Chip Hester Quotations

Four years ago, there were a few league games you knew you would win. That's not the case anymore. On any Saturday, anyone in this league can lose or win.

Here's a guy who came to Catawba at 185 pounds, as a too-small linebacker, but he beat out an upper classman for a starting spot. Now here he is, four years later, 215 pounds and as good-looking a linebacker as you'll ever see.

We were down to our last straw several times. All second half, we had opportunities to lay down and quit. But we didn't do it.

We were down to our last straw several times.

Those two pull for each other and feed off each other.

We talked about a lot of plays, but we went with a great call by (assistant) Matt Barrett. Crowe pulled the defense over just enough.

What stands out about Winston-Salem State is those running backs. They want to be physical. They want to beat people up front.

Brock Thom, definitely he's the oldest. I don't know about the wisest. He knows the ropes and knows our system. He's been able to learn from some of the best that Catawba's ever had. His mental toughness and physical toughness really set a tone. We're not starting from scratch there.

Brad has football savvy, and he has the arm to make every throw. His height doesn't hurt any, but the thing I like most about him is that he's always calm and poised.

Corey saw a lot of double coverage last season, and Rod usually made teams pay. Those two are best buddies.

Defense is what Catawba's historically known for. We think this could be a very good unit.

Coming out of high school (Purnell Swett), we recruited Darryl as an athlete. We'll recruit a quarterback or corner for a position, but in Division II you just try to get the best athletes you can and then trust the coaches get them in the right place.

They're starting from scratch on defense, so we don't have any film of their personnel playing that defense. We do have an idea what they'll do, but we know we'll have to make some mid-game adjustments.

Aaron did some really nice things speed-wise. We're excited about getting him.

Stewart jumped right in and fit in with everyone. Credit him and credit our players. He was accepted, and he was accepting of them.

I'll never forget, the guy we were there to watch took the ball baseline and was getting ready to dunk it. Out of nowhere Shane Timmons comes from the foul line and pinned the ball up against the backboard.

If you were gonna pick any guy to be successful that has never thrown a college pass, it would be Brad. He's not an average sophomore.

The coaches and the team believe in Brad. The really good thing for us is that there will never be a better year to break in a new quarterback. We've got great skill people all around him.