Each boy picked a walk-out song, was introduced by Christian, struck a pose, and was asked two questions. Then the talent portion started. Ben Hesse displayed his coordination by juggling apples and eating them simultaneously. John Arnold danced, Ryan Augustyn lip-synced and performed another dance routine, and Jake Perrino came up with his own interpretive dance. Brendan Smith played “Hot Cross Buns,” “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” and “Ode to Joy” on his recorder while Connor Serafin performed the song “Fur Elise” on the piano solely from memory. Dale Cservenyak benched 315 pounds for ten reps while Brendan O’Neill recited a beautiful poem that he wrote. The audience seemed to particularly enjoy Andrew Manuel’s lip-synced performance of “One Less Lonely Girl” at the event. Once he finished the song, he concluded his act by presenting Ms. Eraci with a rose. 

In the middle of the talent portion, the boys came together for a group dance to “Whatta Man,” complete with the worm, and finished by lifting host Christian Manuel into the air. Next, the boys showed off their summer looks with a swimwear portion, in which all the boys came out individually in their swimsuits. Then, each boy was presented with dating scenarios where each boy “went on a date” with one of the three student judges. During the “date,”  each boy was asked three different questions and evaluated based on their responses. 

Finally, the judges tallied their votes and announced this year’s “Mr. Redwing,” who was none other than apple juggler Ben Hesse! Master recorder player, Brendan Smith, stated, “I had so much fun being a part of Mr. Redwing. I thought we put on a pretty good show, and people had a good time watching it. I had no clue what to expect, but it was a good time, especially with the other contestants. Also, Mrs. Redwing hit up Ben Hesse.” Overall, the entire event was a hilarious success, and it is something that should not be missed in the future.