Returning players key for Bulldogs

Heather Cory

Centennial is looking to emerge from a tough Northwest Division and make the playoffs. The Bulldogs will be led by, clockwise from top, Dana Payton, Joshua Hardy, Billy Smith and Scott Hamilton.

By Sean Ammerman (contact)

Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008 | 2 a.m.

If there was a team that was victim of being in a tough division in 2007, it was Centennial.

The Bulldogs opened the season with three straight wins, but couldn’t sustain the momentum in Northwest Division play as they dropped their first four league games.

They rebounded to end the season with three straight wins, giving them a 6-4 record in coach George Baker’s debut year.

“Last season was like a roller coaster for us with one big dip in the middle,” Baker said. “When we were 3-4 our players could have quit. We had no chance of making the playoffs but they wanted that winning season and we ended the year on a high note.”

The good news for the Bulldogs is that five offensive starters and six defensive starters are returning.

Senior wide receiver Matt Holley, who led the team in all-purpose yards with 1,309 last year, said the team learned a lesson from turning around a losing season.

“That really showed what kind of team we had,” Holley said. “We’re not going to get down on ourselves no matter how bad the situation is.”

For Holley, his senior year is about getting over the hump of making the playoffs. To prepare, Holley opted to give up baseball in the spring to spend more time in the weight room.

“I realized that for us to be as good as we can be, I would have to dedicate more time,” he said. “It has worked. I have noticed I’m a lot stronger and faster than I was last year.”

Holly will have to break in a new quarterback.

With last year’s starter Tyson Turley graduated, juniors Chris Henderson and Steven Wicker are fighting for the job.

Henderson has the experience of starting last season’s final three games, while Wicker has a 6-foot-4 frame that gives him an advantage.

“It’s a luxurious problem and we may just play them both,” Baker said. “We have the best of both worlds with them and we’ll have to see who fits our identity.”

Defensively, the Bulldogs are led by senior linebackers Billy Smith and Scott Hamilton. Smith was second on the team in tackles last year with 115.

“I think we’re an under the radar kind of team and that’s fine,” Baker said. “You have to earn that hype before people notice you.”

Sean Ammerman is a reporter for the Home News. He can be reached at 990-2661 or sean.ammerman@hbcpub.com.