2024 CENTENARY ATHLETICS FALL SPORTS PREVIEW
Centenary's 2024-25 Athletics Season begins on Friday as the women's volleyball team takes its home court and the women's soccer team heads to Texas for an exhibition match. Two more volleyball matches follow on Saturday and the men's soccer team takes the field for its regular-season opener in Mississippi. The football season is just over a week away and cross country hits the ground running next weekend. Enjoy the previews below and as always .... GO LADIES AND GENTS!
2024 CENTENARY ATHLETICS FALL SPORTS PREVIEW
Centenary's 2024-25 Athletics Season begins on Friday as the women's volleyball team takes its home court and the women's soccer team heads to Texas for an exhibition match. Two more volleyball matches follow on Saturday and the men's soccer team takes the field for its regular-season opener in Mississippi. The football season is just over a week away and cross country hits the ground running next weekend. Enjoy the previews below and as always .... GO LADIES AND GENTS!
FOOTBALL
Saturday, Sept. 7 is a day that is marked on many calendars in the Shreveport-Bossier community no doubt. The Centenary football program returns to the field for its first regular-season game in over a half-century when the Gents face Hendrix College at Atkins Field in a non-conference contest set for 7 p.m.
What began on Nov. 10, 2021 with the announcement that Centenary was reviving its football program and bringing the sport back reaches its milestone moment in the spotlight next weekend. The news that football would make its grand return to the Centenary College campus nearly three years ago was truly a landmark moment for Centenary Athletics.
Head coach Byron Dawson leads the Gents after he was named head coach in March of 2022. Dawson, a Shreveport native, is one of the most recognizable names in local football at any level. He put together an impressive high school career at Evangel Christian Academy, where he was selected as the USA Today High School All American Defensive MVP for Louisiana, named Class 3A All-State and Defensive MVP, and helped lead Evangel to a 15-0 record in 1997, three state championships, and a No. 17 national ranking, among other accolades.
"2024 marks a pivotal growth season for our football program," said Dawson. We've seen progress in our team dynamics, staff development, and facility enhancements. The challenge now lies in managing this growth while fostering a strong team culture. Although we've addressed key areas of depth, there's still much work ahead. Every year demands a fresh start, and this is a New Year, a New Team, and a New Dream."
"With a young roster and an emerging program, we're still in the process of evaluating players to find the right mix for our first NCAA season. The excitement and support from the Centenary community are truly inspiring. The journey begins now we go!"
Dawson is a graduate of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge where he was a four-year letterman on the LSU defensive line, recording 86 tackles and four sacks and was part of LSU's nationally-ranked defense during the 2001 season, during which the Tigers upset Tennessee to win the SEC Championship and then defeated Illinois in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
He started his coaching career at Redemptorist High School Baton Rouge in 2004 before returning home to an impressive 15-year coaching tenure at his high school alma mater, Evangel. During Dawson's tenure, the Eagles reached the Louisiana State Championship seven times (2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2016). He also earned the honor of AIM National Coach of the Year in 2017. In that same year, Dawson was named NFHS Louisiana Coach of the Year and McDonald's Shreveport Times Sports team of the Year. During Dawson's tenure as Evangel head coach, the Eagles ranked sixth nationally in developing NFL players.
Dawson earned All-District Coach of the Year every season from 2013-19. He received All-City Coach of the Year in Shreveport in 2015. As a Defensive Coordinator at Evangel, Dawson was known as an innovative play caller, developing the Dawson tilt technique on the defensive front and leading defensive units to No. 1 rankings in Louisiana in 2010, 2016, and 2017.
In March of 2020, Dawson joined the Tulane University football staff as defensive line coach, where he made an immediate impact and was a finalist for FootballScoop's 2020 National Defensive Line Coach of the Year.
Centenary's previous football history began with the Gents' first game in the fall of 1894 and ended in November of 1941, with a brief attempted revival in the 1960s. Aug. 24, 2023 was another milestone in the journey. That evening, the Gents scrimmaged the East Texas Baptist University Tigers in front of an overflow crowd of eager fans at Mayo Field.
It was indeed a night to remember … A proud moment … A significant achievement. That hot night in August of last year was all those things and more for Centenary College and its athletics department as Centenary returned to the gridiron for the first time since the 1940's in front of an overflow crowd of eager fans at Mayo Field. A record-high temperature did not deter the frenzied group of Maroon and White supporters from packing Centenary's on campus stadium previously reserved for just soccer and lacrosse.
The Gents were impressive in their "Independent College Season" and finished 9-1 overall as they finished off in style with a 27-10 victory over the Lyon College Scots in Batesville, Ark. The Gents outscored their nine opponents, 375-113, and recorded three shutouts. Centenary opened the season with seven-straight wins before falling to the Arkansas Baptist College Buffaloes on Nov. 4 in Little Rock, Ark.
A ribbon-cutting event was held on May 9, 2024 to celebrate the completion of a new 4,700 square-foot fieldhouse and practice field. The fieldhouse contains locker rooms for Centenary's football team along with its women's soccer and softball teams. The facility, which also includes coaches' offices, looks out over the new 76,500 square foot turf practice field. Adjacent to the Gold Dome and to Atkins Field, home of Centenary's football, lacrosse, and soccer teams, the field house and practice field are the latest addition to Centenary's revitalized athletic complex located on Kings Highway.
The Gents are scheduled to play 10 regular-season games this season – five at home and five on the road. Centenary will be tested the remainder of this month as after the opener against Hendrix, the Gents will play three-straight road games – Sept. 14 at Texas Lutheran University in SCAC play, Sept. 21 at Austin College in a conference contest, and finally at East Texas Baptist University on Sept. 28 in Marshall, Texas.
The October schedule is more favorable as the Gents will play three of their four games at home, starting with an Oct. 5 date against Lyon College. Centenary then faces McMurry University at Atkins Field on Oct. 12, faces Lyon on the road on Oct. 19, and finishes the month at home against Austin College on Oct. 26 for Homecoming. Centenary will have a bye week on Nov. 2 and then play its final home game of the season on Nov. 9 against TLU in conference play. The Gents will finish the regular season at McMurry on Nov. 16 in Abilene, Texas.
The Gents were picked to finish third, collecting 12 points, in the preseason SCAC coaches' poll announced last month. McMurry University was selected to finish atop the conference standings and take home the 2024 league football title.
In what will be the SCAC's first season back on the gridiron since 2016, the War Hawks were the unanimous choice to finish atop the conference, earning 25 points in the balloting and all five first-place votes. Texas Lutheran University, who ended the 2023 campaign with a 2-8 mark (1-5 ASC), finished second in the polling with 19 points. The Gents were picked third and followed closely by Austin College (1-9; 0-6 ASC) with 10 points and Lyon College, who finished 4-4 in its first season playing an NCAA Division III schedule, with nine points.
As a five-member football league, the SCAC will play a double round robin schedule in 2024 with each team playing the other home and away for an eight-game conference schedule. Conference competition will begin the second weekend of the season, September 14.
See the complete Gents' season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/fball/2024-25/schedule
Direct link to football ticket purchases: https://fan.hudl.com/usa/la/shreveport/organization/69826/centenary-college-of/tickets
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
The Centenary men's and women's cross country teams will begin their seasons on Friday, Sept. 6 as they compete in "The Opener" hosted by Mississippi College at Choctaw Trails in Clinton, Miss.
The Ladies and Gents, led by third-year head coach Joseph Moses Jr. and assistant coach Vincent Manuel, will then be off for two weeks before returning to action in the Nicholls XC Invitational in Thibodaux, La. On Sept. 28.
"The season-opening meet is key for us because we will see what type of shape we are in," said Moses Jr. "Our goals for the season are to be competitive and finish strong."
Centenary will compete in the DBU Old Glory Gallop hosted by Dallas Baptist University on Oct. 5 and then returns to Choctaw Trails in Clinton, Miss. on Oct. 18 for the Watson Invitational.
The highlight of the season for the Ladies and Gents will be serving as the host school for the 2024 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships in Bossier City on Saturday, Nov. 2.
"We are a growing program and I'm very excited about the student-athletes we have this season. The Watson Invitational will be a good, challenging meet right before we host the conference meet which we are very excited about."
The men's roster features nine student-athletes, highlighted by freshman Joseph Coleman (Baton Rouge, La.) and Evan Halbert (Pearl River, La.). Coleman will compete in the 800, 1600, and 3000-meter runs as well as the 2000-meter Steeplechase. Halbert's events are the 800, 1600, and 3200-meter runs.
The women's roster includes a pair of freshmen – Anaya Jackson (Shreveport, La.) and Gabrielle Malagarie (Lafayette, La.)
MEN'S SOCCER
The Gents, led by fourth-year head coach Kevin White, will begin their season on Saturday, Aug. 31 with a non-conference match against Piedmont University in Columbus, Miss.
Centenary will face the Lions and The Huntingdon University Hawks (Sunday, Sept. 1) on the campus of Mississippi University for Women (MUW) in a pair of neutral-site contests. The Gents and Lions will meet for the first time while the match against the Hawks will be the third all-time between the two programs. Centenary recorded a 5-2 win over Huntingdon at home last season.
The Gents finished 4-9-3 overall and 1-6-1 in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference last season and were 3-4-1 at home and 1-5-2 in road/neutral contests. Centenary was picked ninth (tied with Schreiner University) in the SCAC preseason poll released on Aug. 22.
"I am really looking forward to what this young team can do against this competition and want to build on the chemistry and culture we built last year with this group with these new guys and new set of games," said White. Our biggest goal is to improve in conference and get more results in those games."
Centenary will play three-straight home matches following its season-opening road trip as the Maroon and White face Howard Payne University on Friday, Sept. 6 in its home opener at Atkins Field. The Gents then square off with MUW on Friday, Sept. 13 and Ouachita Baptist University, a division II program, comes to town on Sunday, Sept. 15. Centenary and OBU have not met since 2005 as the Gents are 4-0 all-time against the Tigers.
The Gents will then hit the road again for a pair of tough matches – at the University of Texas at Dallas (another division II opponent) on Sept. 19 and at East Texas Baptist University on Sept. 21 in Marshall, Texas. Centenary closes the month of September at home on Friday the 27th as league play begins with the Gents playing host to the University of the Ozarks Eagles.
"Our non-conference schedule will be a good challenge as we have the two D2 programs to play and get us ready for the tough SCAC schedule. Conference play will be as challenging as ever with the addition of the new schools and the quality of what we have in this conference already and we are excited to be part of it."
The month of October features eight SCAC matches with five at home and three on the road. The Gents will play host to the University of St. Thomas (Oct. 4), Concordia University (Oct. 18), McMurry University (Oct. 20), Southwestern University (Oct. 25) and Texas Lutheran University (Oct. 27). The Gents will play three-consecutive matches on the road at Colorado College (Oct. 6), Austin College (Oct. 11) and the University of Dallas (Oct. 13). The Gents close their regular season on the road at Schreiner on Nov. 1 and at Trinity University on Nov. 3.
Top returners:
Senior MF Brennan Amato (Denham Springs, La.) – Started eight matches and tallied one assist
Senior MF Hunter Booth (Harrodsburg, Ky.) – Scored three goals last season (tied for second on team) in 15 matches played with three starts
Sophomore D Dylan Clark (Allen, Texas) – Scored one goal last season in 11 matches with 11 starts
Senior F Ron Masti (Houston, Texas) – Two goals, two assists, six points last season
Sophomore D Hayden McConnell (Flower Mound, Texas) – Started 11 matches and tallied one assist last season
Senior D Christopher Tarr (Durban, South Africa) – Started all 16 matches last season
Sophomore F Carter Webb (Flower Mound, Texas) – Scored one goal in 11 matches played with two starts last season
The Gents return a pair of senior goalkeepers in Casey Clemo (Forney, Texas) and Sam Brocato (Leesville, La.) as they shared time in goal during the season as Clemo played in 12 matches and started nine while Brocato played in six with four starts before missing the last few weeks of the season with an injury.
Clemo finished second in the league in saves (65), first in saves per game (5.42), and sixth in save percentage at .699. He ranked eighth in goals against average (GAA) at 2.76 and recorded one shutout. Brocato made 24 saves for the season and picked up a win over Howard Payne.
"Brennan Amato and Hayden McConnell returning will be key contributors as we look to get the best out of Brennan his senior year and have Hayden build on his great freshman year campaign," said White.
"Two new players that we are excited about are freshman Nathan Uduojie (Houston, Texas) and freshman Emiliano Mondragon (Dallas, Texas)," said White. They are a pair of exciting freshmen that should add some quality and creativity to our attack."
The 2024 SCAC Men's Soccer Tournament will be return to SaberCats Stadium in Houston, Texas - marking the second consecutive year the venue will serve as host of the league's postseason championship event. Semifinal matches are scheduled for Friday, November 8 will the championship match contested on Sunday, November 10.
WOMEN'S SOCCER
The Ladies, led by fifth-year head coach Morgan Dorsey, will open their regular season on Sunday, Sept. 1 with a non-conference match versus the East Texas Baptist University Tigers in Marshall, Texas at 4 p.m.
Centenary will prep for the opener with an exhibition match against the University of Texas at Dallas Comets (a division III opponent) in Richardson, Texas on Friday, Aug. 30 at 6 p.m.
The Ladies finished 1-12-3 overall last season and 0-6-1 in conference play while finishing 1-4-2 at home and 0-8-1 in road/neutral contests. Despite the Ladies' struggles last season, one constant theme was strong defense. Centenary held 12 of its 16 opponents to two goals or less and recorded four shutouts. The Maroon and White held seven opponents to one goal or less and one of the highlights of the season was earning a scoreless tie at Austin College, despite only traveling with 11 players due to injuries.
"We are excited to have the season in front of us again," said Dorsey. Every year brings new challenges with a new team but we are ready to turn over a new leaf."
"We have 13 returning players from last year's roster with five transfers and six freshmen joining that group. Our upperclassmen have really stepped up and have done a fantastic job so far with their leadership and paving the way for our new players."
"Our schedule will challenge and test us in a variety of ways, so we will have to rise to those challenges with hard work and determination to achieve our goals of being successful as a team this season. It's truly difficult to pick a couple players that have stood out to the coaching staff as every player has been putting in 100%, every player has come in with a positive attitude, and every player has come in with the right mind set- we'll be fun to watch this year!"
Former Centenary women's soccer star Sydney Bascomb has joined the staff as an assistant coach. Bascomb finished her stellar career following the 2022 season ranked ninth all-time in the division III era (2011-present) in goals (10), tied for first in assists (9), eighth in points (29), and third in game-winning goals (5). She scored three goals in her senior season and two of those came in conference play. She was twice named all-conference in her star-studded career. She was a three-time member of the SCAC Student-Athlete Academic Honor Roll who played in 66 career matches and made 62 starts.
Junior D/MF Kylie Zeller (Denham Springs, La.) headlines the Ladies' returners this season. Zeller played in 12 matches last season and notched her first-career goal to give the Ladies a 2-1 home win over Belhaven.
Junior MF Adele Bihler (Bossier City, La.), senior MF Aubrey Burkhardt (Bossier City, La.), sophomore MF Shona Carlton (Ponchatoula, La.), sophomore D Kailey Hancock (Dickinson, Texas), and sophomore F/MF Lowrey Lain (Haughton, La.) are all back this season after each started 10+ plus matches last season and combined for 70 starts.
Joining the roster are three transfers - senior MF/D Desiree Rodriguez (Forney, Texas), a transfer from division III Southwestern Oklahoma State University, and sophomore MF Sarah Crenshaw (Alexandria, La.) who comes to Centenary from division III Roanoke College. Junior MF Madi Cooley (Vidalia, La.) transferred from Copiah Lincoln Community College.
The Ladies will play five of their first eight games of the regular season on the road and then play five matches at home in October with four on the road followed by their final two matches of the regular season away from home. Three non-conference road contests follow the opener at ETBU – LaGrange (Sept. 14), Huntingdon (Sept. 15), and Millsaps (Sept. 18) before the Ladies finally make their home debut on Sept. 21 against LeTourneau University in a non-conference match set for 5 p.m.
Centenary will face Wiley University in consecutive matches, Sept. 22 at home and Sept. 25 in Marshall, Texas and close the month of September at home against Tougaloo College on Monday the 30th. The Ladies will open Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play at home on Tuesday, Oct. 1 against Ozarks and finish the week with another league match against the University of St. Thomas on Friday, Oct. 4. The Ladies then head on the road for three-straight contests – at Belhaven (Oct. 8), at Austin College (Oct. 11), and at the University of Dallas (Oct. 13). The Ladies were picked to finish 11th in the SCAC this season in the preseason poll.
The Ladies are home from Oct. 18-25 for their final three SCAC matches on their home field against Concordia University, McMurry University, and Southwestern University, which will be Senior Night on Friday, Oct. 25. Centenary then closes the regular season at Texas Lutheran University (Oct. 27), at Schreiner University (Nov. 1), and at Trinity University on Nov. 3.
VOLLEYBALL
A new era begins for the Centenary volleyball program this season as Kayla Black takes over as head coach of the Ladies after two successful seasons as head coach at Philander Smith University in Little Rock, Ark. She won 36 games in her two seasons with the Panthers, including an 18-10 mark in conference play.
Black had a stellar career at Xavier as she was an Honorable-Mention All-American as a senior in 2020, named the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year and Attacker of the Year in 2018 and 2019. She was a four-time First-team All-GCAC selection, named the GCAC Tournament MVP in 2018 and 2020, and was named All-GCAC Tournament in 2017, 2018 and 2020. She was named to the LSWA All-Louisiana squad three times, twice named an NAIA All-America honorable mention, and named to the NAIA All-Southeast Region Team twice.
Linzy Woods will serve on Black's staff as an assistant coach and Ethan Hamilton is also on staff as a volunteer coach. Woods, a native of Houston, played at Grambling State University from 2017-21 as a Middle Blocker/Outside Hitter. She played in 97 matches and 280 sets and tallied 318 kills and 114 digs in her career. Hamilton, a native of Canyon, Texas, is currently serving in the Air Force as a Contracting Specialist at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City since 2022.
The Ladies begin their regular season at home this weekend as they play host to the annual "Cajun Country Classic" on Friday and Saturday in the Gold Dome. Centenary will be joined for the two-day event by Howard Payne University, Louisiana Christian University, and Millsaps College. Centenary plays LCU on Friday at 6 p.m. and then plays a pair of matches on Saturday – versus Howard Payne at 9 a.m. and Millsaps at 1 p.m. Centenary looks to rebound from a 7-23 season and is picked to finish 11th in the SCAC preseason poll.
The Ladies are scheduled to play 26 regular-season matches this season – 10 at home and 16 on the road. Centenary will play 15 SCAC matches and begins league play on Sept. 21 at McMurry University in Abilene, Texas. Following the three opening-weekend matches at home, the Maroon and White are on the road for six contests in a row before returning to the Gold Dome on Sept. 24 to face Belhaven University.
Centenary's final home match of the season is set for Saturday, Nov. 2 against McMurry University and the Ladies close the regular season in Georgetown, Texas as they will face host Southwestern University on Nov. 8 and then meet Trinity University in the regular-season finale on Saturday, Nov. 9.
"I believe this season's schedule is one of the most challenging this program has seen in the least five years," said Black. "I crafted the schedule to reflect the competition we will meet down the road and challenge ourselves going into conference play."
The SCAC has adopted a change in format this season as teams will be divided into divisions and the top eight teams will qualify for the postseason conference tournament. Austin College, Centenary, Colorado College, Dallas, McMurry and St. Thomas will comprise the Blue Division and Concordia (Texas), Schreiner, Southwestern, Texas Lutheran and Trinity will make up the Gold Division. Teams within their division will play a double round robin, teams outside of their division will play a single round robin, giving Blue Division teams a 15-game conference schedule and Gold Division teams a 14-game schedule.
Following the completion of the regular season, the top three teams from each division, plus the next two best conference records (regardless of division), will compete in a single-elimination tournament, Nov. 15 and 16, to determine the conference's automatic qualifier into the NCAA Tournament. Austin College and University of Dallas will both host quarterfinal matches on Friday, followed by both of Friday's semifinal matches as well as Saturday's championship match contested at Austin College.
The Ladies return several impact players from last season in junior S Meadow Smith (Mansfield, Texas), senior LB Kiara Liedy (Sugar Land, Texas), senior OH Jaylin St. Martin (New Orleans, La.), and junior LB Daly Nagot (Benton, La.). Sophomore MB Bailee Henderson (Monroe, La.), senior MB/OH Elizabeth Canady (League City, Texas), sophomore MB Reign McArthur (Midlothian, Texas), senior DS Allana Scott-Daniels (Spring, Texas), sophomore OH Mackenzie Haley (Orange, Texas), and sophomore S/DS Hannah Dimmel (Navasota, Texas) are also back.
Smith led the team last season in both assists (598) and aces (32) and ranked fourth in the conference in assists per set at 5.86 while Liedy led the way in digs with 446 and ranked eighth in the conference in digs/set at 4.37. St. Martin had a team-high 212 kills. Henderson was the team leader in solo blocks with 16. Nagot had an impressive season as she ranked fourth on the team in assists (38) and aces (22) and third in digs with 217.
"Meadow Smith steps into a new role of leadership this season," said Black. She is not only holding her teammates accountable but most importantly herself. This preseason Meadow has made it personal to take every rep and opportunity to grow and better her craft."
"Sophomore OH Alyssa Gatlin (Spring, Texas) will be a big addition to our team as she transferred here from one of our fellow conference schools – Southwestern University. She comes here with a something very unique and that's already having conference experience under her belt! She has immediately made in impact in the gym with her play and attitude!"
"Junior Kristi Hinze (Shepherd, Texas) brings a wealth of knowledge and confidence to our program after winning an NJCAA Division III national championship last season with Dallas College Eastfield and a pair of freshmen- Jacie Bagley (Carthage, Texas) and Aaliyah Barnett (Dickinson, Texas) will make an immediate impact as both are coming in ready to help improve this program. Jacie possess a strong blocking presence and dynamic arm swing from the right side. Aaliyah's passion for defense and hunger on offense has allowed her to also standout amongst her class! Both are extremely coachable and always looking for ways to get better!"
"Our biggest goal this year is re-establishing the love of the sport for these young women and of course to win games," said Black. Bringing that joy into our gym and consistently striving to be better every single day is the most important thing to us as a staff currently. We look forward to make our presence felt within the SCAC and breaking a few records along the way!"
"Cajun Country Classic" Full Schedule
Friday, Aug. 30
2 PM Howard Payne vs. Louisiana Christian University
4 PM Millsaps vs. Howard Payne
6 PM Centenary vs. Louisiana Christian University
Saturday, Aug. 31
9 AM Centenary vs. Howard Payne
11 AM Louisiana Christian University vs. Millsaps
1 PM Centenary vs. Millsaps
See the complete 2024-25 Centenary Athletics Composite Schedule Here: https://www.gocentenary.com/composite
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