Catawba River Region Midseason Review

As we have reached the midpoint of the 2024 season, we wanted to take a step back and pause and give you a look at 10 Catawba River Region teams who you'll want to keep your eye on as we head into the second half of the season.   Catawba Ridge (4-2)   The Copperheads are off to a 4-2 start, and a lot of that has to do with the play of the offense led by quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1574007' first='CJ' last='Couch']. One of his primary targets has been receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1283702' first='Braylen' last='Burgis'], who had 38 receptions for 456 yards and four touchdowns through the first five games (video below). [player_tooltip player_id='1603804' first='Colton' last='McCauley'] has been a target for Couch as well. Brayden Wasik creates a headache for defenses to deal with in the backfield. On defense, [player_tooltip player_id='1360198' first='Lewis' last='Price'] is one of the leaders up front on both sides of the lines of scrimmage – he even caught a touchdown in the win over Spring Valley. [player_tooltip player_id='1290615' first='Jaylon' last='Richardson'] is a young, but talented defensive back who can attack the ball at its highest point.    Chester (1-4)   Victor Floyd's team currently sits at a surprising 1-4 but has been hit with some injuries, most notably in the season opener against Lancaster to star quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='457973' first='Trooper' last='Floyd']. Floyd returned to the lineup against Union County. He looked good throwing for four touchdowns <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/09/what-we-saw-chester-54-union-county-12/">when we saw him a few weeks ago</a>. Floyd has plenty of weapons around him, including [player_tooltip player_id='1603999' first='Caleb' last='Feaster'] and Omari Pendagrass in the backfield, who each run hard in between the tackles along with Tyler Williams on the outside at receiver. The Cyclones' defense begins up front with [player_tooltip player_id='1165099' first='Darriyarn' last='Baxley'] and [player_tooltip player_id='816734' first='Terry' last='Radford'], who have created havoc up front for opposing offensive lines. Expect them to make some noise as region play kicks into high gear over the next few weeks.   Chesterfield (5-0)   Chesterfield is quietly 5-0 under first year coach Matt Quinn. The Rams are led by quarterback Bryce Adams (pictured above) who has thrown for 783 yards and 12 touchdowns. TJ McBride has been a workhorse in the backfield, rushing for 509 yards on 80 carries for 10 touchdowns. At receiver, Terrell Robinson has been the leader there, recording 19 receptions for 251 yards and four touchdowns. Robinson caught two touchdowns in the second half against McBee two weeks ago to help the Rams hang on to win (team highlights below). The Rams defense is allowing an average of 14 points per game. They are led by Sincere Hubbard, who leads the team in tackles with 77. He has two sacks and one forced fumble. Jayden Wallace earned Player of the Week honors for his play against McBee – he currently has 22 tackles and 3 tackles for a loss.    Clover (4-2)   The Blue Eagles sit at 4-2 and they are doing it with the run game, led by senior [player_tooltip player_id='1012627' first='Landon' last='Stone'], who has run for 493 yards and seven touchdowns through the first five games. His younger brother, [player_tooltip player_id='1603816' first='Grady' last='Stone'] saw some action when Landon missed time due to injury and he has looked solid, rushing for 284 yards and three touchdowns. Clover is playing a two quarterback system with Brody Woolbright (317 yards passing, three touchdowns) and [player_tooltip player_id='1407416' first='Aaron' last='Shealey'] (324 yards passing, two touchdowns). TJ McCluney and [player_tooltip player_id='402485' first='Cameron' last='James'] lead the Blue Eagles in receiving. On defense, Sam Lee leads the team in tackles with 30 tackles and 1 forced fumble. [player_tooltip player_id='1734584' first='Brandon' last='Smith'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1743683' first='Carson' last='Pinti'] are tied for tackles through five games with 18. [player_tooltip player_id='995603' first='Brody' last='Rowan'] (video highlights below) has been a force at linebacker as well.    Lewisville (4-1)   The Lions are off to a solid start in 2024, and they are doing it with defense. Outside of the loss to Fairfield Central, they are only allowing 10 points per game and pitched two shutouts in wins over Central Pageland and Atlantic Collegiate Academy. [player_tooltip player_id='1165159' first='Jordan' last='Strong'] can make plays in all phases of the game – he has returned a kickoff for a touchdown, made plays at safety and lined up at running back (highlights below). [player_tooltip player_id='1516266' first='Makiel' last='Crane'] is a tackling machine on defense, who can make plays out in space. [player_tooltip player_id='1393980' first='Ethan' last='Shipman'] has been a guy to watch up front on both sides of the ball. On offense, the two playmakers that have stood out are [player_tooltip player_id='1249747' first='Zach' last='Rogers'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1267330' first='Jacorreun' last='Howze']. Howze has 405 yards receiving and four touchdowns, while having 15 tackles and 7 pass breakups on defense.    Nation Ford (1-4)   The Falcons could easily be sitting at 3-2, if not for high scoring shootouts against Richland Northeast and River Bluff within the first few weeks. [player_tooltip player_id='1575429' first='Josh' last='Ameo'] is the leader at receiver for Nation Ford, averaging 152.5 yards per game and can take the top off defenses with his speed with [player_tooltip player_id='1575359' first='Carson' last='Sanford'] throwing it to him. [player_tooltip player_id='1734443' first='Jayden' last='Scott'] and Lucas Barz are the other two skill guys that have shown an ability to make plays on the outside. Patience Andrews is a steady workhorse at running back, averaging 65.4 yards per game. [player_tooltip player_id='1555433' first='Cade' last='Gowdy'] leads the team in tackles defensively with 8.6 while [player_tooltip player_id='1574612' first='Rylee' last='Cook'] is right behind him with 8.5 tackles.   Northwestern (5-0)   The Trojans have had little trouble over the first few weeks, outside of a come from behind, 45-44 win over Hough in Charlotte to kick off the season and a close 28-14 win against cross-town rival South Pointe. The offense is averaging 45.7 points per game, led by quarterback and Gardner Webb commit [player_tooltip player_id='241044' first='Finley' last='Polk']. Polk has thrown 1,615 yards and 24 touchdowns, with a completion percentage of 70.3. His main targets in the receiving game have been [player_tooltip player_id='1267334' first='Kameron' last='Vance'] (37 receptions, 544 yards and 10 touchdowns) and [player_tooltip player_id='753896' first='Jayden' last='Nichols'] (33 receptions, 508 yards and 6 touchdowns). Zymier Gordon Miles has been a force in the backfield, rushing for 427 yards and four touchdowns. First and second on the team respectively in tackles are [player_tooltip player_id='605531' first='Will' last='Massey'] (16.5) and [player_tooltip player_id='1360156' first='Andre' last='Pickett'] (15). Kyle Robinson has 13.5 tackles as well.    Rock Hill (3-3)   It has certainly been a mixed bag for new coach Randy Birch and the Bearcats in the first few weeks. On offense, the quarterback battle seems to have worked itself out with [player_tooltip player_id='809751' first='Ian' last='Grissom'] and Cason Kanupp, who have traded snaps the first few weeks. Grissom is the front runner now and has three main guys to throw to – Florida State commit [player_tooltip player_id='1012834' first='Malik' last='Clark'], [player_tooltip player_id='1036779' first='Kaiden' last='Watkins'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1360412' first='EJ' last='Ratley']. All three are burners when they get out into the open field. [player_tooltip player_id='649189' first='Justice' last='Foster'] (video below) is one of the leaders defensively, as he can defeat blocks quickly and get into the backfield. Keep an eye on [player_tooltip player_id='1088328' first='Nigel' last='Lightner'], who has returned to the lineup after missing the last few weeks with an injury.    South Pointe (3-2)   The Stallions are starting to find their groove as we approach the second half of the season. [player_tooltip player_id='212416' first='J'Zavien' last='Currence'] took snaps at quarterback for the first few weeks up until the Northwestern game, throwing for 405 yards and 7 touchdowns. Fairfield Central transfer [player_tooltip player_id='473002' first='Cameron' last='McMillon'] is now healthy and has a rocket for an arm. He has thrown for 715 yards and nine touchdowns so far. Expect him and Currence to be a connection at receiver, while Currence will also assume duties at his primary position of safety. [player_tooltip player_id='1157761' first='Mason' last='Picket-Hicks'] (490 yards and three touchdowns) and Quay Pickett (131 yards and one touchdown) provide a one-two punch in the backfield. [player_tooltip player_id='1249764' first='Jordan' last='Collins'] (246 yards and five touchdowns) and Dalian Duncan (305 yards and three touchdowns) are the two primary receivers to keep your eye on for the Stallions heading into the second half of the season. [player_tooltip player_id='1271263' first='KJ' last='Burg'] is one of the leaders for the Stallions defensively with 30 tackles along with [player_tooltip player_id='1594865' first='Brysen' last='Ginn'] with 31 tackles.    Indian Land (3-2)   The Warriors have a lot of young talent on their team, including freshman quarterback Matt Kuica, who threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/09/what-we-saw-indian-land-39-andrew-jackson-21/">when we saw him a few weeks ago. </a>[player_tooltip player_id='1036748' first='Sequel' last='Patterson'] is at receiver and he can stretch the field with his speed and route running. Jamal Horton is a workhorse at running back as well, rushing for 201 yards in their win against Fort Mill back on September 6.

As we have reached the midpoint of the 2024 season, we wanted to take a step back and pause and give you a look at 10 Catawba River Region teams who you'll want to keep your eye on as we head into the second half of the season.