Football

October 31, 2015

Football Notches Fifth-Straight Win, Topping Brevard 29-7

BREVARD, N.C. -- Catawba ran for a season-high 363 yards in defeating host Brevard 29-7 in South Atlantic Conference football action on Saturday afternoon at Brevard Memorial Stadium.  The win improves the Catawba Indians 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the SAC.  Brevard falls to 0-9 and 0-5.

For the second straight week, Catawba produced a pair of 100-yard rushers.  Cary Littlejohn (Columbus, N.C./Polk Co. HS) tallied 158 yards, while David Burgess (Morganton, N.C./Freedom HS) added 135 yards in eclipsing the 100-yard mark for the second week in a row.  Quartback Mike Sheehan (Wilmington, N.C./Laney HS) finished with 67 yards and scored all three touchdowns for the Indians.

After missing a field goal on its first drive, Catawba got on the scoreboard at the 4:22 mark of the opening quarter when Sheehan capped an 11-play, 81-yard drive with a two-yard score.  Littlejohn and Burgess accounted for 75 of the yards on the drive.

The Indians extended the lead to 10-0 in the second quarter, but Brevard closed the gap to 10-7 at the break.  The Tornados scored with just 17 seconds left in the half on a one-yard run by Xavier McEachern.  Brevard used up nearly seven minutes of the clock on the 15-play, 75-yard drive.  It also accounted for most of the Tornados' 106 yards in the half.

Brevard had life to start the second half after a Catawba penalty bailed the Tornados out of a 3rd-and-28 situation with a first down.  Four plays later, Mark McDaniel (China Grove, N.C./S. Rowan HS) forced a fumble at the Catawba 42 and the offense responded with three consecutive scoring drives.

Following the fumble, Brevard held Catwaba to a 29-yard field goal by Chad Hollandsworth (Kernersville, N.C./E. Forsyth HS) to keep it a one-score game at 13-7.  After forcing a punt, Catawba's offense marched 81 yards, all on the ground, to go up 20-7.  Burgess accounted for 57 of the yards and Sheehan ran in from 15 yards out for the score.

Brevard surrendered two points on safety when a high snap on a punt sailed out of the end zone to push the Catawba lead to 22-7 and when Sheehan took it in from seven-yards out with 6:58 left the outcome was not in doubt with the Indians up 29-7.

Catawba's defense held Brevard to just 20 yards in the second half.  The unit posted three sacks with Kyle Kitchens (Decatur, Ga./Decatur HS) being in on two with Jamal Lackey (Mocksville, N.C./Davie Co. HS) and Michael Peppers (Clemson, S.C./Daniel HS) getting in on one.

Kitchens had seven tackles, three and half for losses, and forced a fumble.  Lackey led the team with nine stops.     Chris Carpenter (Fredericksburg, Va./Courtland HS) was in on eight tackles and forced a fumble.

Arvin Berry picked up 42 yards on the ground to lead Brevard.  Tyler Garland added 33 yards.  The Tornados did not complete a pass in three tries.  Jinsley Jhon had a sack for Brevard.

Catawba finishes off its road schedule next Saturday, traveling to Tusculum for a 1:30 kickoff.

Box Score