Football Falls at Catawba
Mars Hill lost at Catawba 29-10
SALISBURY, N.C. - The Mars Hill football team lost 29-10 at Catawba in a South Atlantic Conference matchup in Shuford Stadium on Saturday. Catawba improves to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the league while Mars Hill falls to 2-5 and 1-2.
Matt Layman went 12 for 36 with 165 yards and two interceptions under center for Mars Hill. Shaikel Davis ran for 115 yards on 21 attempts, with Jamel Harbison earning 72 yards on 16 carries. Keshaun Taylor ran for 66 yards and a touchdown. Jeremy Hughes caught two passes for 59 yards. Dylan Barnas kicked a 34-yard field goal. Defensively, Trey Clark led the Lions with seven tackles. Chris Daniels had five tackles and two tackles for loss. Michael Ashley had eight punts for an average of 41.1 yards.
For Catawba, Mike Sheehan completed 10 of 23 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown. Sheehan also ran for 113 yard and a touchdown on 15 attempts. David Burgess ran for 73 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Carlos Tarrats caught two passes for 77 yards while Gary Williams caught two passes for 27 yards and a touchdown. Jamal Lackey made a game-high 10 tackles with a sack and three tackles for loss. Kyle Kitchens made three tackles with a sack and a 90-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Sheehan put the Indians on the board with a 17-yard touchdown run at the 12:22 mark of the first quarter. Barnas got Mars Hill on the board with a 34-yard field goal with 10:09 to play in the opening stanza. In the second quarter, Kitchens intercepted a Layman pass and ran it back 90 yards for a touchdown with 6:54 to play. Catawba led 14-3 at halftime.
Taylor cut the MHU deficit to 14-10 following a 63-yard touchdown run on the opening play of the drive with 6:49 remaining in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Sheehan found Williams for an 18-yard touchdown pass followed by a successful two point conversion by Andy Hunt to give the Indians a 22-10 lead with 8:14 to play. Burgess capped the scoring with a 32-yard run with 5:08 remaining.
Mars Hill outgained Catawba with 411 total yards compared to 390 for the Indians. Catawba had 165 yards on kick and punt returns.
The Lions welcome Lenoir-Rhyne to Meares Stadium and Ammons Family Athletic Center next Saturday at 1 p.m.