Redshirt sophomore quarterback Preston Brown threw for 372 yards and a school-record six touchdown passes in Catawba football’s 55-15 win over Livingstone in the 2023 Mayor’s Cup at Shuford Stadium on Saturday night.
Jordan Mitchell hauled in six of Brown’s passes for 136 yards and three touchdowns. Bo Pryor had five catches for 108 yards and two scores. LJ Turner gave Catawba a 100-yard rusher on the night as well, finishing with 101 yards and a touchdown.
Other key offensive players for the Indians included Conner McCarthy (56 receiving yards, 1 TD) and Marquece Williams (43 rushing yards, 1 TD). Jaylen Hinton (nine tackles, 1.5 TFL), CJ Brown (four tackles and a sack), Te’Veon Glover (four tackles) and Deno Wardlow (four tackles) paced the defense.
“I’m proud of our players, staff, fan base and program,” Catawba coach Tyler Haines said. “We took a a step forward tonight. We have plenty to clean up before playing a very good Mars Hill team next week. I look forward to seeing The Catawba Football Family in full force next weekend!”
Catawba improved to 16-0 all-time against Livingstone.
— Catawba athletics
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Lenoir-Rhyne 24, Fayetteville State 10
The Bears turned three first-half turnovers into 21 points and handed the defending CIAA champions their second straight loss.
On Fayetteville State’s second series, C’Darius Kelley blew up an option play and Jon Ross Maye picked up a fumble and returned it inside the red zone. Dwayne McGee, making his 2023 debut, punched in a 2-yard touchdown to start the scoring.
In the second quarter, Devin Hibbitt intercepted a pass and returned it 55 yards inside the FSU 5. That set up McGee, who once again punched it in as the lead swelled to 14-0.
After a 41-yard field goal by Jake Brown, a strip sack from Andre Jefferson set Lenoir-Rhyne up at the four. Sean White hit Songa Yates to make it 24-0 with 5:32 left in the half.
The Broncos scored in the third quarter on a Derrick Alston Jr. 53-yard run. But the Bears forced two more turnovers, a James Ussery interception and another Jefferson strip sack. FSU got to within 24-10 after a 35-yard field goal but could get no closer.
This was the first-ever meeting between the two schools in football. It was LR’s second straight win over a CIAA team.
— Lenoir-Rhyne athletics
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Elizabeth City State 13, St. Augustine’s 0
The Down East Viking Classic in Rocky Mount remained scoreless until the fourth-quarter. Chase Williams scored on a 38-yard run with 8:58 left, then Jaylen Nicholson returned an interception for a TD at the 3:01 mark to give ECSU its first win of the season.
Elizabeth City State (1-1, 1-0 CIAA) held St. Aug’s to 143 total yards (only 33 rushing). The Falcons drop to 0-2, 0-1.
Monte Williams had 10 tackles to lead the St. Augustine’s defense. James Collins and Kaveon Freshwater added eight hits apiece.
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Delta State 42, Chowan 18
After a five-hour lightning and rain delay, Chowan came out of the gates strong before falling to nationally-ranked Delta State in the Gulf South Conference opener for both teams. The Hawks led 18-12 at halftime before being outscored 30-0 in the final two periods.
Noah Toster hauled in four catches for 110 yards for Chowan, while Deven Franklin posted four receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown. Jakari Norwood led the rushing attack with 41 yards and two touchdowns.
Abdural Lee led the defense with 10 tackles including a fumble recovery. Dwayne Smith added nine tackles. Traevon Mitchell and Demarcus Carroll collected 2.5 tackles for loss.
— Chowan athletics
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Walsh (Ohio) 14, Johnson C. Smith 9
Despite outgaining Walsh 356-88, the Golden Bulls (1-1) dropped their home opener Saturday afternoon. Johnson C. Smith threw five interceptions. Walsh returned one pick 64 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.
The Bulls pulled within 7-3 in the third quarter after a 45-yard field goal from Alejandro Moril. But Walsh tacked on another touchdown to go up 14-3. Jaden Lockhart caught a 26-yard TD pass from Tyrell Jackson but that would be it for the Bulls’ scoring.
Jacob Newman had 90 yards on 18 carries to lead the Johnson C. Smith rushing attack. His brother Tim had 48 yards on 15 carries. Brevin Caldwell finished with 10 catches for 120 yards.
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Virginia Union 26, Shaw 13
The Bears lost their home opener in a game filled with big plays. After recording a safety and a short TD run from Jada Byers, Virginia Union surged ahead 16-0 on a 41-yard TD pass from Christian Reid to Said Sidibe.
But Shaw answered in the second quarter with an 85-yard scoring play– Silas Cruise to Donte Lee Jr. Brady Myers tacked on a field goal for VUU, but Lee returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards to pull the Bears within 19-13. Virginia Union’s final touchdown came on a 50-yard interception return.
Shaw only managed 14 rushing yards on the day. Cruise did finish with 203 passing yards but tossed a pair of interceptions.
Elijah Adams had 10 tackles for Shaw, including three tackles-for-loss. Jaden Jones added another 10 tackles. Kyree McLean picked off a VUU pass.
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Ohio Dominican 26, Winston-Salem State 14
The Rams (0-2) scored first on a Daylin Lee 1-yard run in the first period. But WSSU wasn’t able to crack the scoreboard again until the fourth quarter, when Lee connected with Chad Turner on a 52-yard pass play.
The touchdown pulled the Rams within 20-14. Ohio Dominican added an insurance touchdown run from Jordan Pantaleo in the final five minutes to keep WSSU at bay.
Jashan Rankin and Justin Fleming each picked off passes for Winston-Salem State.
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Barton 33, Davidson 31 (Friday)
Jordan Terrell and Jaquan Lynch both rushed for two touchdowns, and the Bulldogs snapped Davidson’s 13-game home winning streak. READ MORE HERE.
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Mars Hill 15, Wingate 10 (Thursday)
Tristan Rankin returned a fumble 65-yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter and the Lions handed the Bulldogs their first loss. READ MORE HERE.
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West Virginia State 37, UNC Pembroke 35 (Thursday)
The Yellow Jackets rolled up more 500 yards of total offense and dropped the Braves to 1-1 on the season. READ MORE HERE.
