Staff report

SALISBURY — It never takes long to find the name of Barton running back Jordan Terrell on the list of Division II rushing leaders.

Terrell currently ranks fourth nationally with 1,042 yards on 174 carries.

Catawba welcomes Terrell, former Catawba head coach Chip Hester, former East Rowan receiver Gabe Hinceman and the rest of the Barton football program to Shuford Stadiium on Saturday at 4 p.m.

It’s homecoming for the Indians, and as the last home game of 2023, it’s also Senior Day. Coach Tyler Haines’ first season at the helm has rolled by swiftly.

Catawba will finish the season at Lenoir-Rhyne (still undefeated) and Carson-Newman (winnable for the Indians).

The Barton game is winnable for Catawba. The Indians (3-5, 1-5) are 7-point underdogs. They may be able to win simply by being good. They may not have to do anything amazing.

Winning or losing for the Indians largely will come down to whether or not they can deal with Terrell.

Barton QB Jaquan Lynch is a tough, experienced player, but as Terrell goes, so go the Barton Bulldogs.

Mars Hill, Lenoir-Rhyne and Wingate shut Terrell down. Those are the three games Barton (5-3, 3-2) lost.

Terrell has feasted in the other five games, and Barton won them. His biggest banquet so far this season was 256 yards against UVA Wise.

Basically, you run when you’re ahead and you throw when you’re behind. No doubt, the best recipe for Catawba success is to get a healthy lead and take Terrell out of it as much as possible.

Terrell trampled Catawba in last season’s meeting in Wilson. Barton won 38-24 with Terrell romping for 302 yards and four touchdowns. That’s a season for a lot of guys. It’s career for some. He did it in one afternoon.

Since Hester got things rolling at Barton — the Bulldogs became competitive quickly — Terrell has been the horse he has ridden. He’s been one of the best in D-II.

Hester was a Catawba assistant coach during the Indians’ glory days of two decades ago. He took the reins of Catawba’s program after head coach David Bennett and much of the staff departed to get the Coastal Carolina program off the ground. As head coach, Hester guided the Indians to a 70-49 record in 11 seasons from 2002-12. He was SAC Coach of the Year and Region Coach of the Year in 2007.

Hester led Barton through the COVID period, and Barton played its first games since 1950 in the spring of 2021.