12 Aug 2014 Hendrix: Experienced Warriors seek winning season

Conference: Southern Athletic Association
Coach: Buck Buchanan
’13 Record: 3-7 (1-5)

After more than 50 years, Hendrix returned to the gridiron last year, adding a splash of orange to a city usually dominated by purple during football season. For head coach Justin “Buck” Buchanan, the first step in rebooting the program was making sure he had the right students for the job.

“We did a great job of solidifying our culture here and blending in with the Hendrix community,” Buck said. “They did a great job on the field and in the classroom.” Buchanan coached the Warriors — who consisted of mostly freshmen — to three wins in 2013, and the Warriors will push for even more when football resumes this fall.

“The biggest thing we got last year is that we came together as a team and gained confidence as a team and individually as teammates,” Buchanan said. “We have some experience now, and our campus understands what we are trying to do. We’ve gotten stronger, and we’re continuing to get better every day.”

As the team prepares for its second season, the Warriors expect to have around 80 players on their 2014 roster. Returning under center is sophomore quarterback Seth Peters, a Greenbrier native, who ranked second in the conference last year with 17 passing touchdowns, before suffering a season-ending knee injury halfway through the year.

“We expect a lot of big things out of Seth this year,” Buchanan said. “But our No. 1 job is to keep him healthy.”

Senior Casey Caton was one of six Warriors recently named to the NCAA Division III Pre-Season All-American first team and led the conference with 80.5 receiving yards per game and eight touchdowns in 2013 and looks to be a dynamic threat in the Warriors’ offense.

Dayton Winn and Spencer Smith were second team picks, sophomore Steve Crenshaw was placed on the third team and sophomores Caleb Shannon and Travis McMahon were honorable mentions.

Winn returns as the team’s leading rusher and returner, having amassed 821 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground and nearly 2,000 all-purpose yards a year ago. Smith and McMahon look to be more receiving options for Peters. Crenshaw converted eight field goals last year, including the game winner over Westminster College.

Shannon anchors the defensive line after racking up a team-leading three interceptions and 86 tackles last year. His 9.6 tackles per game ranked second in the conference. Joining him are sophomores Ben Cunningham, Jake Steward and Matt Ramirez, who offer depth on the line.