Homecoming Sports Recap

Homecoming week was kicked off Monday by our beloved Centenary Cheer Squad. Due to a rainy Sunday night, they were forced to move their performance from the Caf Deck to the inside of the Caf. They provided the Caf (if only for a single day) with an entertainment aspect that I hadn’t experienced at the Caf prior. It was nice to get a sneak peek at what our Cheer squad works so hard on; and the audible of turning the event indoors truly made for a memorable first impression on Homecoming Week. By Monday night, SGA was giving out sliders in the SUB, while streaming our Gents Football game against Texas Lutheran University. They won once again convincingly, with a final score of 28-0.

On Tuesday, Centenary Athletics hosted our annual Spooktacular Event. Opposed to Mayo Field, this year, facilities graciously set up tables and chairs for us in the parking lot next to the Gold Dome. Local kids and families came to interact with our athletes and each sport’s station. We at Men’s Basketball had a small hoop for Trick or Treaters to shoot and dunk on. Football had targets for the kids to throw footballs at. It has grown to be a very fulfilling event considering that the culture of Trick or Treating is slowly being lost within neighborhoods. In a post-pandemic era of not getting acquainted with neighbors, Centenary (ironically on Homecoming Week) shows again how it serves as a home away from home.

Wednesday was the Big Game Day of the Week: The Shreveport Showdown. At our first look at our Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams, Centenary hosted LSU-Shreveport for the annual King’s Highway Clash. The short distance between schools allowed for a lot of the community to come and see our beautiful Gold Dome. Even though both teams lost (Gents only by 3), Wednesday was an awesome way to kick off our winter sports season. With a presentation between games, we also got a glimpse of our Homecoming royalty finalists.

We capped our Homecoming business week with more inclusion and awareness on Friday. At 5pm, I was on Jones-Rice Intramural Field, as we were preparing for the annual WALK LIKE MADD event, in honor of the late Centenary Alum “Big Syl '' Sylvia Keiter. Walk Like MADD is a Mothers Against Drunk Driving organization. A lot of students (athlete and otherwise) showed up and showed out in our effort to shed light on drunk driving; and to continue to strive toward “No More Victims.”

By 6:30 on Friday, our Gents Lacrosse team hosted an Alumni Game on Mayo Field. All the while, Centenary was hosting a Gumbo and Cookie competition. By 10pm, we began our annual Maroon Madness Basketball event. Along with player introductions and three-point contests, both the Ladies and Gents basketball teams played a Maroon vs. White scrimmage. It proved to be a nice event to build upon the anticipation of our winter sports season.

It is now Saturday November 4th as I finish this article for November 5th publication. Earlier today, we had our official Homecoming Royalty selection. Our King, Queen, Prince, and Princess ended up all being Centenary Athletes! Our Prince is Track star and Basketball player Coby Harris, and our Princess is Centenary Cheerleader Audrey Laper. Our Homecoming King is Diamond Gent Chris Dennis, and our Homecoming Queen is Centenary Cheerleader Avery Cauley. My attendance at this event and work immediately following unfortunately disallowed my attendance to the Swim Alumni Meet. Now, I am preparing for the cap on our wonderful homecoming week with the Rhapsody performance by Centenary’s Choir.

Once again, with a handful of shindigs, Centenary College proves to be HOME AWAY FROM HOME for locals and out-of-state kids alike.