Greater Rock Hill football: Catawba Ridge’s Fikis among top Week 4 performers

Catawba Ridge senior Casey Fikis put the upper state on notice, grabbing three interceptions and returning one for a touchdown in a dominant 24-3 win against Spring Valley during Week 4 of high school football.

Fikis, however, didn’t want to take credit.

“I think I would give all the credit to our scout team,” Fikis said. “Our defense has been working so hard in practice. That’s one of our big emphasis points right now, is bringing the energy up and leading as a defense. I think overall, we put in a lot of work to scheme for Spring Valley. And obviously at the start of the game, they weren’t throwing the ball, they were running it, and we were able to stop that. All our linebackers, D-linemen, safeties, corners, all did their job, and that led to us being able to stop the run. Then once we stopped the run, we knew they were going to come to the air at some point.”

Copperheads coach Zac Lendyak said that having a humble player like Fikis lead the defense is a tremendous advantage.

“Casey is one of these kids that does everything the way that you want to as a head coach,” Lendyak said. “He buys into the program and he cares about everybody else. So, to see his hard work paying off with three interceptions in one game, and now he has two pick-6s on the year. It proves that if you’re where you’re supposed to be, and you do things the way that we’re coached to do, good things happen.”

Fikis, who also plays on the basketball team, plays outside linebacker for the Copperheads but Lendyak said coaches love dropping him into coverage because — as displayed with his three interceptions — he has good hands and skills to make plays that way. Fikis recalled what was going through his mind on the pick-6.

“I was in man coverage this week,” Fikis said. “So, I watched a lot of film on my matchup and when I saw the quarterback roll out on that pick-6, he gave a look to his receiver, my matchup and I knew he was the only guy in the area that the quarterback could really throw to. I made a nice break on it as soon as I saw it leave the quarterback’s hand and from there just ran hard.”

Catawba Ridge started the season 1-1 with a Week 2 loss to Dorman. Fikis said since that game he has seen the intentionality level increase in practice with focusing on the little things a defense needs to do that could be the difference in winning or losing tight games.

“Everyone has been able to step up in the roles that they were able to be in,” Fikis said. “And, I mean, it’s really just made a huge difference in practice. That flipped energy from Dorman to now. We brought so much energy, and every practice there is a competitive aspect of the defense wanting to beat the offense.”

Lendyak agreed.

“We told the guys, ‘Look, we have 9-of-11 returning on defense. We expect big things,’” Lendyak said. “We can’t just show up and expect to beat teams like Dorman, Spring Valley, Fort Mill or whoever is on the schedule. We have to keep working, focus on the little things, cause they matter. It doesn’t mean you aren’t going to give up plays here and there. But, we are focusing on having the next play mentality, and that is what you need in football.”

Fikis and company have a big game this week against their rival, Fort Mill. Lendyak and Fikis both said it is going to take a week of intentional practice to be successful in this game, but they are confident in the Copperheads’ abilities.

“It is going to take us being disciplined,” Lendyak said. “They are very good up front. They have good size and good speed. Coach (Rob) McNeely has got them rolling over there. So, we have to make sure we are focused on ourselves and we say it all the time; it doesn’t matter who we are playing, if we do what we are supposed to do, we feel like we are going to have success.”

Said Fikis: “One of the big things we focus on is to stay focused on ourselves. We want to continue to do the things we do, and not worry about all the talk. Obviously, there’s a lot of talk with this game. It’s a big rivalry. They’re 4-0, we’re 3-1. It’s going to be a big game. There’s going to be a big crowd, but the biggest emphasis is to focus on ourselves.”

Other top Rock Hill-area performers

Broden Mitcheson, Fort Mill, junior quarterback: Mitcheson had 15 carries for 128 yards and two touchdowns as Fort Mill improved to 4-0 with a 38-7 win against Lancaster. It was his third game in four weeks with a rushing total of more than 100 yards.

J’Zavien Currence, South Pointe, senior athlete: The South Carolina commit continues to do what he does best, and that is simply everything. In a 27-23 comeback win against rival Northwestern, Currence threw for 196 yards on 17-of-20 passes with two touchdowns. He also carried the ball 10 times for 113 yards with a long of 50 and a touchdown on the ground.

Curtis Dayson, Catawba Ridge, junior running back: In the 24-3 win against Spring Valley, Dayson helped set the tone for the Copperheads on the ground. He rushed 10 times for 89 yards and had the only two offensive touchdowns for his team. He also had one catch for 15 yards. In a game that was dominated by the defense, Dayson gave the Copperheads a spark on offense to get the team rolling.

Top Rock Hill-area games this week

Northwestern (3-1) at Nation Ford (3-1), 7:30 p.m. Friday: The Trojans are coming off their first loss in more than a year, falling to South Pointe in Week 3, 27-23. Meanwhile, Nation Ford has rattled off three straight wins since falling in the season opener, most recently against Richland Northeast, 56-27, on the shoulders of running back Patience Andrews who had three first-half touchdowns in that win.

Fort Mill (4-0) at Catawba Ridge (3-1), 7:30 p.m. Friday: Fort Mill (4-0) is off to its best start since then-coach Eddie Weldon’s team started 5-0 before finishing 9-2 after a first-round playoff exit in 1983. Catawba Ridge star Josh Dobson (shoulder) is expected to return after missing last week’s game at Spring Valley.

South Pointe (3-1) at A.C. Flora (4-0), 7:30 p.m. Friday: Fresh off defeating rival Northwestern, the Stallions meet unbeaten A.C. Florida, which has held three of its four opponents to fewer than 10 points. Stallions coach Bobby Collins has proclaimed numerous times that his team has the best defense in the state. The unit will be challenged as A.C. Flora has scored more than 40 points three times this season.