It’s a dream matchup some 20 months away, but folks around town are already talking about it.
In fact, it was the first question Chip Hester fielded Thursday afternoon at the Salisbury Civitans’ weekly luncheon, where he was invited to be the guest speaker:
Is the Catawba football team going to play Coastal Carolina in 2003?
Currently, said the new Indians’ football coach, Catawba is supposed to take on Coastal Carolina and former Tribe leader David Bennett.
But it doesn’t look good for the matchup to actually take place. The devil is in the details, it would seem. Bennett and Coastal would like a four-year contract.
That would be fine and dandy, except for one thing:When the latter years of that contract come due, Coastal’s brand-new program will have its full load of scholarships available, giving the Division I-AA squad a big-time advantage over the D-II Tribe.
“That’s not good for us,”Hester said. “Really, it’s up to (Athletic Director)Dennis Davidson, but I know I don’t want to play them four years.”
And Bennett, it would seem, doesn’t want to do two years. So Catawba fans might have a long wait to see the new coach take on the old one.
Hester’s not timid in not wanting to battle a bigger school down the road. In Division II football, making the postseason is simple — win a lot of games.
There is no complicated computer formula to figure in strength of schedule or conference. The teams with the wins make the postseason field of 16. The teams with the losses stay home.
“Currently, if you lose it hurts you. That’s something the coaches’ association is trying to work on, weighing strength of schedule,”said Hester, who attended the American Football Coaches Association meeting in San Antonio earlier this month.
“Now you need games where you feel like you can win, especially playing in this conference.”
Other changes the D-II coaches would like to see include an expanded playoff field and a change from the current regionalized format,.
Now, the top four teams from each region go, instead of the top 16 teams overall in the country. As strong as D-II football is in the south, that would be an edge for teams like Catawba and Carson-Newman, Hester said.
Neither of those changes appear imminent, however.
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Hester was asked to give a “State of the Team” talk, and he sounded excited about the upcoming season.
After working under Bennett since 1995 and heading into the national playoffs the past three seasons, there’s quite a bit to be happy about.
The offensive coordinator spoke glowingly of Catawba’s ferocious defense, but also promised an offensive attack that would use big QB Luke Samples and his fleet of talented wide receivers more often.
As for the pressure of taking over a team that reached the national semifinals last season, Hester admitted duplicating that feat —or surpassing it — is daunting.
“We’ve got the highest expectations. Our goals are as high as you can put them,”Hester told the crowd. “But from now on, we’re not talking about them. We’re going to take every single play as it comes, give our best effort every time out and those wins will come.”
Hester happily responded to another question that only two players had left Catawba to join Bennett at Coastal. He didn’t name them, mentioning only that both were freshmen who played last season, one on the offensive line and another at linebacker.
“You feel good that it wasn’t a mass exodus,”Hester said. “When you start talking about six, seven guys, then you’re looking at some trouble.”
On the plus side, Hester also got his first two recruits. The one,***Trey Faitly***, is a 6-foot-4, 297-pound offensive lineman who started at Liberty last year as a freshman. He had been recruited by Catawba initially and contacted the Indians of his desire to transfer.
The other signee is freshman ***Marcus Huntley***, a defensive lineman who the Tribe also recruited but didn’t become eligible until this semester.
This weekend is a big recruiting weekend for the Indians, Hester said, as he and his mix of new and old coaches will be re-evaluating all the prospects and seeing what holes still need to be filled.
While he couldn’t mention specific names, he also answered that there are several players from the Rowan County area the Indians are hoping to sign.
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Hester gracefully fielded the funniest question of the day: “Will the Duke team improve enough to get on your schedule?”
Once the laughter subsided, Hester responded that the Duke football staff employed some great people who just can’t end their run of tough luck.
The new coach enjoyed himself in his second appearance since Bennett left. His first speaking engagement came at Enochville Elementary’s Drug Abuse Resistance Education program graduation.
“Given the choice between coaching ball or speaking, I’d take coaching any day of the week,”Hester admitted with a laugh. “I was always Coach Bennett’s back-up plan. I’ve spoken at clinics and taught class for seven years, so I’m getting a little more confident with it.
“But it’s something I’ve got to get used to. That’s part of the job now.”
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Contact Steve Hanf at 704-797-4256 or shanf@salisburypost.com
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