By Bret Strelow
bstrelow@salisburypost.com
Colby McCanna, a receiver and punter in high school, focused on catching passes following the first knee injury.
A second one turned his attention to punting.
McCanna, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior who tore the ACL in his left knee late last year, averaged 37.5 yards on four attempts in Catawba’s 40-21 loss against Newberry on Saturday afternoon. He was primarily a receiver/tight end prior to the 2009 season, but the Indians needed a punter when Brandon Cuthrell decided to concentrate on his academic work this fall.”The options of receiving were a little more limited, and having to wear a brace makes me a little slower,” McCanna said.
“I’m not the fastest guy in the first place, so I figured punting would be my best option to try to get in the game more.”
Catawba quarterback Cam Sexton threw passes to McCanna during their time together at Scotland County High School in Laurinburg, and McCanna tore the ACL in his right knee as a senior wrestler.
He underwent surgery in December of his freshman year at Catawba.
“I wanted to concentrate more on receiver and getting my speed back,” McCanna said. “We already had a good punter in Cory Darnell.”
McCanna appeared in six games as a backup tight end two seasons ago and played in four games last year.
He was practicing his route running in December when he injured his left knee, and he said surgery is an afterthought.
McCanna resumed kicking this offseason with the help of Brandon Bunn and Antonio Hall, who fielded his punts.
“It was a little rough,” McCanna said. “I had to find my drop point and find my extension. I had to find everything all over again.”
A fair catch was called on McCanna’s first punt ó a 43-yarder ó against Newberry, and Catawba downed a 35-yard effort.
Newberry’s Antonio Patton had returns of 2 and 6 yards on McCanna’s last two kicks.
McCanna, who praised the work of gunner Mario Washington, has averaged 33.2 yards on 15 punts this season. Four have landed inside the 20-yard line, and four more have led to fair catches.
“We’ve tried to find the right place for him,” Catawba coach Chip Hester said. “He’s a guy that could help us at wide receiver, but we needed someone to come in and be our punter. He’s a good enough athlete to focus on something and get better.”