How Catawba Ridge, quarterback CJ Couch have grown after 1-9 season a year ago

Catawba Ridge senior quarterback CJ Couch has helped his team to a 4-1 start to the season, but his toughest test awaits on Friday.

The Copperheads are set to host one of South Carolina’s best teams in Northwestern. Couch knows the game will be a challenge, but isn’t letting the pressure get to him.

“(Northwestern) is a good team,” Couch said. “They’ve got a good defense and they’ve got a good offense. You know, we just still have to play Catawba Ridge football and do what we do, and that’s getting the ball to our athletes, letting them make plays. Pressure is obviously there, but I just let that go and just play my game and do what we do as a team.”

Catawba Ridge has bounced back from a season ago when the team finished 1-9. Coach Zac Lendyak said Couch’s leadership has a lot to do with the turnaround.

“We’re very pleased to be sitting 4-1,” Lendyak said. “Anytime you work as hard as we do, you want to win more games than you lose. So, 4-1, we’re really pleased with it. But we know we’ve got a lot of work left to do. A big reason we’re there is because of that quarterback position, and (Couch) has done a great job both on and off the field as a leader. Naturally, that quarterback position kind of tends to be who everyone looks to, but he’s also voted a captain by his teammates. He does all the little things the right way, and then on the field, he’s protecting the ball well and understands what we want to do offensively and putting our guys in position to be successful.”

Couch’s message to the team so far is simply to not be complacent.

“I’m just keeping the guys pushing forward,” Couch said. “I’m hoping that they’re not happy where we’re at, and that we keep pushing forward. ... I think we got it rolling now. So keep going with what we’re doing.”

Couch had 31 completions for 381 yards and two touchdown passes in the team’s most recent shutout victory against Fort Mill. On the season, Couch has 1,461 passing yards and 14 touchdowns. Lendyak said the quarterback also has a strong run game.

Couch doesn’t have any collegiate offers — but hopes that soon will change.

“I do want to play football in college,” he said. “I was 6 years old when I started playing football. It kind of runs in the family. My dad got me into it, and that’s pretty much all we do in my house — watch football, play football, and work for it.”

Lendyak said his goal as a coach is to put Couch in the position he needs to be to get college offers and be successful at the next level.

“So a couple things that we’re sure that we do here is to show off that a lot of the concepts we run, you’ll see on Saturdays,” Lendyak said. “(Couch) can make all the throws that are out there. The other thing I think that’s important for these coaches to see is that (Couch) is an athlete. He can throw the ball, but he’s used his leg a handful of times this year to push in really good situations. But also, he ... takes care of the football.”

Couch understands his role as the leader on the team. He tries to keep things simple and lead by example and take it one day at a time.

“Controlling what we can control is the big thing,” Couch said. “Keep working every day in and out to get better. Anything that we see on film that we can attack and exploit. Obviously, we’re going to go for it, and on top of that, just leading the team and not getting complacent. We just got to keep it rolling.”

Lendyak and Couch both know the ultimate goal is a state championship. Lendyak feels the team is behind Couch and that he can lead them to that goal.

“CJ knows that we care about him,” Lendyak said. “We love him, win or lose. He’s our guy. I think when you can support your quarterback, knowing that he has the freedom to go make the throws and make the plays that he can. We think that that works really well for him.”

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