By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

Catawba’s football season began on Saturday at West Georgia’s University Stadium mostly with bumps and bruises.
Second-ranked West Georgia beat the Indians, 23-3, in Carrolton, Ga., although the experienced defensive unit played fiercely enough to give 22nd-ranked Catawba a chance. It was a 13-3 game with six minutes left.
“We gave great effort on both sides of the ball,” Catawba coach Curtis Walker said. “But we made too many mistakes. You can’t make as many mistakes as we did and still beat a good football team.”
Catawba’s offense managed 14 first downs to match West Georgia, but the Wolves, directed by Louisville transfer Will Gardner, had more explosive plays.
“He’s the best Division II quarterback that I’ve seen in person,” Walker said. “He threw it on a rope and he made great decisions. And their offensive line did a great job. We only got one sack (from C.J. Barksdale). We didn’t get enough pressure on him.”
Gardner threw for 220 yards and fired the 42-yard, game-clinching touchdown pass to Qa Walker with 5:55 remaining.
Catawba was held to 95 rushing yards. The Indians threw for 145 yards, but at the high cost of three picks.
Catawba’s first offense series ended with the first of three interceptions thrown by veteran QB Mike Sheehan, and West Georgia cashed in for a field goal by Hunter Heck.
Heck booted another field early in the second quarter for a 6-0 lead.
West Georgia drove 82 yards late in the second quarter for the game’s first touchdown. Devontae Jackson found the end zone from the 2-yard-line with 16 seconds left in the half to boost the lead to 13-0.
Catawba had only five first downs in the first half but had several opportunities to get back in the game in the third quarter.
Catawba’s L.J. Melvin forced and recovered a fumble on the second-half kickoff to give Catawba the ball at the West Georgia 33. Sheehan ran 15 yards to set up first-and-goal at the West Georgia 6. Sheehan almost reached the 1-yard line on third-and-goal, and Catawba was facing a decision.
Catawba elected to take the three points. Brennan Lambert, a true freshman from South Rowan, made a 19-yard field goal, and it was 13-3.
“As badly as I wanted seven and as badly as (offensive coordinator) Kevin Brown wanted seven, I felt like if we could just put points on the board, it would get our offense started,” Walker said. “Those first points are important.”
Those points turned momentum Catawba’s way when All-America linebacker Kyle Kitchens forced a fumble at the Catawba 49 a few minutes later.
Catawba dug deep into the playbook for reverse with Keyon West carrying the ball, but the result was a loss of 15 yards. Catawba was punting moments later, and the punt was partially blocked by Marcus Sayles. It traveled 12 yards, and momentum swung back to West Georgia.
Catawba’s defense dug in for two more stops as the third quarter closed. Then freshman cornerback Cris Page picked off a pass in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter. There was a penalty for an illegal block on Page’s return, but the Indians had the ball at the West Georgia 34.
The next series was the decisive one. After a 7-yard completion from Sheehan to Joseph Dress, the Indians faced second-and-3 at the 27. But David Burgess was stuffed for no gain on a run on second down. Sheehan threw incomplete on third down.
On fourth-and-3, the Indians opted against a 44-yard field goal attempt, and Sheehan’s fourth-down pass to Burgess fell incomplete.
Catawba’s defense would stop West Georgia two more times, but an interception by West Georgia’s Jeff Fullwood put the Wolves in Catawba territory, and Gardner whipped his 42-yard TD pass to Walker to make it 20-3.
Sheehan was intercepted again with four minutes left. That’s when West Georgia tacked on a field goal for the final points.
Sheehan finished 18-for-33 passing for 109 yards. Reid Carlton quarterbacked Catawba’s last offensive series and had a 31-yard completion. Burgess had 30 yards rushing and 32 receiving.
Barksdale, linebacker Michael Peppers and safety Jeremy Addison were in on six tackles each. In addition to his interception, Page had two breakups and a tackle for loss.
“I was very pleased with how the freshman (Page) played in his first game,” Walker said. “I was so proud of our defense and the way they fought.”
Catawba had a couple of opportunities that don’t show up on the stat sheet. Cornerback Case Woodard and Addison had golden chances for interceptions, and Addison’s likely would have been a pick-six.
“We had some slip through our fingers that we usually catch,” Walker said. “But their quarterback was throwing the ball hard.”
Catawba will get back to work this week. The Indians will host Winston-Salem State next Saturday at 6 p.m. Winston-Salem State lost its opener, 20-17, to UNC Pembroke.