JOURNAL SPORTS

SUWANEE, Ga. — In balloting by the league’s head coaches, Centenary’s fledgling football program is projected for a middle of the pack finish while McMurry is picked atop the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference’s 2024 league football race.

The SCAC released its poll Monday, as Centenary football players reported to begin preseason practice. Some Gents have been studying abroad in France.

In what will be the SCAC’s first football season 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, who ended the 2023 campaign with a 2-8 mark (1-5 ASC), finished second in the polling with 19 points.

Centenary College, who will kick off its first season of varsity football in over 50 years, was the coaches’ third choice and finished with 12 points in the balloting 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.

Among players to watch in the SCAC in 2024, these Centenary players were cited by the league:

• Vance Feuerbacher, Centenary (sophomore quarterback) – expected to start under center for the Gents; was QB1 to open 2023 before an injury ended his season.

• Joshua Ware, Centenary (sophomore running back) – one of the team’s leading ground gainers, including team-high 48 yards on 16 carries in season finale against Lyon.

The SCAC football season begins on Saturday, Sept. 7, with all five teams in non-conference action. The first week’s schedule is highlighted by Centenary hosting its first football game since the 1960s with an on-campus contest against future conference opponent Hendrix College. 

The first slate of conference games will follow on Saturday, Sept. 14 as Centenary travels to Texas Lutheran and Lyon heads to McMurry for the first conference football games since November 2016. Both of those games are scheduled for 6 o’clock kickoffs.