Mustangs Take District 13-A Title in Close Game With War Eagles

The game began with the War Eagles scoring on the first shot, the Stangs tying the game and then taking a two-point lead before the War Eagles regained the lead by two. The Stangs regained the lead and led by seven before the War Eagles battled back and trailed by a single point after eight minutes of action. Keanon McKinnie led the Stangs with two shots from three-point range for six, followed by Alex Jordan with four, Kenneth Hillsman with a three-point play and Justin Truett with two. Lykes led the War Eagles with six, while T. Taylor and Jimmy Mobley scored four each for West Carroll. After one, Huntingdon led 15-14. The second quarter, after the War Eagles tied the game at 20, they managed to take leads of up to six points before the Stangs battled back in the final moments. T. Taylor led all scorers with two shots from three-point range and nine total points, followed by John Taylor with a three-pointer and seven. Lykes hit a three-pointer and Xavier Webb scored one at the line. McKinnie led the Stangs with a three-pointer and six total points, followed by Jordan with four, Robert Weathers with a three-pointer and Terrence Bell, Hillsman and Truett with two each. At intermission, the game was tied at 34.

The third quarter, the two teams continued to battle with the lead continuing to change hands in a low scoring third quarter. The third period, Mobley hit a three- pointer and Lykes scored two for West Carroll. Jordan, Hillsman and John Thomas scored two each for the Stangs. After three, Huntingdon led 40-39. The final quarter, with the pace slowed down both teams scored few points. With 1:20 remaining, West Carroll tied the game at 44 and had the ball. A turnover led to stalling by the Stangs to get a good shot. Hillsman hit a two-point shot at the 40-second mark and after the War Eagles Taylor missed a three-point attempt, Weathers went to the line to shoot one and one. He hit the first, but missed the second. Lykes rebounded the ball, but was unable to get the pass off and Huntingdon won the game, 47-44. Mobley led the War Eagles with a three-pointer while T. Taylor scored on two of two at the line. Hillsman led the Stangs with four while Bell added two and Weathers scored one.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS:
HUNTINGDON: Keanon McKinnie 12, Kenneth Hillsman 11, Alex Jordan 10, Terrence Bell 4, Justin Truett 4, Robert Weathers 4, John Thomas 2.
WEST CARROLL: Titus Taylor 15, Marcus Lykes 11, Jimmy Mobley 10, John Taylor 7, Xavier Webb 1.
 

The first quarter, Kerry Hunt led all scorers with three shots from three-point range and 11 total points, followed by Patrick Willis with two. Chris Gurley led the Rockets with a three-point shot and five total points while Josh Todd scored four. After one, Central led 13-9. The second quarter, the Tigers improved their margin as Billy Doupis' hot hand connected on three shots from three-point range and 15 total points, followed by Willis with three, Rick Sturdivant with two and Terry Parker and Hunt with one each. Jason Holiday led the Rockets with a three- point shot and eight total points, followed by Gurley with four and Nick Cobb with two. At intermission, Central led 35-23.

The second half, the Tigers came out hitting well and scored enough to lead by 16 after three full quarters of action. Michael Aldridge led with two shots from three- point range and eight total points, followed by Willis with a three-pointer and five and Sturdivant and Doupis with four each. Holiday hit a three-pointer and led the Rockets with 10, followed by Cobb with a three-pointer and Gurley and Todd with two each. After three, Central led 56-40. The final period, seven Rockets scored to narrow the margin against them. Holiday hit a three-pointer and led with seven, followed by Gurley with six and Cobb, Todd, Dusty Boyd, Adam Woods and Andrew Weatherford with two each. Willis led the Tigers with six, followed by Aldridge with four and Sturdivant, Parker and Hunt with two each. Central won the game, 72-63.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS:
HOLLOW ROCK-BRUCETON: Billy Doupis 19, Patrick Willis 16, Kerry Hunt 14, Michael Aldridge 12, Rick Sturdivant 8, Terry Parker 3.
CLARKSBURG: Jason Holiday 25, Chris Gurley 17, Josh Todd 8, Nick Cobb 7, Dusty Boyd 2, Adam Woods 2, Andrew Weatherford 2.

All District 13-A Team Announced

Those named to the District 13-A team for performance in the regular season were as follows: Patrick Willis, Michael Aldridge and Billy Doupis of Hollow Rock-Bruceton, Titus Taylor, Marcus Lykes, John Taylor and Jimmy Mobley of West Carroll, Alex Jordan and Keanon McKinnie of Huntingdon, and Chris Gurley, Nick Todd and Jason Holiday of Clarksburg. Willis gained All District MVP honors for his regular season performance. West Carroll War Eagle and Lady War Eagle Coach Roy Grant was named Coach of the Year.
 

Coach Senter brings an impressive combination of skills and experience with him. He has been a college head coach, offensive and defensive coordinator, position coach, and administrator. In addition, he also has experience in Admissions, Development, Financial Aid, and in the classroom. He has worked with some of the top coaching talent in the game today, including Steve Spurrier, Tyrone Willingham, Terry Bowden, and Bob Matheson.
As an assistant coach at Duke University in the early 1980s, Coach Senter began to develop a "Strategic Plan" for his own career. Under the guidance of Duke head coach Red Wilson, Coach Senter realized that his goal was "...to be head coach at a small college, and to be an excellent small college head coach with a Division I pedigree. " From that point, Coach Senter executed a career plan that provided the experience necessary to meet his career goal. He also worked to put himself in position to learn from the best coaches.

The Bethel College head coaching position is a good match for Coach Senter's career goals. The Coach says he came to Bethel because he was offered an interview and the interview process gave him the opportunity to investigate and interview Bethel College while he was interviewed. What Coach Senter found was a college "...with a vision and plan in place for the football program, and that Bethel College was willing to do what it takes to carry out that plan." His vision for a small college football program mirrored Bethel College's and he realized that this position was the one he wanted.

President Robert Prosser, commenting on both the search and the reason Coach Senter was selected, noted that, Bethel College conducted a search for a Football Coach who could do more than coach football. "We wanted someone who would be an excellent football coach, however, we also wanted someone who would make quality education the first priority. I think we have found that person. Brad Senter has excellent coaching credentials and experience, but he also has a demonstrated commitment to success in the classroom."

Regarding the selection of Coach Senter, Athletic Director Larry Eddings said, "Brad is an enthusiastic person that has the background and experience to succeed; not only on the field but off the field. He has an understanding of the community, and of the importance of academics, and is willing to put in the time to recruit student-athletes from the local area."
The fans of Bethel College football should be in for a real treat as the new Coach has, "A two-year plan to win at least 70 percent of our games." Coach Senter runs a no-huddle, multi-wide passing game offense, and a multiple attacking style defense that always puts pressure on the opponents. He is a firm believer in quality special teams play and vows to dedicate a third of practice time to special teams.

He has already moved to revamp the recruiting strategy for the program. He wants to develop strong roots in Tennessee and he and his staff are working to get to know every high school program in the immediate area. Once the relationships develop in the immediate area, he and his staff will begin working with other regions. Coach Senter inherits a Wildcat team that had its first winning season since the reinstatement of football at Bethel College in 1993. Under Coach Ray Talley, the Cats went 5-4, including a 3-1 record at home. Senter notes that there is some real talent already in place and he plans to build on that talent. "I must have 22 impact players to form the nucleus," Coach Senter said, adding, "Everyone else will be very close in talent. We will not recruit 'projects' and Bethel College cannot settle for what is left after everyone else is finished recruiting. We are going to widen our search area to get the top student-athletes to come to Bethel College." He vowed that the program would not recruit anyone that Coach Senter believes cannot make it academically at Bethel.

According to Coach Senter, he is working towards two results at Bethel. The first is making the college experience so rewarding for the players that they feel compelled to continue their relationship with Bethel long after they finish their football careers and graduate from the college. The second is developing a winning program that draws more and more fans to the games and builds fan support that leads to financial support to help the program and the college grow.

Coach Brad Senter is married to Dena Senter, a middle school guidance counselor. He also has a daughter named Lauren. In addition to his wealth of experience as a football coach, Coach Senter is also a Professional Golfer's Association (PGA) Teaching Professional.