The Catawba College football team surrendered a 22-16 overtime defeat to Mars Hill in the South Atlantic Conference opener on Saturday afternoon at Meares Stadium.
With 28 seconds left, Mason Fortune connected with Jay Moore for a 65-yard touchdown, tying the game at 16-16 to force extra football in the High Country. In overtime, Catawba (1-2, 0-1 SAC) was stopped short on a fourth-and-1 conversion attempt while Mars Hill (2-0, 1-0 SAC) marched inside the 5-yard line and won it with a touchdown plunge.
Fortune led the Catawba Indians both through the air and on the ground, going 24-of-37 for 242 yards and two passing touchdowns in addition to 25 yards rushing. His most frequent target was tight end Jaylin Davis, who hauled in six passes for 40 yards. Moore topped the receiving corps in yardage, flirting with a 100-yard day at 98 on five receptions and the crucial late-game score. Saeed St. Fleur picked up 21 yards on a team-high 11 carries, taking his lone catch for 17 yards and a touchdown.
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Jaylen Hinton stacked up a career-best 13 tackles and registered an eight-yard sack. Also tallying tackles for loss were Sammy Washington and Davion Smith with solo stops, as well as Kyle Perry and Jy Favor, who split a four-yard takedown. Jamari Broady and Amond Myers each recorded interceptions and combined for five tackles in the Catawba secondary. Perry also played a role in the pass defense with his second career pass breakup.
The Catawba Indians exhausted a large chunk of time on the opening drive of the game, picking up six first downs as Fortune went a perfect 5-for-5 capped by a 17-yard touchdown to St. Fleur. After defending an 11-play, 78-yard march that took over six minutes, Mars Hill was limited to 48 seconds on its first offensive possession as Myers picked off the Lions on their second play. Catawba drove down to the 8, attempting a field goal to make it a two-possession lead, but Mars Hill blocked the try.
Beginning the second quarter pinned inside the shadow of their own goal posts following a 54-yard Mars Hill punt, the blue and white went three-and-out and saw the Lions get three points back on a field goal from 33 yards. Both defenses locked down for the rest of the half, forcing punts on all but the last full possession that ended with Broady snagging an interception. A final-minute drive by Catawba included a promising deep pass to Nick Venezia on third down that Mars Hill broke up just seconds before the break.
The offenses struggled to get started again in the third quarter, leading to a high snap on a Lion punt that rolled out the back of the end zone for a safety; Catawba benefited from the same scenario last week against North Greenville. Holding a 9-3 advantage, the visitors chewed up the last 4:44 of the stanza using two third-down conversions, with another coming at the start of the fourth frame.
Ready to strike from the 13-yard line, Catawba was picked off by Mars Hill's JyMire Wright, who returned it across midfield to the 44. Three minutes later, the Lions tied it with a touchdown but missed the go-ahead extra point. The hosts' defense made up for the miscue with a big stop, putting the offense back on the field with 5:23 left and 82 yards to the end zone. Mars Hill squeezed the clock and succeeded on three fourth downs, the last being a fourth-and-goal at the 1 that the Lions punched in.
The Catawba Indians faced a 16-9 deficit with 28 seconds to go but were gifted possession at their 35 when the kickoff sailed out of bounds. On the first play, Fortune dropped back to pass and checked down to Moore on a delayed route out of the backfield. He found a seam on the outside and bolted down the Catawba sideline, receiving a punishing block from Mike Geter early and a late Venezia block that took out two Lions to find the end zone. Francisco Garcia Rodriguez split the uprights to force Catawba's first overtime period since mid-2024.
The visitors started overtime on offense, getting hemmed up on the first two plays but posting a solid gain on third-and-11 with a 10-yard catch by Davis. The Catawba Indians opted to keep the offense on the field, sending St. Fleur up the gut as the Lions stuffed it. Mars Hill moved quickly on its possession, using a 21-yard pickup to reach the 4. A one-yard gain was balanced by a one-yard loss, then Rayvon Durant ran a sweep to the right side around the defense and inside the pylon to seal it for the Lions.
Catawba continues its South Atlantic Conference slate next Saturday, Sept. 19, at home against Emory & Henry. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Shuford Stadium.
