Centenary’s Vance Feuerbacher establishing himself as one of the most versatile players in the SCAC
SHREVEPORT, Louisiana — When starting a football program from the ground up, selflessness is a necessary virtue. By the nature of the situation, it takes time for a winning culture to become solidifed. For a team’s foundation to become rock-solid. Highs and lows over the course of what is a long season are inevitable, and navigating through the peaks and valleys requires players who are not only calm and confident, but who will step up when their number is called upon. Regardless of what the task is.
Vance Feuerbacher emobodies that very mentality for Centenary, one of two programs in Division III in its first varsity season. As the Gents have put together a 4-4 record (4-2 in the SCAC) under the direction of head coach Byron Dawson, Feuerbacher has been there every step of the way, even going back to the program’s first junior varsity season last fall. He played quarterback and safety at Plano West Senior High School, but has found himself in the center of the defense at linebacker for the Gents. He tallied nine tackles and recovered a fumble in Centenary’s inaugural varsity game against Hendrix back in Week 1. Oh, and he also handled the punting duties, with two of his five punts landing inside the 20-yard line in the season opener. Then came Week 5. Centenary needed a kicker. And Feuerbacher stepped forward.
“I like to say that I’m a football player, I don’t choose just one position,” Feuerbacher said early this week. “I’ll do anything and any position that will help the team out. If I can help kicking, punting, offense, defense, I’m going to do it with no hesitation.”
That is his genuine approach. And he hasn’t done just one. He’s done all three for the past four games, which included a pair of victories over Lyon College along with a 41-21 win over Austin College last week. It is that level of commitment to Centenary, doing whatever is asked, that has made Feuerbacher a primary catalyst in the Gents’ overall success. Few programs find themselves in third place in the conference standings with two games left in their first-ever varsity campaign.
“It’s an opportunity that not a lot of people get to have,” Feuerbacher said of being part of the Gents’ inaugural recruiting class. “Being able to start something you know will last longer than your four years of playing in college [is an honor]. You know that the culture and the standard you set now will stay at the program for not only the four years you play, but for many years to come afterwards.”
For Feuerbacher, that was one of the more unique aspects when he considered the prospect of committing to Centenary as a high school senior. He held opportunities from several local Division III programs in addition to Centenary, all of whom were more established. But there was a particular draw when it came to being part of the foundation with the only college football program in Shreveport, a chance he didn’t have at other places.
“It’s a lot bigger than just me showing up to the program,” Feuerbacher added. “It’s starting something that’s going to last for a while and representing the city.”
Now, playing three positions takes it all to another level. In recent years, we’ve seen situations like that of UMHB’s Jefferson Fritz, who in 2019 received First Team All-ASC recognition as both a defensive back and a punter. What made Fritz’s case notable was the value that Fritz brought to both UMHB’s defense and special teams, as a starter and one of the conference’s best players at both positions. In the same way, Feuerbacher leads Centenary in total tackles (45.0), averages 38.2 yards/punt, and is 3-of-5 on field goals along with a near-perfect 13-of-14 mark on PATs. Rare is it to see a conference’s third-leading tackler also drilling 30-yard field goals, but that is the case in Shreveport.
Feuerbacher hadn’t kicked a field goal since middle school. He punted and played safety through high school, in addition to starting at quarterback for Plano West, but it seemed his kicking days were far behind him. And then all of a sudden, he found himself with one more starting role.
“I didn’t necessarily plan on kicking at the beginning, but certain things happened through the season, and we ended up in need of someone who was able to kick,” Feuerbacher said, noting that punting for the last three years helped develop his kicking strenght. “I knew I had done it before, so I just went out there and did my best.”
Simple, right? Through a few minutes of talking with Feuerbacher, it becomes evident that he doesn’t view his success across three positions as any sort of huge feat, even as he won back-to-back SCAC Special Teamer of the Week honors in Weeks 6 and 7 and solidified himself as one of the league’s top linebackers in only his second collegiate season. Instead, with humility, he often points back to the team dynamic involved in his success.
“It was a good feeling,” Feuerbacher said when asked about his 38-yard field goal against Austin College, the longest of his season so far. “Once again, I knew if I just ran out and did my part, and so did the other 10 guys, we were going to be able to get that through.”
When it comes to contributing towards a collective effort, Centenary’s defense is a prime example, of which Feuerbacher is a leader. He has done a little bit of everything for the Gents from his spot in the center of the defense, intercepting a pass against Lyon, recovering a fumble against Hendrix, and putting forth a pair of performances with 2.0 tackles for loss. Those individual plays are part of the larger whole for the Gents, whose 14 interceptions lead the SCAC, as does their 18 sacks.
“With good technique and good effort, the ball will come to you,” Feuerbacher said. “For us, it’s no surprise when we get those fumble recoveries and interceptions. It’s what we work on every day. Going into the game, we know we’ll have those opportunities. And in every game this season, it’s happened.”
There is no question that Centenary’s final two weeks of the season will be the toughest, opponent-wise, in the SCAC. The Gents host playoff hopeful Texas Lutheran on Nov. 9, then head to Abilene for a road duel at McMurry on Nov. 16. But because of that, and the fact that Centenary trails first-place TLU by just one game, the SCAC championship is still within reach. Feuerbacher and the Gents are well aware.
“Our goal was never to get through the season,” he said towards the end of a conversation this past week. “It was to have success through the season. At the end of the day, the SCAC championship is where we have our mindset at. We know it’s possible. We’re in a position where it can still happen. It’s going to take a lot of effort and work, but everyone on the team is committed to that.”
Numbers of the Week
3 Friday night games in the last two seasons for Hardin-Simmons Football, who moved its game against Howard Payne from Saturday to tonight, due to anticipated weather. It is HSU’s first-ever Friday evening conference game, and prior to playing both UW-La Crosse and Endicott on Fridays in 2023, HSU last played a Friday game during the 2013 season in a 64-34 loss at Willamette.
5 years since LeTourneau men’s basketball had a Preseason D3hoops.com All-American until fifth-year senior Deonte Jackson was named to the list of preseason honorees on Tuesday. Jackson was one of three Texas D3 players included amongst the website’s 25 All-Americans, joined by HSU’s Will Bartoszek and Schreiner’s Kamden Ross.
77.3 percent chance for Texas Lutheran Football to reach the Division III playoffs for the first time since 2014, per Hansen Ratings. While the SCAC does not have an automatic bid to the postseason, the Bulldogs are in position for an at-large bid with three games remaining. TLU’s six wins this season are already the most for the program since 2019.
2 hat tricks (3 goals in a match) for TLU women’s soccer’s Alyssa Simien over the course of wins against Ozarks and Centenary last week. The senior from San Antonio found the back of the net six times on the weekend, moving to fourth all-time in TLUs record book for career goals (39) and became the first player in program history with a pair of hat tricks on the same weekend. She is now just two hat tricks away from tying the program’s career record in that category.
8 goals for Concordia women’s soccer in Sunday’s shutout of UDallas, as the Tornadoes broke the program record for goals in a single match. Maddie Oberholtzer and Emma Visser each scored twice and after taking a 3-0 lead at halftime, Concordia added five goals to its total, including three in the final 15 minutes. The Tornadoes are now 6-1-1 in their inaugural season in the SCAC.
Game of the Week: No. 11 East Texas Baptist at No. 16 Southwestern | Volleyball | Saturday | 5 p.m. CT
It is not often we see two Top 20 teams battling this late in the regular season. This will be a must-see showdown in Georgetown, considering ETBU comes in having won 21 straight heading, while Southwestern is looking to secure a resume-boosting victory that would ensure an at-large bid to the NCAA Regionals. The Pirates are 18-3 and will be playing their second match in a 24-hour span when they take the court against ETBU, as Southwestern faces a tough TLU team on Friday night. ETBU, who wrapped up the ASC title with a perfect 8-0 conference record, will be well-rested entering this one, having won in three sets at Centenary on Tuesday in their lone match of the week. In the five matches played between these two in Georgetown since 2002, Southwestern is 5-0, though ETBU won the most recent meeting in five sets last season in Marshall. Expect to see two high-powered attacks on Saturday night, with Southwestern ranking second in kills/set in the SCAC (13.13), and ETBU third nationally in that stat category, at 14.11.
Other games we’ll be watching:
McMurry at Texas Lutheran | Women’s Soccer | Friday | 7:00 p.m. — Only the top four teams advance to the SCAC Tournament. TLU, with just two matches remaining, sits in fourth, with McMurry a mere one point back in fifth. Both teams have a huge opportunity ahead in the final week of the regular season, and the result of this match could play a deciding role in who earns the final spot in the league semifinals.
Mary Hardin-Baylor at East Texas Baptist | Football | Saturday | 1 p.m. — Both teams are aiming to keep pace with Hardin-Simmons in the ASC title race, and neither can afford a loss here. ETBU is also seeking its first-ever home win over The Cru.
Mary Hardin-Baylor at LeTourneau | Men’s Soccer | Saturday | 7:30 p.m. — UMHB should be the ASC’s top seed in next week’s conference tournament regardless of the result in this match, but this could be one of the most competitive men’s soccer matches on the weekend, considering the first meeting ended in a 0-0 draw. LETU might be 1-3-3 but matches up well against The Cru, who are looking to finish ASC play with an unbeaten record for the first time since 2021.
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