When you lose the turnover battle and the penalty battle, you can’t expect to have much hope of winning a football game, said Catawba Ridge head coach Zac Lendyak.
Still, his Copperheads team never gave up, even when down by three touchdowns with five minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Catawba Ridge quarterbacks CJ Couch, who went 23-for-37 for 306 yards with two touchdowns and Will Griggs, who went 5-for-7 for 123 yards and two touchdowns, combined for more than 400 passing yards in a high-scoring showdown that ended in a 47-37 loss Friday night at The Pit.
Despite giving up two fumbles and two interceptions, the team showed plenty of heart to keep itself competitive in the first game of the 2024 season, especially following a third-quarter injury to senior Zach Webster. The senior appeared to suffer a neck injury and was stretchered from the field into an ambulance.
Lendyak said Webster said he had movement and feeling in his neck, and that transporting him to a hospital was a “pretty cautious move.”
“I’m hoping to hear from Mom and Dad tonight,” he said. “We’ll have to wait and see what happens.”
Catawba Ridge shook off a rough opening quarter to stay in contention in front of a packed home crowd. In the Copperheads’ first four possessions in the opening 12 minutes, Catawba Ridge gave up three turnovers and conceded a safety, allowing Chapin to score back-to-back scores.
Facing four and five on its own 4, Catawba Ridge opted to punt, but the snap flew over the punter’s hands and out of bounds to lead to a 2-0 lead with 9:09 on the clock.
Chapin’s offense, powered by quarterback Brady Albro, took the ball back on the next drive. The Eagles drove 68 yards on 12 plays before Albro found Khalen Bostick for a simple 4-yard pitch and catch in the end zone to extend the lead to 9-0.
Catawba Ridge running back Brayden Wasik fumbled on a rush near midfield on his team’s next drive, which lasted just three plays. The Eagles quickly capitalized on the error. On the first play of the new drive, Albro pitched a lateral to Colione Martin, who threw a 45-yard bomb downfield to Bostick for the receiver’s second score of the night that put Chapin up 16-0.
Wasik fumbled on a pass on the next drive before Couch was picked off with less than four minutes to play in the first quarter.
Catawba Ridge finally got its rhythm back in the second quarter. Starting on his own 39, Couch led a 61-yard, 11-play drive that included a 20-yard pass to Darius Sutton to push the drive on four and 2. Facing third and goal on the 1, Wasik made up for his previous errors by rushing his way in to score. The Copperheads converted a 2-point conversion play and cut the lead to 16-8 when Couch found Connor McFadden in the right side of the end zone.
The Eagles weren’t content with their lead. With 6:08 left in the half, Albro found Stone Furrey for a 68-yard touchdown as he found the speedy receiver in plenty of space over the middle and push the lead to 23-8.
Couch again was able to game manage his offense for an 81-yard scoring drive that lasted less than three minutes. Braylen Burgis showed off a circus catch where he climbed the ladder on his defender for a 37-yard catch on 3rd and 15.
Just a few yards later, Couch and Burgis connected again for a 12-yard score to cut the lead to 23-15 with 3:27 left in the half.
Beckham Dimmler nailed a 37-yard field goal for Chapin with less than a minute left to end the first half’s festivities to put the Eagles up 26-15 at halftime.
“It’s not a knock on anyone you play,” Lendyak said. “But when you have these types of turnovers, it’s not what others are doing to us, we’re doing it to ourselves. A lot of it is self-inflicted. We can’t beat two teams.”
Chapin scored again on its first drive of the second half, with Albro finding Martin in plenty of space from 13 yards out.
But Catawba Ridge fired back on its very next offensive snap when Couch launched a missile over the middle to Brady Ambrose, who dashed 80 yards to cut the lead to 33-23.
Albro found receiver Stone Furrey for a 34-yard touchdown on the ensuing Chapin drive. Catawba Ridge kicker Camden Gifford missed a 41-yard field goal on the opening play of the fourth quarter. Couch was picked off deep in his own territory, leading Martin to score from a yard out just a few plays later, giving the Eagles a 47-23 edge with 5:32 left.
Lendyak subbed out Couch for Griggs to protect his starter. Griggs impressed his coach by finding Darius Sutton from 34 yards out to cut the lead to 17 on his first drive, then rolling to the sideline and connecting with Ryan Stukitz on the next possession from 67 yards out.
Catawba Ridge even won the ensuing onside kick down by just 10 points, but the final drive petered out.
“We wanted to get Griggs some reps. He showed he’s a gamer,” Lendyak said. “He made real nice throws and put a couple touchdowns on the board. I’m proud of the way CJ played… it’s nice to know Will is a very capable backup.”
Wasik led all Catawba Ridge rushers with 48 yards on nine carries. Burgis led all Copperhead receivers with 106 yards on nine catches, while Ambrose tallied 86 yards and Sutton had 79 yards.
Catawba Ridge next travels to East Gaston High in Mt. Holly, NC on Friday, Aug. 30.
