Following a disastrous start to the second half during Friday night’s game against Region 3-4A rival South Pointe, head coach Zac Lendyak called his Catawba Ridge team together in a huddle on the home sideline.
The Copperheads had given up two back-to-back touchdowns out of the halftime break, opening up a 25-point deficit in a feisty matchup that included a pre-game scrum at midfield, two costly injuries, and plenty of personal fouls that stemmed from hot tempers.
“I told them, ‘We can’t win playing selfish football, taking penalties. We’ve got to play Catawba Ridge football,’ Lendyak said. “And we were close there, at halftime, it’s only 14-3, but we thought we were in it. But then we come out and we do some silly things, some stupid things. We needed a reminder that we need to play smart football.”
South Pointe scored 24 unanswered points between the second and third quarters to pull away from the Copperheads in a one-sided 31-3 win over Catawba Ridge Friday night.
Catawba Ridge fell to 1-5 and 0-1 Region 3-4A, is on a five-game skid. The Copperheads carried the ball 39 times, gaining just 79 yards. Both teams engaged in an exchange of words at midfield during pre-game warmups, and the chippiness lasted most of the game.
Catawba Ridge was unable to make its first-half possessions count when it mattered most.
Quarterback DJ Latimer, went 6-for-13 for 82 passing yards and had 15 carries for 49 yards, found wide receiver Que Webb, who had receptions for 67 yards, for a 39-yard gain on the first drive, and running back Ira Mister’s rushes put Catawba Ridge as close as the South Pointe 28, but Latimer was sacked on fourth and one, ending what had been a promising opening chance.
Latimer called his own number on the next possession for a 31-yard quarterback keeper to get the Copperheads inside Stallions’ territory. Unfortunately, Latimer was picked off on third and 10 just three plays later.
South Pointe finally caught fire in the second quarter. Starting on their own 40, the visitors benefited from a targeting call to break through to Catawba Ridge territory. Running back Mason Picket-Hicks then rushed four straight times, including a short 1-yard run that earned the Stallions a 7-0 lead with 9:44 left in the half.
Running back Brayden Wasik helped Catawba Ridge extend a 13-play drive early in the second quarter. But the Copperheads were stymied by a 10-yard holding call on the South Pointe 11. That call pushed Catawba Ridge back to fourth and long, and Camden Gifford was called to kick a 33-yard field goal that just eked over the crossbar to cut the lead to 7-3.
The South Pointe offense quickly answered with an 82-yard, eight-play drive of its own. Quarterback Malachi Marshall found receivers Dailan Duncan and Mikey Mann for sizable chunks before running back Aidan Turner helped push the Stallions into the end zone for the second time of the night with a 12-yard rumble to put the visitors up 14-3 at halftime.
Lendyak said Mister and fellow captain Jackson Burger will need to be evaluated after going went down with injuries during the first half.
“To lose both of those guys early in the first half, I hate that for them,” Lendyak said. “We’re banged up. We’ve got a bunch of young guys out there. It’s a streak of bad luck with the injuries.
South Pointe quickly jumped on top after the break. Turner enjoyed a 39-yard rush on the first drive of the half to set up a Marshall 10-yard pass to Caymen Finch for a touchdown.
Catawba Ridge gave up a fumble on its first drive, leading South Pointe to start from Catawba Ridge’s 15. Just a few plays later, Turner burst in from a yard out.
One Catawba Ridge player was ejected after that score, leading Lendyak to huddle his team together.
Still, Catawba Ridge’s offense couldn’t put things together. Latimer suffered back-to-back sacks, and the Copperheads’ eventual punt was blocked, which led to a 30-yard field goal by Jake Brookover, which pushed the lead to 28 points.
Freshman Brady Compton eventually saw some reps for Catawba Ridge midway through the fourth quarter. Taking over at the South Pointe 49, he managed the offense down inside the red zone, but was eventually picked off.
“I think we played with more intensity tonight,” Lendyak said. “We moved the ball, kept it close in the first half. We had to give ourselves an opportunity to win. As a young team, we’ve got to figure out a way to get past that.”
Catawba Ridge travels to York next Friday, Oct. 6.
