SALISBURY, N.C. — The Catawba College football team snapped an eight-game skid in its series with South Atlantic Conference rival Wingate on Saturday, dealing the Bulldogs a 35-24 loss on a cloudy, rainy night at Shuford Stadium.
The Catawba Indians (3-3, 2-2 SAC) took pride in a 23-15 advantage in first downs while outgaining the Bulldogs (2-4, 1-3 SAC) in total offense 383-336, defined by a 216-169 edge in passing. The blue and white flaunted its ability to keep the rock with a mighty possession time of 38:52 and an 8-for-12 conversion rate on third downs. Catawba went a perfect 5-for-5 in red zone appearances, finding the end zone on each trip inside the 20.
Mason Fortune had the most efficient night of his redshirt sophomore campaign, going 24-for-31 (77.4%) with 216 yards and two touchdowns. Saeed St. Fleur led the Catawba Indians in the ground game with 77 yards on 17 rushes, finding pay dirt once. Tareavion Mageo carved out 65 yards on eight touches as Kevon Rivera turned seven carries into 15 yards and a pair of short-yardage TDs. Nick Venezia pulled down seven grabs for 82 yards and a score as Coen Sutton found the end zone once on three catches for 18 yards. Maurice Savage notched his first receptions as a Catawba Indian, snagging five passes for 37 yards.
Jamari Broady, the defending SAC Special Teams Player of the Week, was a defensive tyrant for Catawba with a team-best six tackles and a seven-yard sack. Jaylen Hinton retained his top-five position in SAC tackling with five stops, picking off the Bulldogs on their final drive to seal the game with his first career interception. Braylon Baker brought the 'Dogs down four times, including on a sack eight yards into the backfield. Davion Smith and Amond Myers each seized an INT as Myers was also credited with a pass breakup. Jymiek Sampson had a five-yard sack and was one of eight players with at least a half-tackle for loss. Kyiev Bennermon broke into the backfield for two QB hurries as Sampson and Julian Brooks added one apiece.
Wingate's opening drive was blown up on the third play from scrimmage by Myers' second career pick, setting up the Catawba offense at the Bulldog 36. A trio of St. Fleur carries and Fortune completions set the stage for a five-yard TD catch in the corner of the end zone by Sutton.
Alternating punts culminated in Kylan Odean pinning the 'Dogs at their own 3-yard line. Another three-and-out stand by the defense brought the Wingate punt team out, but a running into the kicker penalty revived the visitors' drive. The Bulldogs failed to capitalize, however, as the Catawba Indians kept them from crossing midfield.
Wingate got the ball back and, on the first play of the second quarter, thought it had a game-tying 65-yard TD but it was waved off by offensive pass interference. Three plays later, Ethan Wallace ran it 53 yards to pay dirt, leveling the score at 7-7. Catawba responded with a long drive that featured big-yardage receptions from Tracy Harrington and Josh Barron as well as solid gains on the ground. Rivera capped off the punishing journey by punching it in from the 2.
Looking to tie it again, Brooks Brien connected with Kelson Tate for a 53-yard delivery to get Wingate into the red zone. Moments later, Jayshawn Appling took a handoff and found a seam to reach the goal line and make it 14-14. Again the Catawba Indians rose to the occasion, taking over five minutes with two third-down conversions to strike again. St. Fleur gained 16 yards on four attempts on the drive before adding 17 more on a TD dash with less than two minutes until halftime. The 'Dogs marched all the way to Catawba's 4 with 30 seconds left in the half, but the next play saw Bennermon's pass rush force a desperation pass that Smith intercepted for a pivotal defensive stop.
Catawba's second drive of the second half was opened up by a 27-yard hookup from Fortune to Venezia, then JP Gilchrist drew a defensive PI penalty in the end zone. That put the ball on the 2, setting up Rivera for his second touchdown plunge. The Bulldogs wasted no time in taking a chunk out of the 28-14 deficit, leveraging a 95-yard kickoff return TD by Aaron Griffin to pull back within a possession. On the next drive, Jayden Rubbo intercepted the blue and white in Catawba territory. The Catawba Indian defense continued to stand tall, making Wingate settle for a 40-yard field goal.
The hosts regained possession at the 1:39 mark of the third quarter and kept it for nearly half of the fourth stanza. Multiple ball carriers went for consistent yardage and solid completions, including a 21-yard pickup by Gilchrist, putting the 'Dogs on their heels. Catawba converted its fourth third down of the drive using a six-yard TD reception by Venezia, upping the score to 35-24.
The last opportunity for Wingate began after the two-minute timeout on the Bulldogs' own 34. Sizable gains and a Catawba personal foul took them down to the hosts' 17, but Hinton snared an end zone bound pass at the goal line. Unable to kneel in play, Fortune handed it to Mageo who broke off a 28-yard burst to finalize the win.
The Catawba Indians are back in action on Saturday, Oct. 10, against Newberry at Shuford Stadium at 6 p.m.
