Week 2 Catawba River Region Players To Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The non-region schedule rolls on in the Catawba River Region, and you're starting to see teams find their footing and gaining valuable reps that they may have missed in early August due to the hot weather.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now that we're entering September, there is one team who got their first win of the year, a surprising 2-0 team and a team who is still searching for win No. 1 on the yar.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820776' first='Kobe' last='Neely'] </strong>| DL | Northwestern</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Neely had six tackles for loss along with two sacks, leading the team in their win over Ridge View. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1267200' first='Tamarion' last='Watkins'] </strong>had 5.5 tackles, which was second on the team. They'll have another big test defensively against the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/09/gspd-week-2-games-to-watch/">defending 4A state champion South Florence on the road on Friday.</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1467825' first='Matt' last='Kucia'] </strong>| QB | Indian Land</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kucia got his team off to an excellent start on Friday night in their 42-7 win over Lancaster, connecting with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1042719' first='Hayden' last='Morris'] </strong>for a 48-yard touchdown grab on the first play of the game. He also scored on a short touchdown run. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592288' first='Jamol' last='Horton'] </strong>and <strong>Micahel Johnson </strong>found the endzone, respectively. They will look to keep the momentum going in Friday's home opener against Andrew Jackson.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592521' first='Kason' last='Canupp'] </strong>| QB | Nation Ford</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Get used to hearing the Canupp to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821733' first='Jayden' last='Scott'] </strong>reference often when we talk about the Falcons. Because that connection was active in their 28-14 win over York, getting new coach Jake Bentley his first win. The two connected for two long touchdowns. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824012' first='Asher' last='Beck'] </strong>got involved with a 78-yard reception. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1635014' first='Malachi' last='Drayton'] </strong>scored on a 12-yard run to close the scoring.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592333' first='Tayshon' last='Freeman'] </strong>| QB | York</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Freeman's legs may play a critical role in the Cougars' home opener on Friday against Union County, as both teams look to get their first win of the season. He scored on a 16-yard run on a scramble. Keep an eye on <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819637' first='Tacarean' last='Douglas']</strong>, who made a difference in special teams with a kickoff return for a touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819627' first='J'Zavien' last='Currence']</strong> | ATH | South Pointe</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Currence and the Stallions bounced back from a tough loss in Week 0 with a 28-6 win over Rock Hill last week. He connected on a 40-yard TD pass to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='513067' first='Malik' last='Ratliff'], </strong>who is quickly turning into a go-to target for the do-it-all star for the Stallions. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165128' first='RJ' last='Brown'] </strong>seems to have started to solidify his role in the Stallions' offense, as he had 8 and 43-yd touchdown runs last week against the Bearcats.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1149056' first='Quinn' last='Kelly'] </strong>| QB | Fort Mill</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Yellow Jackets pulled off a big 35-14 upset of Chester on Friday, and a lot of it had to do with the play of Kelly, who threw four touchdowns (pictured above). He connected with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820446' first='Jameson' last='Terrell'] </strong>on the opening series for a 25-yard touchdown, before hooking up again on a 31-yard score for two quick scores in the opening quarter. He found <strong>Josiah McKenzie </strong>for a 47-yard strike early in the third quarter and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1394975' first='Joseph' last='Duey'] </strong>for a 25-yard reception in the fourth quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->