Catawba has sights set on goal despite loss
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, October 10, 2023
Catawba's Jordan Mitchell 8 celebrated his TD catch and run in the endzone with teamates. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's Aedan Brady 80 celebrates with TD catch witn Conner McCarthy 19 and LJ Turner 28. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's Aedan Brady 80 gets a wide open TD catch in the endzone. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Big Turning point in game when Wingate's jaden White 23 blocked Catawba punt by Vraj Patel 47 and recovered it for a TD. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Big Turning point in game when Wingate's jaden White 23 blocked Catawba punt by Vraj Patel 47 and recovered it for a TD. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's Bo Pryor 6 being tackled by Wingate's Tre Morrison 7 with Catawba's LJ Turner 28 blocking.. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's Bo Pryor 6 pushed out of bounds after a pass reception by Wingate's Ryan Green 17 and Tre Morrison 4. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's QB Preston Brown 7 side arms a pass around Wingate's Danel Morrison 0. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's defensive players Christian Campbell 10, Darryll Malachi 92 and Jaylen Hinton 41 react to a fumble recovery that the officials overruled.. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's Jordan Mitchell 8 catches a pass with Wingate's Dequan Mosley 2 covering. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's Jordan Mitchell 8 catches a pass and runs for more yardage. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's Evan Simons 24 and others tackle Wingate's Corey Siemer 24.. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's LT Turner 28. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Pass just out or reach for Catawba's Jordan Mitchell 8. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's Khalil Stimpson 14 and DJ Neal 25 move ready to tackle Wingate's J. Max Swaim 3. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's CJ Brown 99 reacts to a hit. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's Malcolm Wilson 22. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's QB Preston Brown 7 passing. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's Marquece Williams 21 being tackled by Wingate's Jahein Mullen 20. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's Conner McCarthy 19 making a pass reception with Wingate's Tavarus Short 27 tackling. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's Coach Tyler Haines. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's Bo Pryor 6 runs for yardage after catching a pass.. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's QB Preston Brown 7 runs with Tate Davis 88 block on Wingate's Cole Shehan 47. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's Conner McCarthy 19 catches a pass. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's Conner McCarthy 19 catches a pass. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's Malcolm Wilson 22 running with Wingate's Dequan Mosley 2. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's Chase Rogers "0" and Deno Wardlow 2 tackle Matt Pack 21. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's Deno Wardlow 2 and Juice Martin 2 tackle Tremel Jones 4. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's Tight end Kobe Christian 87 made a pass catch and ran for yardage. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's Tight end Kobe Christian 87 made a pass catch and ran for yardage against Wingate's Mark Burks 26. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's Evan Simons 24 tackles Evan Bernard 12. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Catawba's Sports Hall of Fame Inductees honored . photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
By David Shaw
SALISBURY — If you think nothing’s going on at Catawba’s Shuford Stadium, think again.
It was there, framed by Saturday’s blue skies and bright sunshine, that the Indians continued to work their one step forward, one step back rescue plan.
“Just being competitive keeps us motivated right now,” wide receiver Jordan Mitchell explained, shortly after Catawba welcomed October with a 31-13 loss to SAC rival Wingate and stumbled into the Piedmont Division basement. “Yeah, these are the growing pains you have to go through — but in a good way. Everybody’s learning from every loss we’ve taken.”
Nobody ever said a total rebuild wouldn’t have its setbacks, but Catawba’s restoration project seems to be going well. The 2023 Indians have severed themselves from their recent past and taken that always-difficult first step toward recovery. It’s been sturdy enough to produce a 3-3 overall record (1-3 SAC) and provide insight into what lies ahead.
“We have to stay locked in on the vision,” noted sophomore defensive tackle CJ Brown, a 260-pound bruiser who recorded five tackles and a sack against the visiting Bulldogs. “What’s important is we can’t get down or give up on ourselves. When we fight, we have to fight hard.”
They’ve accomplished that and a bit more. It’s only mid-season, but the Indians can boast the league’s No. 1 offense, a high-octane unit that has churned out 418.3 yards-per-game. They have the SAC’s most prolific quarterback in Preston Brown, a redshirt sophomore who has passed for a conference-best 1,709 yards and 16 touchdowns. And they have an explosive receiver in Bo Pryor — the artist formerly known as Kujuan — who has used his suction-cup hands to make 43 receptions for 597 yards and seven TDs, all league highs.
“We’re finally executing,” said Pryor (9 receptions, 101 yards), a junior who suffered through last season’s 1-10 debacle. “Everyone is doing their job. Our motto is try to go 11-for-11 on every play. That means everyone. We’ve got to trust the process and break it down, play by play.”
Catawba could have used more of that against Wingate (4-2, 3-1 SAC), owners of the league’s No. 2 defense and a team that’s captured three straight games. The Indians fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter, trailed 24-6 at the half and traded third-quarter touchdowns. Put simply, it wasn’t enough.
“No, it wasn’t,” said grizzled veteran Christian Bennett, a senior linebacker who once planted his flag at East Rowan High School. “At the end of the day, our defense has got to execute better on the field. Today, we did not do that. We’re still making a lot of these minimal mistakes. We’re still not perfect. We’ve had too many ups and downs.”
Bennett is right. For all of their offensive prowess, the Indians are ordinary-at-best without the ball. They’ve yielded 328.2 yards-per-game, good for sixth best in the conference. They’ve forced 11 turnovers and made seven sacks. Not exactly the ’85 Chicago Bears, but a marked upgrade on the learning curve.
“There’s been a lot more discipline up front and in the box,” Bennett added. “We’re gradually getting better.”
There was enough improvement to give them a puncher’s chance as the second half unfolded. Brown — who completed 26 of 45 passes for 323 yards — took Catawba on a brisk, 5-play scoring drive that culminated when he found wideout Conner McCarthy unattended for a 37-yard touchdown, trimming the deficit to 24-13.
“Everybody was pretty upbeat at that point,” said Mitchell (6 receptions, 97 yards). “We were back in the game. The key is to not get too high on the highs or too low on the lows. That’s the growing pains part of all this.”
That became evident on the ensuing play — a bungled onsides kick that gave the ball to Wingate at the Catawba 41-yard line. Three snaps later, winning quarterback Brooks Bentley arrowed a 26-yard TD pass to Tremel Jones and restored an 18-point lead. It marked the second egregious miscalculation made by Catawba’s special teams. Late in the first half, Vraj Patel’s punt from the Indians’ 32 was blocked and recovered in the end zone by Wingate freshman Jaden White, who charged into the backfield unobstructed.
“That was by design,” said Catawba special teams coach Jake Vellucci, who noted White was positioned well off the line and had a long route to the punter. “We blocked someone on the other side. It was a gamble that we lost. (White) did a good job timing it up and made a big play. But sometimes those little mistakes turn into big mistakes.”
And sometimes, you learn so much from your mistakes that you make a few more.
“What we’re learning, ” said Brown, “is how win. It doesn’t just happen. There’s a dropped pass here, a holding call there. Against a good football team, you’ve got to put your best foot forward. And when you get punched, you’ve got to punch back.”
Yeah, it’s a process. What it all means, Catawba fans, is that something good is stirring at Shuford.
