Every week, it seems, somebody else comes to Salisbury touted as the South Atlantic
Conference’s best quarterback.Every week, it seems, that quarterback leaves Salisbury touting
Catawba’s defense.
Remember Todd Cunningham of
Presbyterian? Best QB in the world, we heard. That is, until the Catawba defense sent him
home bruised, battered and outplayed by his counterpart Mitch Ellis.
Saturday brought Wingate’s
Brad Baughman, a Harlon Hill candidate. Another all-world quarterback, we were told.
Well, after nine sacks, after
being picked off three times and after throwing for the most uneventful 326 yards of his
career, Baughman left Salisbury just like Cunningham. He praised Catawba.
“Shoot, I see why
they’re 9-1 now,” a gracious Baughman said after the Bulldogs were thrashed
54-13.
Won’t anybody ever learn? How
many games is it going to take before opponents get it through their heads. You challenge
Catawba and you pay.
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Wingate learned a valuable lesson
Saturday afternoon at Shuford Stadium. Trash talk comes back to haunt you.
Last year, when Catawba lost 7-6
at Wingate, a player approached coach David Bennett and told him exactly what he thought
of Catawba football. It wasn’t pretty.
“Coach Bennett reminded us of
that every day this week,” said Anthony Spencer.
“It motivated us all
week,” added Darrell Erby.
“That got us a little
hungry,” nodded Dyran Peake.
“People just don’t give
us any respect,” shrugged Alvis James.
If Wingate was going to pay for
last season and if Baughman was going to be stopped, it would be up to Spencer, James,
Peake and Erby, along with the rest of Catawba’s underrated secondary.
They had to be ready on 55
occasions Saturday. That’s how many times Baughman cocked his arm and threw. He
completed 31 passes, which sounds good on paper. But there were no TD passes and most were
of the short variety.
“We were trying to run quick
routes so we wouldn’t get a lot of sacks,” Baughman said.
Didn’t work. Catawba buried
him nine — count’em — nine times.
“Every week some quarterback
is supposed to be highly-ranked,” Erby said, shaking his head. “Every game Mitch
outplays him. I’ll take my quarterback anytime.”
While Ellis threw touchdowns of
36, 35 and 63 yards and finished with 14 completions for 290 yards, Baughman found his
team in a quick hole.
Spencer, a sophomore, scored the
first touchdown of his career when he picked up a fumble after James slugged a Bulldog
receiver to make it 14-0 after four minutes.
“I didn’t see the ball
until it hit me in the foot,” chuckled Spencer. “James made a heck of a hit and
I heard that Shawn Sanders had a big block.”
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How powerful is the Catawba
defense? Even when something goes bad, something good happens.
After Wingate’s first score,
which came in the second quarter, Derrick Montgomery blocked the extra point and James,
who already had an interception, carried it back for a two-pointer and eventually, a 23-6
halftime lead.
And did Wingate’s strategy of
the quick passes deter the Sack Pack?
Catawba didn’t get one until
five minutes were left in the first quarter. You thought it might not be the Sack
Pack’s day.
Won’t anybody ever learn?
With three minutes left before
halftime, freshman Todd McComb got one. Then, David Huey got one. Then, Steve McKnight got
one.
On Wingate’s first possession
of the third quarter, DeVonte Peterson, the leading sack man in the league, threw Baughman
down. Montgomery, Shawn McBride and Radell Lockhart took their turns. Suddenly, you could
feel it. It was all starting to click.
Even on a kickoff, there was some
passionate hitting. Jeff Hartley of West Davidson fame, lowered the boom and he met
Bennett on the sidelines. Bennet yelled “Atta boy, Jeff,” followed by a Rick
Flair-like “whoooo.”
The score became 30-6, then 37-13,
then 54-13.
“Some things are meant to
happen,” said Huey. “We’re going to put Catawba on the map.”
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For that to become a reality, the
Indians must win their final game at Lenoir-Rhyne and finish 10-1. That will put them in
the Division II playoffs.
Erby can hardly believe that it
will be the last regular season game of his career.
“A lot is going through my
mind right now,” he said. “It’s emotional but it’s good.”
It’s good because many former
Catawba players came back for Shuford Field’s final game of the century and saw
arguably the best team in Catawba history. They also received a dose of what this team is
all about: high-level intensity.
“It’s a mature group of
seniors,” said defensive coordinator Richard Kent. “The other players have
rallied around them.”
Now, Lenoir-Rhyne, Catawba’s
most hated rival, is looming on the horizon and you can bet the Indians will not take them
lightly.
“Coach Bennett and Coach Kent
stay on us,” Peake said. “They tell us, don’t treat any team like it
can’t beat you. We remember Tusculum last year. We took them lightly and lost.”
There’s even a better way to
get Catawba fired up.
Just tell the defense that
Lenoir-Rhyne’s quarterback is the best in the world.
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Ronnie Gallagher is sports editor
of the Post. |
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