By Ronnie Gallagher
rgallagher@salisburypost.com
There will be plenty of sun and hopefully, plenty of fun today when Catawba holds its annual Blue-White spring football game at Shuford Stadium.
Game-time is 11 a.m.
After three weeks of drills, a large, curious crowd is expected. Catawba went 6-4 last year in the South Atlantic Conference and returns a slew of starters and an impressive group of transfers.
“There’s a lot of buzz going on right now,” Hester said. “I think a lot of people want to know what our team might look like next year.”
This is Hester’s eighth year as head coach and his 15th at the school. And he says all spring games are fun. He has made sure that Indian tradition continues.
“I’m kind of corny anyway,” he laughed.
The coaching staff proved it on Thursday when the seniors gathered for their draft. The athletic trainer gave an injury report. The teams were put on a timer when making their selections.
“Our spring game is more for the players than anything else,” Hester said. “There has been a lot of practicing and grinding so this is the time for the guys to let their hair down.”
The one thing Hester enjoys is seeing the different lineups.
“You’ve got a first-string right guard with a second-string center and a third-string whatever,” he said. “It’s always interesting to see what team can pull together and run coherent plays.”
Hester doesn’t have to worry much about the defensive line, saying there is a lot of depth there.
“But we’ve still got a lot of guys competing in the secondary. And we’ve got some young running backs I’m anxious to see in a game situation.”
The Blue team’s head coach is Bob Lancaster. His assistants are Matt Barrett, Ben Hepler and Khanis Hubbard.
The White team is headed by Radell Lockhart. His assistants are Todd McComb, D.J. Summers, John Fitz and Corey Ready.
And Hester? He’ll be roaming.
“I have been all over,” he said. “I’ve even stood behind the ref to hear what’s going on.”
Regardless of how much fun Hester anticipates his team having under those blue skies, there will be a serious tone to the game.
“There is something about the spring game,” he said. “You have a scoreboard up there. It gives these guys one more shot to impress their position coaches.”
That is usually a formula for some intense action.
“If our guys play as hard against other teams as they do against each other in this game, we’ll be fine effort-wise,” Hester smiled. “They play like it’s the championship game of the world.”
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NOTES: Hester has invited his recruits but doesn’t expect North Carolina transfer quarterback Cam Sexton to be present. Sexton is finishing up school in Chapel Hill. … Ready, a former star receiver at Catawba, is a volunteer coach. … The early start is due to Catawbapalooza, which begins at 2 p.m. “I want to make sure our guys get out there,” Hester said.