Newberry shines on national stage
NEWBERRY (Newberry College) – In a game broadcast nationally by ESPN3, Newberry had a chance to prove its mettle and tenacity before a national stage.
The Wolves did just that in a monumental victory Saturday evening, handing South Atlantic Conference foe Catawba (2-3, 2-1 SAC) its first conference loss in a convincing 35-14 thumping at Setzler Field.
Newberry (4-1, 2-0 SAC) wasted no time in jumping in front, forcing a three-and-out and blocking a punt on Catawba’s first possession to take over inside the Catawba Indians’ red zone. Romelo Doctor’s bruising, 1-yard run put the Wolves ahead less than two minutes into the contest.
Doctor finished the game with 58 yards on 17 carries, moving into seventh place on Newberry’s all-time rushing yardage list with 2,268 in his remarkable career. He added a second score just minutes into the second half on an 11 yard run where he spun off three Catawba Indian defenders at the line of scrimmage, and waltzed into the end zone to build a 28-7 Newberry lead.
Raleigh Yeldell, who was referred to as an “angry chihuahua” by head coach Todd Knight on a Columbia sports talk radio show Friday morning, continued his dominance this season after entering the contest leading the conference in 12 major statistical categories.
At the end of the first half, Yeldell was 13-for-16 with 154 yards, and 2 TDs courtesy of Cole Watson, who ended the game with 65 yards on four catches. Yeldell hit Watson on a perfect 17-yard strike in the corner of the end zone to cap off a 12 play, 79 yard drive for Newberry to put them up 14-7 at the 11:58 mark of the second quarter.
Yeldell finished the night with 257 yards on 19-for-30 and three touchdowns. Braxton Ivery also had impressive totals, finishing with a score on 65 yards and five catches.
About halfway through the 2nd quarter, the Catawba Indians were faced with a challenge as starting quarterback Mike Sheehan left the game with an apparent ankle injury. The Wolves would take advantage as they held the backup Reid Carlton to 83 yards on 8-for-21 passing. Carlton, however, did add as a ground threat for Catawba as he used his legs late in the third quarter to bring the Catawba Indians within two scores.
Catawba was 10-for-22 on third downs against the nation’s eighth-ranked third down defense, but were stifled in nearly every category. The Wolves’ recorded two turnovers, five sacks, and nine tackles for loss. Sophomore Jamarcus Henderson led the way with two sacks of his own, five solo tackles, and two quarterback hurries.
LaQuan White led the secondary with three pass break-ups, and a late interception that sealed the win for the Wolves. Joe Blue added seven solo tackles for Newberry, including a fumble recovery in the third quarter.
Newberry scored 35 points despite being held to its lowest offensive output of the season. The Wolves totaled 298 yards of offense on the evening, dipping below 300 on the final play in victory formation, while limiting Catawba to 279. The Catawba Indians were the second straight opponent that failed to reach 300 yards of offese against Newberry and managed just 3.3 yards per play.
With Lenoir-Rhyne’s upset win over Carson-Newman in Jefferson City, Tenn., this afternoon, the Wolves and Bears sit tied atop the SAC standings at 2-0 in league play. Newberry will aim for its fifth consecutive victory at Mars Hill next Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
