Wolves come back to Setzler for homecoming game vs. Catawba
NEWBERRY – The Newberry College football team comes back to Setzler Field for the 2023 Homecoming game against the Indians of Catawba.
The Wolves are 3-3, 2-2 SAC after falling last Saturday on the road against the Bulldogs of Barton College 34-17.
The Indians enter the weekend with a 3-3, 1-2 SAC record after falling at home to the Bulldogs of Wingate 31-13 last weekend.
The Coaches
Todd Knight enters his 15th year at the helm of the Newberry program in 2023 season, 21st season coaching at Newberry, having made his mark as one of the most successful coaches in program history. Knight signed a contract extension at the end of the 2022 season to continue leading the Wolves through the 2027 season.
His 92-63 overall record makes him the winningest coach in school history, a feat which he accomplished with his 73rd win in a 24-19 contest over Tusculum in front of the home crowd on September 25, 2021, remaining the only 40-game winner with a winning record in the 105 years of Newberry football. The 2016, 2021, and 2022 South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year has a .589 winning percentage, good for second in school history among coaches with 10 or more games at the helm.
The Wolves’ 31 wins from 2013-16, all under Knight, are the second-most wins in a four-year period in school history. Newberry’s 32 victories from 2006-09, the final six of which came during Knight’s first season as Head Coach following six seasons as Defensive Coordinator, are the current standard-bearer.
Haines joins Catawba College after serving as the Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach at Shepherd University during the 2022 season.
Haines helped guide Shepherd to a 13-2 record as the Rams won the Super Region One title game with a 48-13 victory over Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) on December 3. With the victory, Shepherd advanced to the NCAA Division II Football Championship semifinals before falling on the road to Colorado School of Mines.
Shepherd’s 13 wins this season tied the school’s single-season mark. The Rams went a perfect 10-0 during the regular season to claim the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division title. Shepherd finished the regular season as the top-ranked team in Super Region One and ranked 11th in the country in the final regular season AFCA DII Coaches Poll. Bolstered by Haines’s high-scoring offense, Shepherd outscored its opponents 453-147 during the regular season. Following a loss to IUP in the PSAC Championship Game, the Rams won three playoff games to advance to the Division II national semifinals.
Haines and his wife, Logan, have three daughters, Harper (11), Hadley (9) and Holland (7).
The Series
This will be the 87th matchup between the Indians and the Wolves. Newberry holds a 42-41-3 overall record against Catawba. Last Season, the Wolves defeated the Indians in Setzler Field 34-27. Brayden Phillips completed nine of 17 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown in the win. Luke Taylor had eight tackles and three TFLs in the win.
Scouting the Wolves
- The Wolves defense comes in limiting opposing teams air attack to 175.4 yards per game, which ranks fourth in the SAC. Senior middle linebacker A.J. Valentine led the way with 32 total tackles in the season. Freshman defensive end Colby Taylor has been in opposing team’s backfields throughout the season leading the Wolves with three sacks on the season and 5.5 TFLs.
- The Wolves Offensive end has been moving the ball well especially on the ground. Sophomore running backs Trakell Murray and Dwayne Wright have been the work horses. Wright has the team best 426 yards on the season along with three touchdowns including two last weekend at Barton. Murray has 360 yards and two touchdowns this season.
Scouting the Bulldogs.
- Catawba’s offense relies on the passing attack which is the second best in the SAC. Sophomore quarterback Preston Brown has completed 129 of 220 passes for 1,709 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. Brown went 26-45 for 323 yards and two touchdowns in the 31-13 loss to Wingate last weekend. Junior wide receivers Bo Pryor and Jordan Mitchell were the two targets for Brown last weekend. Pryor had nine catches for 101 yards. Mitchell had six catches for 97 yards and a touchdown.
- Catawba’s defense has limited opposing air attacks holding teams to 153.8 yards per game. Redshirt sophomore defensive back Deno Wardlow has led the Indians with 29 tackles on the season. In the loss to Wingate, freshman defensive back Jakari Martin II and Wardlow had the team lead with six tackles. Redshirt junior linebacker Christian Campbell and redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Darryll Malachi both forced fumbles in the loss
