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Cats cut QB Washington, sign Hines

• Two days after coming off the bench to spark a South Georgia victory against Daytona Beach, the Wildcats cut Walter Washington and sign former Spokane Shock quarterback Andrico Hines.

Paul Dehner Jr.

ALBANY — Shockwave No. 1 swept through the Wildcats locker room Wednesday.

Just two days after backup quarterback Walter Washington entered in place of starter Cecil Lester to post 28 points and spark a second-half rally in a win at Daytona Beach, South Georgia released him.

Washington received his first opportunity to play and was 6-of-9 for 140 yards, throwing three touchdowns and running for another.

His play created a question as to who would start at quarterback this Saturday when the Wildcats host Green Bay at 7:30 p.m.

When approached with choice A, Lester and choice B, Washington, Stingley opted for choice C, none of the above.

He instead signed Andrico Hines, who started last year for the Spokane Shock along with South Georgia receiver Antwone Savage. There he threw 64 touchdowns with only eight interceptions.

His eight picks were the second fewest among starting quarterbacks last season. He holds the franchise record for TD passes in a game with nine.

The former Middle Tennessee State star spent time in training camp with the Wildcats before Stingley chose to give Lester and Washington a shot.

Hines has not been named the starter, but will compete for the time being with Lester.

But he was brought in to improve a position which has received criticism from Wildcats coaches in the early season.

“Andrico came in with big numbers in Spokane, he has been around. I liked what I saw (in camp),” Stingley said. “I was just looking ahead to what happen in the next couple weeks, will we continue to start slow with whatever we have or do we go out and find somebody who can push who I choose to keep?”

Stingley spoke to the possibility of roster changes in hopes of elevating performance levels across the board after what he considered a substandard game against Daytona Beach, even in victory.

Consider the message sent.

“I just found out,” leading reciever P.J. Berry said. “Quarterback is kind of the face the franchise, so when the quarterback goes down, you know anybody can go down.”

The decision to part with Washington days after he showed an ability to spark the team comes as a bit of a surprise.

But for general manager Darren McPhail, the move made sense.

“To me, it’s pretty simple,” he said. “We feel like Andrico, with the numbers he put up last year, the experience he brings, poise and decision making, it’s a smart decision for the team’s long-term success.”

Washington, originally from the North Florida area and played his big game in front of a number of friends and family.

The former Temple star was approached in the offseason by Daytona to play for them, but opted for South Georgia.

After Monday’s breakout game, he addressed his decision in a surprising manner.

“I thought about playing (in Daytona), but with a first-year team I expected them to take their bumps and bruises, I really didn’t want to take the bumps and bruises with them.

“I might have made a mistake. These guys will probably end up being really good this season. You can tell they have a lot of talent.”

Washington came to South Georgia with lofty expectations. It was never his talent that fell short with the Wildcats coaching staff, but rather his ability to adjust to af2.

“Walter is a great talent,” Stingley said. “He has everything and know-how on what to do with ball. We were more concerned with his learning curve with the game of arena. He played some indoor, but not a lot of this type of arena. There is a big difference.”

That leaves Lester and Hines behind to fight for the position. Hines will be tested to learn the offense on they fly, but Stingley wouldn’t rule out him having enough of a concept of the system by Saturday to start.

But there are no definitive answers at this point.

“We’ll see,” Stingley said. “As of now, I don’t know. We have to wait and see. It is hot set in stone as to what I am going to do. May the best man win at this point.”

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