By Bret Strelow
bstrelow@salisburypost.com
The Catawba notebook …
Senior defensive end Marqus Davis, who had eight sacks and 13 tackles for loss in Catawba’s first four games, suffered a serious knee injury last Wednesday and didn’t play against Newberry.
He’s out for Saturday’s game at Carson-Newman, and his status for the rest of the season is uncertain.
“He’s going to try to rehab and do the best he can with a brace,” Catawba coach Chip Hester said.
Hester said he hopes center Zane Gibson is available against the Eagles. He had a productive practice Monday.
An injury has kept Gibson out of Catawba’s first two SAC games ó both losses.
“I knew Thursday he was feeling OK, but he couldn’t really move around the way we wanted to,” Hester said. “Our hope was that, after taking Friday off, pregame he’d feel great and we’d be able to roll on. He wasn’t ready for live reps.”
Strong safety Kewone Harris (hamstring) missed the Newberry game and is doubtful for Saturday. Cornerback Jumal Rolle has a toe injury.
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BAD TREND: Mars Hill’s Jonas Randolph rushed for 232 yards against Catawba, and Newberry’s S.J. Worrell had 244.
Carson-Newman, with its split-back veer offense, averages 292.7 rushing yards per game.
“I think that puts us as a huge underdog,” Hester said. “I don’t think there’s anyone that is picking us to win the ballgame, and I don’t blame them at all. What we have to do is find a way to believe in each other and find a way to compete against a team that’s going to be tough.”
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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Former Davie County standout Jaspen Gray, who blocked a punt against Newberry, was Catawba’s special teams player of the week. The Indians didn’t recognize an offensive or defensive player for the second straight week.
Hester said left tackle Terence Crosby was the only offensive player who graded out against Newberry.
“Terence is playing with a lot of consistency right now at a high level,” Hester said. “We feel good about that, and that’s what we expect from a guy like that.”