Catawba’s football team plays its home opener at 6 p.m. on Saturday against North Greenville.
There are no bad road wins, but Catawba’s 13-7 victory at Ferrum last week wasn’t a work of art and was a much harder fight than expected.
Catawba (1-0) did post a significant edge in yardage, played well defensively and was able to overcome three first-half turnovers.
New QB1 Mason Fortune threw a decisive 42-yard TD pass to former Salisbury High QB Mike Geter, who had 100 receiving yards.
North Greenville (0-0) was a Division II playoff team last season, posting a 7-5 overall record and going 6-0 in Conference Carolinas.
This season’s version of the Trailblazers — they switched from Crusaders to Trailblazers in 2024 — is still a mystery as they haven’t played yet.
They will have a new quarterback, as they lost a four-year starter, and they reportedly will have a whole lot of new faces on offense and defense.
The Massey Ratings see it as a tossup game, with North Greenville a very slim favorite with a 52-percent win probability and a 28-26 score projection.
Most local people are picking the Indians, however, based on home field and based on already having a game under their belts.
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Livingstone’s football team looks to bounce back from a disappointing 37-16 loss to Allen in last week’s opener.
The Blue Bears, who jumped out to a 10-0 lead against Allen before running into trouble, have a tough assignment as they will play Virginia Union at 6 p.m. at Hovey Field in Richmond on Saturday.
Allen dominated time of possession and blasted the Blue Bears for 522 yards, so Livingstone will need a stronger defensive effort. Livingstone was 3-for-13 on third-down conversions, so the offense also has work to do.
Livingstone (0-1) has lost six straight times to Virginia Union (0-1) and hasn’t beaten the Panthers since 2012. Virginia Union leads the all-time series 25-5.
This game is billed as the Willard Bailey Classic, honoring a long-time Virginia Union coach.
Virginia Union had a terrific playoff team in 2025, 9-3 overall, 7-0 in the CIAA and finished the season ranked 19th in all of Division II.
The Panthers were expected to be outstanding again this season and entered with a lofty ranking, but took a 45-3 beating from Lenoir-Rhyne at Moretz Stadium in their opener.
Virginia Union was out-gained 505-183 by L-R and failed to convert a single third or fourth down. Virginia Union kicked a field goal with about five minutes left to avoid a shutout.
Virginia Union is favored by 27 points over the Blue Bears by the Massey Ratings, with a 37-10 score projection.
