Centenary football returns after a half-century on Saturday evening at 7 p.m.

September 6, 2024

Centenary Football Team Opens 2024 Season On Saturday Night At Home Against Hendrix College

The wait is almost over. The Centenary football program returns to the field for the first time over a half-century on Saturday evening when the Gents face the Hendrix College Warriors in a non-conference contest set for 7 p.m. at Atkins Field on the Centenary campus.

Hendrix

1-0

Centenary (La.)

0-1

Final

Hendrix (1-0)

Centenary (La.) (0-1)

Shreveport – The wait is almost over.

The Centenary football program returns to the field for the first time over a half-century on Saturday evening when the Gents face the Hendrix College Warriors in a non-conference contest set for 7 p.m. at Atkins Field on the Centenary campus.

Live stats and live video are available for the game at the links below:

Stats: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/fball/2024-25/boxscores/20240907_ldxe.xml

Video: https://www.ktalnews.com/gocentenary/watch-live-centenary-college-sports-2024-2025/

*Centenary Athletics and KTAL have agreed on a partnership to stream all Centenary athletics home events across 19 varsity sports during the 2024-25 athletics season*

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. The Gents were impressive in their "Independent College Season" last Fall and finished 9-1 overall and outscored their nine opponents, 375-113, and recorded three shutouts.

"2024 marks a pivotal growth season for our football program," said head coach Byron 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."

"The excitement and support from the Centenary community are truly inspiring. The journey begins now we go!"

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.

Scouting the Opponent:

Hendrix, a member of the Southern Athletic Association (SAA), is located in Conway, Ark. and is a fellow division III school

The Warriors finished 3-7 last season and 3-5 in conference play

The head coach of the Warriors is Buck Buchanan

Hendrix has four players on its roster from the state of Louisiana

Hendrix accepted an offer of membership into the SCAC in June and will rejoin its original Division III conference home effective the 2025-26 academic year.

CENTENARY FOOTBALL GAMEDAY TIMELINE

2 PM TAILGATE ZONE OPENS

5 PM CAMPUS ORGANIZATION TENTS SET UP

5:30 PM GATES OPEN FOR TICKET HOLDERS

6 PM ATKINS PLAQUE UNVEILING

6:08 PM GENTS WALK – THROUGH MAIN GATE

6:50 PM INVOCATION/PRAYER & NATIONAL ANTHEM

6:55 PM COIN TOSS

7 PM KICK OFF – GENTS VS. WARRIORS

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO:

Parking

Student, faculty, and staff must park on the north side of Kings Hwy.
Handicap parking will be available in Lot 17
Lot 16 will be reserved for those who purchased a VIP pass.
Lot 18, the gravel lot, and the Porter's Building parking lot will be open parking. Once that area is full, the lots and turn off from Kings Hwy will be closed and people will be directed to park on the north side of Kings Hwy. There will be limited cart service once this lot closes.

Tickets

Tickets can only be purchased online. Tickets will not be sold at the gate. Tickets can be purchased online at centenary.edu/footballtickets or https://fan.hudl.com/usa/la/shreveport/organization/69826/centenary-college-of/tickets

Bags

At the point of entry, please be prepared to have your bag checked, or bring a clear bag.

Other info

Gates open at 5:30 p.m.
No pets, lawn chairs, or outside food and beverage are allowed inside the stadium.

For more information about becoming a Centenary football season or per game sponsor, please contact Assistant AD/Strategic Communications Patrick Meehan at 318-865-5092 or pmeehan@centenary.edu OR Collin Taylor, Development Officer for Athletics, at 318-869-5052 or cbtaylor2@centenary.edu

#GoCentenary #CTheOpportunity