By MONTE DUTTON

One of the reasons I am frenzied about football is a need to restore the routine.

It’s gotten to where I have to get up the nerve to turn on the TV.

Astronauts are stranded in orbit. The United States is performing gallantly in the Paris Olympics. Politics is in a never-ending state of flux.

I’m not just looking forward to football season for the usual reasons. I don’t have a firm grip on how the season’s going to turn out. I’m interested to see.

Clay Hendrix is the straightest shooter since Wyatt Earp.

Many coaches, particularly the ones of yesteryear, would look at the losses and turn bashful. Our youngsters’ll do the best they can, but the Good Lord knows they got hills to climb.

Others would try to build confidence and inspire by playing the defiant underdog. Our kids know they can play with anybody, and they’re not going to be intimidated by any low expectations. We don’t play these games on paper.

Hendrix has built a dadgum program. He had a heap of great players last year. Now he’s got a heap of new ones who are ready. The reinforcements are well trained. He says it because he believes it. He is comfortable in his honesty.

Let’s go play.

It’s hard to get any credit. So respected is Hendrix by his peers that they voted the Paladins second in the Southern Conference. They are ranked as high as 12^th in the nation.

If Furman wins the conference again and goes rampaging into the FCS playoffs, I’m going to consider it remarkable. Nationally, and even regionally, it’s not going to get much attention. If the Paladins struggle, it will be a minor sensation.

It comes with the territory.

Anna Morgan is the SoCon’s nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year.

The program was established in 1991 and honors the academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service and leadership of graduating female college athletes from all three divisions. To be eligible, a nominee must have competed and earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport and must have earned her undergraduate degree by the summer of 2024.

Morgan is the first woman to earn three consecutive SoCon Athlete of the Year honors. She is Furman’s fifth straight SoCon Female Athlete of the Year, following former teammate Natalie Srinivasan, who won in 2019-20 and went on to play on the Epson Tour, and professional runner Gabbi Jennings, who claimed the honor in 2020-21.

A native of Spartanburg, Morgan led the league in stroke average for the third-straight season with a 70.1 mark over 33 rounds, the lowest single-season stroke average in Furman history. Morgan posted seven top-5 finishes in 11 tournaments, including being the medalist at the SoCon Championship for the second straight year.

Morgan graduated with a 3.6 GPA in politics and international affairs.

In the fall, the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee will identify the top 30 nominees, 10 from each division, then will select three finalists from each division.  From the nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics then selects the NCAA Woman of the Year, who is named during the NCAA Convention.

Better Together: Furman’s Championship Quest, a documentary covering the Paladins’ unforgettable 2022-23 men’s basketball season, has been released on Amazon Prime.

The five-episode series is available for purchase now on the Amazon Prime app and brings viewers behind-the-scenes through the ups and downs of a championship season.

Furman’s 2023 team posted a 28-8 record, captured the Southern Conference regular season title, the school’s first SoCon Tournament title since 1980 and scored a thrilling 68-67 upset of No. 4 seed Virginia in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The victory over the Cavaliers marked Furman’s first NCAA win since 1974.

First-year head lacrosse coach Gail Wallach today announced the addition of Sarah Farley as an assistant coach.
Farley, a native of Costa Mesa, Calif, comes to Greenville after spending last season as an assistant coach at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pa. She joins Bella Karstien, who was announced on July 18, on Wallach’s inaugural staff.
Farley played for Huntsville from 2020-22, which included one season under Wallach. She began her collegiate career at Central Michigan.

Madison Luckett, Bella Murphy and Shania Diaz netted goals to propel Furman to a 3-0 shutout versus Gardner-Webb in a rain-soaked women’s soccer exhibition match Thursday morning at Stone Soccer Stadium.

Freshman Reese DeJong, who had one save, and L.J. Wise combined for the shutout in goal. Head coach Andrew Burr’s squad managed a 15-1 edge in shot attempts and 7-0 margin in corner kicks.

Furman opens regular season play on August 15 at Charleston Southern

Football season is straight ahead, and I could use your help.

My goal has always been to restore coverage for the kids. It’s as much fun as the Daytona 500, but it’s not as big and harder to make a living at. I rely on readers who like the coverage I provide to make contributions.

Advertising alone will not keep me going, but there’s room for a few more. Every ad is inset in every story.

You can support my site in several ways.

Support the advertisers. They are all fine people who appreciate my efforts, not to mention those of the kids, coaches, parents and fans.

Please donate whatever you consider appropriate via Venmo at DHK Sports. You may also reach me by mail at 11185 Highway 56 North, Clinton  29325.

If you choose, make a monthly donation via Patreon. The Laurens County site is here. The Furman site is here.

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Thanks for putting up with me.