PINEVILLE — Expectations surrounding the Louisiana Christian football team are sky-high as the Wildcats open the season at home tonight at 7 on Wildcat Field against East Texas Baptist.

It’s billed as “The Battle for the Border Claw,” a trophy the teams have contested previously when they were American Southwestern Conference foes. It’s the first game of 2023 for both teams.

LC is receiving votes in the NAIA Preseason Top 25 for the first time since joining the division in 2021 and will be eyeing its first postseason appearance since 2012 with a number of key players back in Pineville.

The Wildcats were 7-4 last season while ETBU, a former NCAA Division III playoff team, was 5-5.

Andrew Maddox begins his fourth season as LCU’s head coach and is the reigning 2022 Sooner Athletic Conference Co-Coach of the Year. He is second on the program’s wins list since reinstatement (13) while leading LCU to its first winning record in eight seasons in 2022.

The Cats entertained the masses with a high-scoring, dynamic system last fall that saw the Orange and Blue put together over 4,000 yards of total offense scoring 30-plus points a night, really coming into their own during a season-ending six-game winning streak.

All-SAC Honorable Mention signal-caller Sal Palermo laces up the cleats one more time, running it back after a dozen passing touchdowns, eight rushing touchdowns, and 2,221 all-purpose yards.

Behind him in the backfield will be Devin Briscoe, who will have the honor of donning jersey Number 0 in 2023. The graduate student, a former Nicholls State transfer, nearly snagged double-digit scores (9) on the back of 4.6 yards per carry last year for the Wildcats.

The receiving corps brings back all-conference first team tight end Jacob Ganote and receivers Ethan Christman, Sammy Feaster and Glenn White, along with pass-catching threat Dayton Charles as a running back option for new offensive coordinator David Feaster, long one of north Louisiana’s most successful and offensive-minded high school coaches.

Defensive coordinator Tyson Andrus will have an arsenal of playmakers to deploy including five 2022 All-SAC honorees.

Anchoring the line will be NAIA Second Team All-American Logan Brimmer, who last season made 21 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks.

LC won the last meeting, 23-17, in 2021