By Mike London
Salisbury Post
SALISBURY — The first thing to know about Catawba’s football season is that it’s here.
The second thing to know is the South Atlantic Conference has downsized from 12 to 10 teams. Barton is in a different league. Limestone no longer exists.
With 10 teams, the SAC is more manageable, so it’s back to being a single entity instead of being a cumbersome league split into Mountain and Piedmont divisions, with teams playing unequal schedules.
Everyone plays everyone else in the 10-team SAC, so nine games on the 11-game schedule are accounted for. Catawba’s non-conference games are against unfamiliar foes — Ferrum (Saturday, 6 p.m.) and Southern Connecticut State (Sept. 27).
Catawba’s 2024 season included a discouraging 1-7 SAC record, but the Indians were better and more entertaining than it sounds. They had no luck in tight games and they suffered more than their share of injuries. People get hurt in football, but it seemed like everyone but the training staff got hurt at some point in 2024.
Lenoir-Rhyne is the SAC favorite, nothing new there, with Wingate and Carson-Newman eager to challenge the Bears Emory & Henry, which led the nation with 27 interceptions in 2024, is seen as a surprise team on the rise.
Catawba is picked sixth despite an impressive roster. If the Indians can stay healthy for head coach Tyler Haines, they will do better than that. but preseason predictions are based mostly on what happened last year.
Former Catawba Indian Gary Bass is still the head coach at UVA Wise, They’re picked low, but they’ll be competitive.
Deemed as “Players to Watch” by the SAC are Catawba quarterback Preston Brown, receiver Bo Pryor, DB Evan Simons, offensive linemen Avery Swinton and Dallas Foard and running back Kevin Lalin.
Brown and Pryor have shown they can be devastating — when healthy.
Catawba’s record-breaking back LJ Turner bounced through the transfer portal to West Virginia. That hurts as he was incredible, but it also means opportunity for others. Next man up. There’s rarely a running back shortage at Kirkland Field in Shuford Stadium.
Catawba’s official football website has a full list of things to “know before you go” to Saturday’s game, including ticket, tailgate and parking policies.
