Can Catawba Ridge football top its ‘unbelievable’ 2020? Why its returners think it can

Almost nothing seemed capable of dimming the smile on Catawba Ridge head coach Zac Lendyak’s face when thinking about his 2020 Copperheads team — not even the mask he was required to wear during the campaign shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The season was bookended by losses to 4A state powers South Pointe and A.C. Flora, but the seven straight wins between them put the Copperheads in the Upper State final in just their second season of competition. The team left the Memorial Stadium field without a win, but with a new resolve.

“From where we were last year to where we’re at now is just — it’s an unbelievable story,” Lendyak told The Herald after Catawba Ridge’s last game of the 2020 season.

Nearly eight months after that fateful final game, the Copperheads could be found on their home turf at The Pit, going through the paces of a morning workout. The memory of that game lingered in the air like the sweltering July heat — serving as a reminder of where this still-young program has been, and just how hard it has to keep working to meet its ultimate goal.

“We used (the loss) all summer long. We talked about falling short, and that wasn’t the goal,” Lendyak said after a summer workout Wednesday. “It was in the weight room, when they were in there in the offseason. We talked about it almost on a daily basis.”

Lendyak, who has coached the team since the school opened in 2019, said his team has devoted its summer to ending his team’s season on a win. No football team from Fort Mill has ever made a state championship game.

“We found out pretty quick that they were big and they were strong,” said Lendyak of Flora, who went on to thump North Myrtle Beach, 42-7, to claim the 4A state title. “We see what championship-caliber football has to look like, and there’s no way to do that without the weight room piece.”

Breaking down the Catawba Ridge offense

Much of that strength that Lendyak mentioned starts on both lines, with all-region center JD McClain (six pancake blocks, five knockdowns, 83% average grade) anchoring the offensive unit.

“I’d say we’re up there. What we did last year, it was an amazing season,” senior McClain said of his position group. “You can’t have an offense without your (offensive line).”

Many of the offensive stars from last year’s Copperhead squad return, including senior receivers Jacobie Henderson and Lane Boutwell. The Copperheads feature an active offense that utilizes many of its available weapons, which Boutwell sees as a positive.

“We’ve just gotta all work as a team and work together and help each other out. That’s how we do it,” Boutwell said.

The man responsible for making sure that offensive unit works together stands poised to have a big sophomore year. In truth, though, it’s hard to imagine things getting much bigger for Jadyn Davis than they already are.

Davis turned in an honorable-mention all-region freshman season, completing 65% of his tosses for 864 yards and 11 touchdowns. That success has turned all eyes on Davis, who already has offers from such national powers as Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State, among others.

With a pedigree like his, it would be easy to imagine that success going to Davis’ head. His words — and those of his teammates — paint a quite different picture.

“I mean, I’m a 15-year-old kid at the end of the day. I hang out with my teammates, and I know that I’m a young man first,” Davis told The Herald. “All that stuff happens, but I need to make sure I’m leading these guys to victory. Anything I do on the field, everything else will come. I put my teammates first before anything. I’ve turned down visits due to workouts. I’m just making sure I’m staying humble.

“I don’t really care what any outsiders think of me, just what these men in the locker room and my coaches think of me. Everything else will take care of itself.”

His senior teammate, Jacobie Henderson (who himself committed to Marshall earlier this summer), sung his sophomore quarterback’s praises.

“Jadyn’s always gonna tell us whenever we’re wrong or right. He’s one of the hardest-working people on the team,” he said. “He’s not gonna try to lead anybody in the background. It doesn’t matter who you are, Jadyn’s gonna make sure you’re doing what you’ve gotta do to be the best player you can be.”

Catawba Ridge defense, a ‘major key’

And then there’s the defense.

The Catawba Ridge defenders were a huge key to the Copperheads’ 7-2 (3-1 Region 3-4A) season, shutting out their opponents in all three region victories by a combined 70-0 tally. A 15-0 decision over York in the second week of region play set the tone for much of the team’s success, Lendyak said.

“It was fantastic. It really propelled them through the rest of the region and shutting everybody out. When a team doesn’t score, it takes a lot of pressure off the offense and makes it easier to win games,” the coach said. “They were clicking. When they’re playing the way that they play, it takes a lot of pressure off the offense. We’re expecting the same from them this year, too.”

Said all-region linebacker/defensive back BJ Mallard (56 tackles, one interception): “Our defense is a major key. Defense wins games.”

Middle linebacker Brody Tesimale (87 tackles, one interception), defensive lineman Asa Johnson (73 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, eight sacks) and lineman Cade Pergason join Mallard as returning all-region selections, along with Henderson (35 tackles, four interceptions) at cornerback. Henderson pairs with Wake Forest commit Andre Hodge to form quite the shutdown tandem on the outside.

“We’ve been playing together since we were younger,” said Henderson. “If one of us makes a play, the other one’s trying to make a play. That’s always our competition. We know that everybody’s gunning for us already. If we stay ahead of our game, nobody can get us, and we’re always gonna be at the top.”

Hodge added: “We’ve gotta bring the energy.”

All-region kicker/punter Ayden McCarter is now at Coastal Carolina, leaving one weapon the Copperheads must replace.

“It’s gonna have to be by committee,” said Lendyak. “We have a great young kicker that Ayden worked with every day, and I’m starting to see the exact same mannerisms (from him). He’s doing the same drills that Ayden would do.”

‘Rise to the occasion and the moment’

The Copperheads begin their pursuit of a return trip to the Upper State championship game with an Aug. 20 home game against cross-town rival Fort Mill. Lendyak makes no secrets about what it will take to get his team where it wants to be.

“You have to put in the work ahead of time, and we’ve made that very clear. You (also) have to rise to the occasion and the moment,” Lendyak said. “The defining thing of this team is gonna be that we overcome (adversity) and we play the next play, no matter what happens. If we can do that, I think we can have a pretty good season.”

Catawba Ridge 2021 schedule

Check The Herald’s website for a comprehensive look at all the football schedules for high schools in York, Chester and Lancaster counties.

Aug. 20 Fort Mill

Aug. 27 at Nation Ford

Sept. 3 Carolina Bearcats

Sept. 10 at West Cabarrus

Sept. 17 at South Mecklenburg

Sept. 24 Chester (Homecoming)

Oct. 1 South Pointe*

Oct. 8 at York*

Oct. 15 at Lancaster*

Oct. 22 Indian Land (Senior Night)*

Oct. 29 BYE

*Region 3-4A games

This story was originally published July 26, 2021 at 7:00 AM.