Catawba Ridge football races past Riverside in a first-round SCHSL playoff matchup
Catawba Ridge has done some impressive things in its four seasons of varsity football. The Copperheads played for an upper-state title two seasons ago. They were in the running for a region title until a loss to Northwestern in the final week of the regular season.
One of the few things still unchecked on the Copperheads’ list before Friday? Hosting a playoff game.
Catawba Ridge put on a show for the green-and-gold-clad faithful at The Pit, and the ending for which the fans wished came along with it. Despite playing without stars Tyler Jones and Brody Tesimale, the Copperheads scored touchdowns on all six of their first-half possessions, pulling away for a 63-28 win over Riverside in the first round of the SCHSL 4A playoffs.
“We’re super proud of them,” Catawba Ridge coach Zac Lendyak said after the game. “It’s tough to win football games, especially playoff games in the state of South Carolina. We’ve got a special group of seniors. This is the first class to come through all four years at Catawba Ridge, and we wanted to try to send them out the right way.
“We talked before the game that there was no way we were going to let them walk off this field without those helmets and shoulder pads on.”
Catawba Ridge (10-1) put 21 points on the board over the first 15 minutes before the visiting Warriors could counter. Riverside (4-7) quickly answered an 80-yard Ira Mister touchdown run with an 80-yard drive of its own, taking 3:15 of game time for Mikkel Skinner to cash in a short pass from Rob Sanders and slice the advantage to 21-7.
The Copperheads scored three more touchdowns over the next 5:01 in a wild second quarter, extending their lead to 42-7. The visitors had another quick answer, driving 80 yards in 17 seconds to cut the lead to 42-14 at the half.
The teams traded touchdowns in the third, with Riverside scoring touchdowns on consecutive possessions into the fourth to cut the lead to 49-28. Catawba Ridge put it away from there, cashing in a third Tyler Fikis touchdown run and a 45-yard scoop-and-score from Jackson Burger to provide the final margin.
Mister and Fikis carried the load on the ground for the Copperheads. Mister tallied nearly 210 yards on 13 carries, adding the long touchdown run. Fikis added 160 yards on 17 carries, visiting the end zone three times for the Copperheads. The home side tallied well over 400 rushing yards on the night. Jordan Gilliam, Evan Hamilton, Brady Ambrose, and Donnell Williamson also tallied scores for Catawba Ridge.
“I knew I had to come through for the team. I knew I had to come through for Tyler, too,” Mister said. “We’ve got playmakers. Run, pass, it doesn’t matter. We all get it done.”
Said Lendyak: “If you can rush for 400 yards, you’ve probably got a good chance to win the football game. That’s a testament to our offensive line. To do that with our starting running back out says something, too. For Ira, Evan, Brayden Wasak and Tyler Fikis to carry the rock the way they did, that was impressive tonight.
Riverside quarterback Rob Sanders had a big night for the visiting Warriors, throwing for 316 yards and two touchdowns. The signal-caller added 77 rushing yards on 14 attempts.
Catawba Ridge advances to the second round of the state 4A playoffs, where it will visit Region 1-4A champion North Augusta. The Yellow Jackets defeated Easley, 26-14, in another first-round contest Friday night. Next Friday’s game is set for a 7:30 start.
Box score
Catawba Ridge 63, Riverside 28
Riverside 0 14 7 7 — 28
Catawba Ridge 14 28 7 14 — 63
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
CR – Brady Ambrose 3 pass from Tyler Fikis (Kohen Kozel kick) 4:59
CR – Fikis 36 run (Kozel kick) 1:41
Second quarter
CR – Ira Mister 80 run (Kozel kick) 10:40
R – Mikkel Skinner 9 pass from Rob Sanders (Joshua Clarke kick) 7:25
CR – Evan Hamilton 25 run (Kozel kick) 5:18
CR – Jordan Gilliam 4 run (Kozel kick) 1:44
CR – Donnell Williamson 40 pass from Fikis (Kozel kick) :17.6
R – Cayden Cosby 27 pass from Sanders (Clarke kick) :00
Third quarter
CR – Fikis 12 run (Kozel kick) 9:48
R – Zachary Beasley 8 run (Clarke kick) 6:47
Fourth quarter
R – Zion Culbertson 39 pass from Sanders (Clarke kick) 11:14
CR – Tyler Fikis 37 run (Kohen kick) 9:11
CR – Jackson Burger 45 fumble return (Kozel kick) 8:46
This story was originally published November 4, 2022 at 11:33 PM.