Greenville – Though a few key starters returned from last year’s Class A state championship team,
Christ Church head football coach Quin Hatfield had some holes to fill heading into the 2023 season.
Hatfield saw 13 seniors graduate from last year’s roster and nearly all of those seniors played integral
roles on a team that finished with a 14-1 record.
“We had some gaps to fill, for sure,” said Hatfield, now at the end of his fourth season as head coach.
“We lost a very productive quarterback, our entire secondary, some offensive and defensive linemen, and
a good linebacker. We knew we had some work to do but we also felt good about what was coming from
our jayvee program and we had some good kids returning that we felt were ready to make their own
mark.”
Christ Church opened the 2023 season with a loss to Gray Collegiate, one of the two state finalists in
Class AA this season. They also lost an early game to Riverside, a Class AAAAA school. However,
Hatfield saw what he had hoped to see in that first month of the season – a team that showed
improvement each week.
“I definitely felt like we had the potential to make a run this year but I knew it would be a different
process, particularly early on,” said Hatfield, who has a 42-9 record at Christ Church. “Last year’s team
was at a higher level right out of the gate. This team had to learn and grow together and playing some
tough games early allowed us to really test ourselves.”
One key returner to the fold was the team’s top running back, senior Dashun Reeder. Noted as one of
the state’s top senior running backs, Reeder has rushed for 1,619 yards and 24 touchdowns this season,
and has 4,474 yards and 74 touchdowns over the last three seasons.
“We’ve seen a lot of stacked boxes so people want to limit Dashun as much as possible,” Hatfield said.
“He’s a great player, a real threat.”
Filling a void at quarterback was priority one for Hatfield. Junior Tucker Hendrix won the offseason
battle and has been a major contributor this season. Hendrix has throw for 2,539 yards and 37
touchdowns. In the win over St. Joseph’s in the Upper State finals, Hendrix was 14-of-17 for 351 yards
and three scores.
“He has gotten better each week and has done a really good job for us,” Hatfield said.
One of the most productive players in the state is junior receiver Jackson Repp, who has 25 receiving
touchdowns among his 57 catches for 1,391 yards. Repp also has returned two punts and a kickoff for
touchdowns.
Others in the receiving corps include sophomore Jude Hall (21-497, 7 TD), senior Matthew
Covington (27-343, 3 TD) and senior Luke Baumhofer (22-342, 4 TD).
The offensive line is senior laden with tackle Grant Strohmaier, Lincoln Weldie, Patrick
McMasters, Grayson Varnadore and Martin Russo.
Many of the same names appear prominently on the defensive line. McMaster has tallied 91 tackles,
13 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Junior end Will Marguet has 59 tackles, with 10 for loss and eight
sacks. Weldie and junior Elijah Garrett also see time up front.
Anchoring the defense is senior linebacker Jake Good, who has 113 tackles and nine tackles for loss.
Senior linebacker Cooper Hronchek has totaled 62 tackles, including 11 for loss and seven sacks. Junior
Ford Glenn has 47 tackles as the third starting backer.
The all-new secondary has performed well overall this season. Hall and sophomore Ant Atkins have
been the starting corners. Junior Acie Hatfield and Baumhofer have been the safeties with Covington and
Reeder also seeing time in the defensive backfield. Covington has a team-high four interceptions.
Hutch Paddock, a senior, has been solid on special teams, booting four field goals with a long of 46
yards. He also has punted for a respectable 35.3 yard average.
Christ Church Starters
Offense
QB – 17 – Tucker Hendrix, Jr.
RB – 4 – Dashun Reeder, Sr.
WR – 2 – Jackson Repp, Jr.
WR – 8 – Jude Hall, So.
WR – 14 – Matthew Covington, Sr.
WR – 11 – Luke Baumhofer, Sr.
OT – 54 – Grant Strohmaier, Sr.
OT – 55 – Lincoln Weldie, Sr.
OG – 71 – Patrick McMaster, Sr.
OG – 77 – Grayson Varnadore, Sr.
OC - 66 – Martin Russo, Sr.
PK – 44 – Hutch Paddock, Sr.
Defense
DL – 55 – Lincoln Weldie, Sr.
DL – 54 – Grant Strohmaier, Sr.
DE – 71 – Patrick McMaster, Sr.
DE – 6 – Will Marguet, Jr. or 3 – Elijah Garrett, Jr.
LB – 5 – Cooper Hronchek, Sr.
LB - 22 – Jake Good, Sr.
LB – 7 – Ford Glenn, Jr.
CB – 8 - Jude Hall, So.
CB – 4 – Ant Atkins, So.
FS – 11 – Luke Baumhofer, Sr.
SS – 1 – Acie Hatfield, Jr.
P – 44 – Hutch Paddock, Sr.
All Rights Reserved | The High School Sports Report 1986-2021