By Bret Strelow
bstrelow@salisburypost.com
The Catawba notebook …
Senior cornerback Marcus Glenn expected to receive a harsh critique once he dropped a potential interception late in the first half of Catawba’s win against Brevard.
His grandmother, Drucilla, chimed in with her analysis after the game.
Glenn made his first collegiate start in the Indians’ home finale, and he was named Catawba’s defensive player of the week after grading out at 95 percent.
Glenn’s mother, Jeanette, and grandmother were in attendance on senior day at Shuford Stadium.
“It was like the first time they’ve seen me start since high school, so I was pretty grateful for that,” Glenn said. “My grandmama, she’s a big football fan. When I dropped the ball, she kind of got on me about that. She’s always been on me since high school about that, saying, ‘You have to make the play.’ ”
Glenn, who made two tackles and broke up two passes in Catawba’s 24-10 victory, has appeared in 23 career games. He posted 11 tackles and forced one fumble in 12 games as a junior.
Glenn has four stops in six contests this season. He had an 18-yard interception return against Livingstone.
The biggest obstacle for Glenn has been a balky left shoulder.
“He’s a guy that’s played a lot, but his health has prevented him from earning that spot and securing it,” Catawba coach Chip Hester said. “He’s had other guys that have been healthy more consistently, and he has worked really hard to get himself ready to play. It’s finally coming together for him.
“He’s a very aggressive corner. He plays play-action and plays the run game extremely well, and that’s why he was such a good fit (against Brevard).”
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Glenn has had two surgeries on his left shoulder since he arrived at Catawba from Union (S.C.) High School.
He said the effect of playing against bigger and faster competition took a toll early in his college career, and he did a better job of rehabilitating the shoulder after the second surgery.
Glenn started alongside fellow seniors Jasmon Carpenter and Chris Noel in the secondary Saturday.
“It was exciting and sad all in one, bottled up,” Glenn said. “A lot of emotions.
“A lot of these guys, seniors I’ve played with, I came in and bonded with. Now it’s almost all over.”
n
CUT TO THE CHASE: Jamelle Cuthbertson was Catawba’s offensive player of the week after rushing for 156 yards against Brevard.
Cuthbertson, a senior, went over 2,000 career yards and tied Andre Marshall’s school record of six 100-yard games in one season.
Cuthbertson needs 82 yards in the season finale at Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday to join Marshall (1993), Greg Singleton (1969), Rodney Wallace (2002) and Kory Fisher (2005) on the list of Catawba players who have rushed for 1,000 yards in a season.
Cuthbertson is 162 yards away from breaking Fisher’s single-season school record of 1,079.
n
BUBBA PROVIDES A SPARK: Terrence “Bubba” Jones repeated as Catawba’s special teams player of the week, and the South Atlantic Conference also honored him.
Jones, who blocked a field goal and got a hand on a PAT against Wingate on Oct. 25, blocked a punt against Brevard.
“The thing that makes him such a good special teams player is his reflexes ó seeing the ball snapped and being able to explode off the ball,” Hester said. “He’s not the biggest guy in the world, but he’s got serious acceleration. He’s got good ball skills as well, which is what a lot of it is all about.
“As soon as that thing moves, he is gone. He’s got a great 40 (time), but I bet his 10-yard dash is probably far and away the best on the team.”
n
SAC RACE: SAC teams Carson-Newman (fourth), Wingate (fifth), Tusculum (sixth) and Mars Hill (ninth) are in the top 10 of the latest regional rankings.
Carson-Newman can claim the outright league title with a win at Tusculum on Saturday. There would be a four-way tie for first place if Tusculum wins, Newberry beats Brevard and Wingate defeats Mars Hill.
Catawba would finish in a four-way tie for third if it handles L-R, Mars Hill defeats Wingate and Carson-Newman beats Tusculum.
n
INJURY UPDATE: The news was good on Brevard’s Travis Flynn, a defensive tackle who was injured in Saturday’s game and immobilized before being transported from the field by ambulance.
A Brevard sports information official said Flynn is out of the hospital. His condition will be monitored closely for a few days, but it appears he’ll be fine.
n
QB SHUFFLE: Former North Rowan standout Daniel Griffith got his first career start Saturday, although Patrick Dennis relieved him before halftime.
Dennis will probably start at L-R, but nothing is set in stone.
n
Mike London contributed to this notebook.