ROGERS — Casey Caton played sparingly in 12 football games at Harding University in the last two seasons, and the former Rogers High receiver sensed playing time would be hard to come by in the future.
So, Caton decided to give up football to devote his energy toward finishing his degree at Harding.
But Caton’s break from football won’t last long and his playing experience will make him one of the four most experienced players on the first-year Hendrix College football team.
Caton has decided to take his game from Searcy to Conway to be part of history Sept. 7. That is when Hendrix will play its first football game since the end of the 1960 season.
“Sometimes, things don’t work out, and I was sad because I liked the coaches and I liked the players at Harding,” Caton said. “It just became apparent that I wasn’t going to play as much as I would like to. But this door at Hendrix was opened, and I got excited about somebody really wanting me.”
Caton will be a go-to player on and off the field this fall as Hendrix coach Buck Buchanan expects the junior to help mentor the 45 true freshmen on the roster.
“Casey is older, he has college football experience under his belt and he is going to be an elder statesman for our program,” Buchanan said. “Casey is a guy that has been there, and he is an unbelievable leader. We are fortunate to have him.”
Hendrix had just four players on campus last school year, and none had any college football experience. Caton will be one of four transfers with playing experience when the team assembles early next month for the start of practice.
The rest of the roster will all be incoming freshmen, including former Bentonville players John Donald (linebacker) and Dillion Wade (kicker/defensive back) and former Pea Ridge running back Dayton Winn.
Caton is expected to be at wide receiver, and he comes from a football family. His father, Lafe, is the defensive coordinator at Pea Ridge, and his brothers, Cade and Zach, are also former Mounties who played college football.
“Casey is a great young man that brings more than just football to us,” Buchanan said. “Casey comes from a great football family. We feel like we are going to give him the opportunity to catch the ball and do some things that he hasn’t done in a while.
“We want guys like Casey that say, ‘We want to be in the fishbowl; we want to help start this program.’”
Caton said he is excited about being a leader on the first team in more than five decades at Hendrix.
“I know who I am and what I stand for,” he said. “I’m glad to have expectations like that put on me. You have to be careful about the words you say and the things you do. I want to do everything I can to be right with God. Hopefully, I can lead guys in the right direction so they won’t make mistakes.”
Winn will get a crack at running back in the Warriors’ spread offense, and he could also return kicks on special teams. There is also the possibility he could be moved to another spot on offense to better utilize his speed and quickness.
Winn rushed for 2,181 yards at Pea Ridge last season, and he finished his career with 4,383 yards rushing.
“Dayton is a great football player that is a tough, hard-nosed guy,” Buchanan said. “Dayton plays hard every snap, and we are fortunate to have him. We are a spread team, and we are going to get the football to skill players in space.”
Donald was a two-year starter at inside linebacker and was Bentonville’s second-leading tackler both seasons. He had 93 tackles (50 solo, 40 assists, two for a loss and one quarterback sack) as well as two pass breakups and an interception.
Wade was a backup cornerback and the Tigers’ placekicker. He hit 60 of 63 extra-point attempts and 5 of 6 field-goal attempts with his longest being 39 yards.
“Having guys from a program like Bentonville is crucial for us,” Buchanan said. “Success breeds success. Donald is a smart football player, and he is always in the right place making plays. We want runners and hitters on defense, and he is one of those guys.
“Wade is a good kicker, and we think he will do well in our secondary as well. We are impressed with him.”