Saints Unveil Challenging 2016 Football Schedule

The Limestone College Athletics Department and interim head coach Drew Anthony have announced a challenging 2016 football schedule that will feature five home contests and an eight-game slate against members of the South Atlantic Conference.

The Saints, who wrapped up their second year of competition with a 2-8 overall record a year ago, will begin preparations for the 2016 campaign when spring practice begins on Monday, March 21. Limestone football will then cap the spring practice season with the "Blue & White Spring Game" on Saturday, April 16, at 1 p.m. at the Practice Field adjacent to the Bob Campbell Fieldhouse.

For the first time in team history, the Blue and Gold will open the year on the road when it travels to Raleigh, N.C. to face Shaw University on Saturday, September 3, for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Bears, who went 1-9 last season, will be moving to Super Region 2 along with the rest of the CIAA this coming year.

Limestone will then make its first trip to Columbia, S.C. the following weekend for an in-state showdown against Benedict College. With the Tigers on the schedule, the Saints will play each of South Carolina’s Division II programs during the 2016 season. Game time is set for a 6 p.m. kickoff on September 10.

“We are excited to open our season on the road against two tough regional opponents in Shaw and Benedict,” Coach Anthony said. “It will be a thrilling experience to get to play in Columbia, where many of our student-athletes call home. And, with Limestone’s Online & Evening site in Columbia, we look forward to playing in front of a home crowd.”

The Saints will then open up its home schedule when they welcome Mars Hill University on Saturday, September 17, at 1 p.m. Limestone, which is beginning its second year of a four-year scheduling agreement with the South Athletic Conference, will play all of its home games at The Reservation at Gaffney High School.

“As always, the South Atlantic Conference schedule will be extremely competitive,” Coach Antony noted. “The SAC had three playoff teams last year, so we couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to test our young men.”

Limestone is back on the road the next Saturday, September, 24, traveling to Hickory, N.C. to take on regional power Lenoir-Rhyne University, before returning to The Reservation to host Wingate University on Homecoming Saturday, October 1. The Saints and Bulldogs will square off for a third straight year at 1 p.m.

Entering the home stretch of the 2016 schedule, Limestone will play three teams over a five-week span that reached the NCAA Division II Playoffs a season ago. The Saints start arguably their toughest part of the schedule when they travel to face Catawba College, the defending SAC Champions, on October 8.

Limestone will then entertain Brevard College on Saturday, October 15, for a 1 p.m. kickoff at The Reservation. The Saints posted its first road win in program history last year with a thrilling 28-25 double overtime thriller against the Tornados on a game that was aired on regional television.

The Blue and Gold then closes out the month of October with back-to-back road games in Tennessee. Limestone will travel to face Tusculum College on October 22 and Carson-Newman University on October 29. Kickoff times for both of those games have yet to be announced.

A pair of in-state rivals will then visit Gaffney for the first time as Newberry College and North Greenville University help bring the 2016 regular season to a close. The Wolves have knocked off the Saints in two prior meetings, each played in Newberry, while the Crusaders handed Limestone a 38-9 loss in Tigerville during the inaugural 2014 season.

“We are really looking forward to reigniting a rivalry with North Greenville,” concluded Coach Anthony. “They are the closest Division II program geographically to us, so it only makes sense that the two teams will cross paths again this year.”

Limestone fans are invited out for "Super Saint Saturday" on April 16 to enjoy a full day of tailgating and athletic events. Food vendors and tailgating will be available starting at 11:15 a.m. while WZZQ Gaffney’s Hot FM will begin its two-hour live remote from campus at 11 a.m.

Limestone baseball will host Mount Olive at Founders FCU Stadium at 12 noon on April 16 and will be followed shortly by the start of the Spring Football Game at 1 p.m. Admission to the event is free, while food vendors will accept cash only. Bleacher seating will be limited, but fans are welcome to bring chairs and blankets.

Football season tickets and Saints Club membership renewal for the 2016-17 year will be available starting in July. Saints Club members will have exclusive access to renew their football season tickets and parking preferences from last season before ticketing options open up to the public on August 1.

(Article by Ernest Meyers, Limestone Sports Information Department)

ACCOMPANYING PHOTO: Saints quarterback Bo Whitney during 2015 season. Limestone photo by Stacey Wiley.