On strength of a goal-line stand in overtime, Catawba Ridge earns ‘emotional’ win
The game deserved its ending.
A back-and-forth affair between Indian Land and Catawba Ridge that seemed to hang on every second-half possession needed two extra series of downs to determine a victor. The play that forced the extra session was even loaded with drama.
The Catawba Ridge defense got the stop it absolutely had to have, clamping down on a fourth-and-goal attempt from Indian Land at the 1-yard line in overtime and surviving a 16-13, nail-biting result at The Pit on Friday night.
“It was emotional, man,” Catawba Ridge coach Zac Lendyak said after the game. “When your guys work as hard as they do, you want to see them succeed. There’s a lot of emotions in football. I couldn’t be prouder of those guys.”
Catawba Ridge (5-4, 2-2 Region 3-4A) drew first blood, capitalizing on a short field a blocked punt afforded the Copperheads. Jairus Frank snagged a 4-yard touchdown pass from Nate Thomas, capping a 22-yard drive and putting Catawba Ridge ahead, 7-0, at the 7:55 mark of the first period.
Indian Land (4-3, 0-3) drew even on a 69-yard touchdown strike from Blake Goode to Drew Hardin down the left side of the field at the 1:10 mark.
The Warriors extended their advantage nearing the half, as Goode connected with Jeremiah Strickland from 10 yards away to put Indian Land ahead, 13-7. Indian Land put itself in position to further swell the margin, recovering the ensuing onside kick and driving inside the Copperhead 2-yard line. Catawba Ridge stood up on defense, however, turning away the Warriors on back-to-back plays just before the horn.
“Going into halftime, we gave them that message of how big that was, and that we had an opportunity to come out and put something on the board,” Lendyak said.
The Copperheads cut the margin in half three minutes into the third quarter on the strength of a 26-yard Kozel field goal. Catawba Ridge’s defense then created an opportunity on the ensuing drive, forcing an Indian Land fumble and recovering at the Warrior 40. Kozel split the pipes on another 26-yard try to complete the drive, knotting the score at 13 as the third quarter neared its end.
Jacobie Henderson snared an interception on the final Indian Land drive of the third quarter, setting up the Copperheads at the Indian Land 44. That drive stalled, though, forcing a Catawba Ridge punt. The Copperheads capitalized again following a three-and-out, recovering a fumble on a punt snap at the Warrior 41. The Copperheads could advance no further, though, and punted back to Indian Land.
Catawba Ridge then got the ball at its own 16 following a Warrior punt with 2:28 remaining in regulation. The Copperheads methodically drove to the Warrior 5, setting up for a 22-yard field goal attempt that would have won the game in regulation. The officials conferred after the kick, eventually ruling the try no good and bringing regulation to a close.
“From my angle, it looked like it was in,” Lendyak said. “They said that it flew directly over the goal post and they called it wide left. We really thought that we had positioned ourselves well to kick that field goal. We just didn’t get the call.”
The call didn’t seem to faze Kozel.
“After the miss, he said, ‘Coach, I thought it was good, I’m sorry.’ I said, ‘You’re gonna get another chance,’ and sure enough, he did,” Lendyak said.
Kozel connected on a 31-yard try to provide Catawba Ridge’s score in the extra period.
The final Warrior drive resulted in the short-yardage try. Indian Land ran around the right side, disappearing into a pile of defenders. Following a delay while players were removed from the pile, the officials signaled the try was short, ending the game and launching a Copperhead celebration.
“We worked on that formation all week long,” Lendyak said. “They’ve got some big boys. Our guys answered the call and made that stop. I don’t know how close it was or whatever, but man, we were excited when they said it was no touchdown.”
“I love this team, and I love these kids. I just hurt for them,” Indian Land coach Adam Hastings said after the game. “They work so hard. We don’t have a lot of players. They try to do so much for each other. I’m just so proud of them, and I hate it for them.”
Goode finished 17-for-30 on the night for the Warriors, tallying 230 yards and two scores. Hardin had pour receptions for 122 yards and a score, with Strickland snagging three throws for 47 yards and the other touchdown. Dumkele Idehen and Myles Stinson combined to rush for nearly 100 yards for the Warriors.
Thomas completed 16 of his 24 attempts, throwing for 131 yards in place of Jadyn Davis. Frank grabbed the lone touchdown, with Henderson and Lane Boutwell teaming up for nine catches and 85 yards.
Catawba Ridge has a bye next week. Indian Land will host Lancaster in a game that will determine the final playoff spot from Region 3-4A. That game is slated to start at 7:30.
This story was originally published October 23, 2021 at 12:00 AM.