Trailing at halftime, Catawba Ridge head coach Zac Lendyak implored his team to do everything it could to extend the football season by at least one more week.
“Otherwise, we’re heading to basketball practice early,” Lendyak joked after the game.
Catawba Ridge quarterback C.J. Couch threw for five touchdowns and led a clutch late fourth-quarter drive that set up kicker Camden Gifford for a 23-yard game-winning field goal as the Copperheads defeated the visiting Woodmont Wildcats Friday night in the first round of the Class 5A Division II state playoffs. Couch went 26-for-38 for 339 yards.
Darius Sutton, caught seven passes for 93 yards, popped off for three of those touchdowns. Braylen Burgis, five catches for 78 yards, snagged two scores, and Colton McCauley racked up 101 yards, including a key third-down conversion on the final Copperheads drive.
“We want to keep this group together,” Lendyak said. “From the seniors to the freshmen, they’re such a fun group to be around. I’m not ready to not see them anymore. I told them we need to do everything we can to keep them around for one more week.”
Catawba Ridge, now 8-3 overall, will play in the second round of the state playoffs at T.L. Hanna in Anderson next Friday. The Yellow Jackets are the No. 3 seed in the Upper State side of the bracket. T.L. Hanna finished the regular season with an 8-2 record, including a 6-1 region record.
Woodmont’s offense flowed through its two playmakers: Ezequiel Belcher and T.J. Williams. The Wildcats totaled 402 rushing yards on 50 carries, largely between the duo.
Belcher tallied three rushing touchdowns and 242 yards on 33 carries, while Williams chipped in 124 yards on 10 carries and a score.
Both teams got off to hot starts on their first drives.
Belcher carried the wood for Woodmont all game long. The quarterback lined up in the Wildcat formation all night, and made his presence known on a big 36-yard option play on the Wildcats’ first possession before calling his own number again to score from the Catawba Ridge 1.
Catawba Ridge quickly responded with a touchdown of their own. Couch connected with receivers McCauley and Burgis for twin catches of 17 yards. Couch then spotted Sutton on a slant route through the middle, allowing the receiver to score from 13 yards out.
Tied at 7-7, the Catawba Ridge defense did its part, forcing Belcher into a fumble on the 50, allowing senior Lewis Price to make the recovery.
Couch then connected with Burgis from 42 yards out on the very first play of the ensuing Catawba Ridge possession. Camden Gifford’s PAT failed, and the Copperheads led 13-7.
Both teams traded turnovers in the second quarter. Woodmont bled the clock well, allowing the hosts just one meaningful possession in the second quarter.
Couch had led the Copperheads as far as the Woodmont 31, but on fourth and 1, was unable to link up with his slot receiver.
The Wildcats took over with 6:31 left in the half and employed 12 straight short-run plays to push downfield. With 3rd and 11 on the Catawba Ridge 34 and less than 25 seconds to play, Belcher dropped back and threw (for just the third time all game) and wide receiver Jacari Taylor came down with it in the end zone, giving Woodmont a 14-13 lead heading into halftime. The drive lasted 13 plays and lasted nearly six and a half minutes.
Heading into the break, Catawba Ridge had mustered just one yard on two carries. Lendyak told his team they needed to match Woodmont’s intensity.
“They scored with 11 seconds left, and they’ve got the momentum, as they should,” he said. “I told them, you’ve got about 24 minutes of your 2024 season left.”
Lendyak’s team responded quickly. Coming out of the break, Couch found McCauley and Sutton for chunk gains before spotting Sutton streaking over the middle to score a 25-yard touchdown and regain the lead. Couch then converted a 2-point play with McCauley to extend the lead to 21-14.
Williams and Belcher soon went to work and combined for a touchdown on Woodmont’s first drive of the second half to tie the game at 21-21.
And after a Catawba Ridge punt, Williams showed off his speed with a huge 46-yard burst midway through the third quarter, which he followed up with a 26-yard score just two plays later.
Couch remained patient with the ball in his hands. After connecting with three different receivers to push into the Woodmont red zone, he rolled left and eventually found Burgis at the last possible moment from six yards out to tie the game at 28-28 with 1:21 left in the quarter.
Catawba Ridge’s defense held firm heading into the fourth quarter, allowing the Copperheads to take over on the 50 with 11:04 left.
Couch converted a 4th-and-1 play to keep a drive alive, then found Sutton over the middle from 22 yards to retake the lead with 8:21 left.
Still, Belcher was dominant. He picked up a mammoth 63-yard rush down the sideline, then pushed his way in to score a few plays later from five yards.
Tied at 35, Couch took over on his own 20 with 4:28 remaining with a chance to take the lead for good.
He connected with McCauley twice near the sidelines, then found him once more for a huge 28-yard gain on 3rd and 10 to set up inside Woodmont territory.
Following a 21-yard gain by Brady Ambrose, Couch bled the clock, allowing for Gifford to hit a 23-yard field goal to give his team a 38-35 edge.
Lendyak said Couch had trust in his playmakers.
“He was smart,” Lendyak said. “He knew he had a lot of time. It comes down to trust that your receivers will be there and your O-line will give you the time you need.”
