The Bisons football team has a legacy stretching back to 1924. Last year, Harding had its best record to date (13-1, 11-0 in the regular season), only losing one game to the eventual Division II champions, Northwest Missouri State. The Bisons keep pushing forward with such a legacy behind them.<\/p>\n
To start out this season, the Bisons are ranked second in the Great American Conference (GAC) behind Southern Arkansas. They rank No. 15 nationally, while Southern Arkansas is ranked No. 22. No other GAC schools are in the top 25 of the American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches\u2019 preseason poll.<\/p>\n
With a new head coach, Paul Simmons, this year, the Bison nation has a lot of hope and excitement. Simmons was assistant coach for 11 years before taking over the position that Ronnie Huckeba held for 11 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really don\u2019t talk about wins and losses; we talk about our goals of how close we can get to our potential and that we exhaust every bit of talent that God gave us,\u201d Simmons said. \u201cWe don\u2019t focus on polls but rather how to make sure that we are the very best version of what we can be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Along with being an experienced coach, Simmons was an accomplished player in 1993, earning one of the four All-American awards that year. The 2016 season was the second year in Bisons football history to that saw four All Americans, and the only time the team had a perfect record to end the regular season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pressure I feel at the end of the day isn\u2019t about winning or losing,\u201d Simmons said. \u201cThe pressure I feel is whether I have been able to help produce Christian men, and that\u2019s what Harding football has always been about.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the loss of last year\u2019s senior quarterback, Park Parish, amongst other key figures, the Bisons still have to practice each day with intensity. Despite these losses, the program still has a number of strong seniors and upperclassmen.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year, we have a lot of guys who haven\u2019t played, and they\u2019re talented guys who have waited their turn behind the class that just graduated, and I\u2019m certainly excited about that,\u201d Simmons said. \u201cThe seniors have been dynamite; They have won so many games for us, and we want to send them out on top.\u201d<\/p>\n
Senior leaders such as running back Grant Kimberlin and offensive tackle Gavin De Los Santos contribute, on and off the field, to the success of the team. This year\u2019s team has several standout seniors who have helped lead the team to success in previous years as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe energy at practice and being vocal at practice are two big factors in leadership this year,\u201d Kimberlin said. \u201cGetting guys to step up and guys who haven\u2019t had as much experience to step up, will continue to help us this season.\u201d<\/p>\n
De Los Santos was named preseason All-American.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year it is more motivating because I do have that hype around me now; I have people expecting things out of me,\u201d De Los Santos said. \u201cThe biggest thing is I want to deliver for them and not just have that hype.\u201d<\/p>\n
De Los Santos has played in 33 games with 24 starts so far in his Harding career and also earned All-America honors from Don Hansen. De Los Santos helped lead Harding to be the top rushing offense in Division II.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn a more spiritual level, we want to win more guys to Christ,\u201d De Los Santos said. \u201cWe want guys to be men of God, that\u2019s more important than winning even.\u201d<\/p>\n
The seniors on the team say Harding\u2019s program is a standout program, because of \u201cthe brotherhood.\u201d The brotherhood is all about having each other\u2019s back, on and off the field, and being able to rely on each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe brotherhood is the solid foundation of Harding football,\u201d Kimberlin said. \u201cIf we can always rely on each other we can really conquer any obstacle.\u201d The Bisons\u2019 next game is Sept. 9, at 6 p.m. in Magnolia, Arkansas, against Southern Arkansas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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