Centenary Football: From Headlining the First Issue to Making a Comeback
As of now, Centenary College is completely turning itself upside down. There are stadium additions planned, renovations to the team weight room, a planned addition of a locker room, and to top it off, the largest freshman class in recent years. It is not going to be long until the athletic facilities will be unrecognizable from years past. Gone are the outdated equipment and floodwaters from the pit and in with the new floors and upgrades.
Football has produced even more rumors because there are rumors of adding a marching/pep band and even a new dorm hall. These changes are sure to add to the Centenary experience as there will be more people on Centenary’s campus than at any time in recent history. Freshman Seth Benton reported that there are around thirty expected football recruits in next year’s class. Without a doubt, these large recruiting classes can be expected for the next couple of years as the team will focus on building to a respectable size. Football and band alone have the potential to greatly spike enrollment, and there is no doubt that these new changes will make our school larger and livelier than ever.
These words are good news to the Centenary community. Gone are the days of having nothing to do on a Saturday, for college football is finally back in Shreveport after almost 100 years! One can only begin to imagine the gameday experience: from tailgates, the student section, and even the mood on campus for the next couple of days after a big win. Current underclassmen will graduate Centenary with a completely different experience than any recent Centenary student has gotten. In addition, football provides an opportunity to put Centenary College on the map. The future Fighting Gents could gain publicity and recognition, giving the college some long-overdue attention.
There are many exciting factors about football, but there is one overall aspect that every student should be excited about. A larger enrollment is going to give the entire institution more finances. Most of which will be rolled back into the school. Current and future students will have access to not only better athletic facilities, but a better campus overall. More money could fix buildings that have fallen victim to age, provide instruments to support a band, or maybe give those pesky Sexton Hall Showers a long overdue upgrade.
Overall, it is a great time to attend Centenary College! The future of the school is looking bright. Soon, there will be more people, sports, and things to do on campus than ever. Because of football, current and new students will have access to better facilities both academically and athletically. This addition of football to our school has ushered us into a new age of college. Current students should be ecstatic for the changes to come to Centenary as they will be the first to experience a whole new campus, and finally get another step closer to an even better college experience.
