HICKORY — Catawba’s Indians have a lot to celebrate after beating old rival
Lenoir-Rhyne’s Bears 24-7 in their final regular season football game in the South
Atlantic Conference Saturday. For the Indians, first of all, the win means that they can expect an
invitation to participate in the NCAA Division II playoffs. With a postseason bid, the
Indians will become the first Catawba team to participate in the NCAA football playoffs.
(The 1988 team earned a berth in the NAIA national playoffs).
Expected today is an announcement
that Catawba enters the postseason seeded No. 2 in the region, which would give the
Indians a home game next Saturday in the opening round of the playoffs.
The Indians became the first
Catawba team to win 10 games in a season since the 1947 club finished 11-1. The Redskins
are 10-1 overall and added to their second-place finish in the SAC with a 7-1 mark.
Also the Indians became the only
college football team in the Carolinas with 10 wins this season.
The win was the fifth straight
over the Bears — the first time the Indians have turned that trick in the long
79-game rivalry.
It was not an easy win for the
Indians. Their defense against the run, which was the best in the nation, gave up 104
yards on the ground to the Bears. They also surrendered 89 yards in the air.
Meanwhile, the Indians had 314
total yards — 135 rushing and 179 passing.
The loss left the Bears with a 5-6
mark for the season and a 3-5 record in the SAC.
The Indians scored in every
period. Quarterback Mitch Ellis, fast becoming one of the stars of the SAC, threw for two
touchdowns in the first half.
Ellis combined with Nick Means, a
freshman receiver, for both of the first-half scores. They hooked up for a 20-yard scoring
pass in the opening period and came back with a sensational 72-yard play in the second
quarter.
The Indians got a field goal from
Matt Gross in the third period.
Defensive halfback Alvis James got
the Indians’ final touchdown in the last period when he intercepted a pass and darted
12 yards into the end zone.
“You did a great job and
should be proud of yourselves,” Catawba head coach David Bennett told the Indians
after the game. “We did not move the football like we wanted to, but we have to give
credit to Lenoir-Rhyne. Our kids played their hearts out, and they played their hearts
out, too.”
Bennett said big plays were the
keys to the victory. “If we had not made some big plays, it would have been a very
close game. Lenoir-Rhyne did a fine job running the football against us.”
The Bears rushed for more yards
against the Indians than any team since Carson Newman rushed for 201.
The only time the Indians were
unable to stop the Bears came in the third period when Lenoir-Rhyne took a poor Catawba
punt and drove 30 yards to score.
Catawba set up its first touchdown
drive with a fumble recovery. Anthony Spencer fell on the football at the Catawba 37. Then
the Indians went 63 yards in six plays to score.
The Bears threatened in the
opening period when they recovered a fumble at the Catawba 25. They got to the 23, but
Bryce Kieger missed a 45-yard field goal attempt. |
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