Veritas christian Football player Hogan Randall, left, and volleyball player Shereen Fattaahi will look to lead the Eagles this fall.

Despite having just three seniors on his roster, Veritas Christian football coach Doug Bennett is not concerned for a second about the leadership on this year’s team.

With two of the three seniors having played in the program since junior high and a host of juniors bringing big-time experience from last season, Bennett believes he has the pieces in place to provide plenty of guidance on the gridiron this fall.

The lead-by-example nature of this year’s team begins with senior Hogan Randall. As a fullback on offense and middle linebacker on defense, Randall brings leadership on both sides of the ball. And while that seems to be one of his most valuable traits, Bennett said his most visible trait is his ability to hit.

“He’s just a hard-nosed, quiet leader,” Bennett said. “But when he makes a tackle, most people in the stands will hear it. He can lay a hit. He’s a football player.”

Joining Randall as a senior leader on this year’s team is Jacob Reynolds. Like Randall, Reynolds has been in the program since junior high, and because of that Bennett expects him to use his intelligence to help lead the Eagles.

“His biggest strength is his knowledge,” Bennett said. “That really gains him an advantage. His role may change, and we’re looking at moving him around, but he’s been around and in the system long enough to know what to do wherever you put him.”

Reynolds is expected to play tight end, offensive line and defensive end this year.

The final member of this year’s senior class is first-year player Tim Kramer. Despite a 5-foot-8, 155-pound frame, Kramer is one of the most physically imposing players on the roster, Bennett said.

“He’s physically very strong,” Bennett said. “He’s not the biggest kid, but he’s kind of like a spark plug who just plays as hard as he can all the time.”

The Eagles enter 2009 looking to fill the void left by last year’s seniors, one of the most accomplished classes in school history.

Thanks to this trio of upperclassmen, as well as the support provided by a select group of experienced underclassmen, Bennett thinks the pieces are in place to take another step forward this season.