Pressure hones 'Cat-man' for Death Valley debut

Down by a set and trailing in the second in the decisive match of Christ Church Episcopal School's state championship tennis match against Waccamaw, Chandler Catanzaro and his doubles partner, Blake Sieber, dug deep.

Somehow, they reversed the momentum, eked out a 7-6 tiebreaker to win the second set, and moved on to a white-knuckled 'super tiebreaker' to decide the state title.

“I remember it like it was yesterday,” said Catanzaro. “That 10-point tiebreaker was a lot of pressure – I think we were down in that one, too. But we overcame it and pulled it out, 10-8, and won the match (4-3) and the championship.”

Just a high school freshman at the time, it was Catanzaro's first taste of the kind of pressure that he's been preparing himself for since last summer – all through a redshirt year of strength training, on into spring practice and through the summer to preseason camp.

When the Tigers attempt their first placekick on Saturday against North Texas, it will be the redshirt freshman walk-on, Catanzaro, rather than scholarship veterans Richard Jackson or Spencer Benton who will trot onto the field and take first shot at solidifying Clemson's field goal game.

If Catanzaro – 'Cat-man' to Dabo Swinney – kicks in the heat of battle the way he's kicked in practice, then the job will be his for a while.

“Eighty-something percent is what he's made in camp, and he's kicked them from everywhere,” said Swinney. “We've tried everything – different holders, different snappers and different groups. We've rolled 'em and everybody's had equal opportunity, and he just flat-out won the job. And it really wasn't even close.”

Consistency has been Catanzaro's trademark. He says he kicks every ball the same, long or short, into the wind or with the wind.

“I feel good from 53 yards and in,” Catanzaro said. “I hit from 51 yards twice in high school. I just try to hit every kick the same, and I'm pretty confident with that as my range...

“I've always believed in myself, and I've kind of found my groove. I can't say enough about Matt Skinner and Phillip Fajgenbaum, the back-up long snapper, and Mike Wade, the holder. All I've had to do is worry about me, trust my technique and swing through.”

Catanzaro first earned all-state honors as Christ Church's placekicker in 2007, his sophomore year, and then made 11-of-13 field attempts as a junior. As a senior, he was named South Carolina's Class A special teams player of the year after hitting two 51-yard field goals and 47-of-48 PATs, with 41 touchbacks on kickoffs. He also led his basketball team in scoring as a sophomore, and played on two state championship soccer teams.

Catanzaro said that as a baby, “I think my first word was 'foot-ball.'”

“I've always wanted to play college sports, and now I have the chance,” he said. “It's just a blessing and a great opportunity to play with these guys and to be part of a football team that's dang good and has so much tradition.”

Catanzaro grew up as a fan of Notre Dame, his father's alma mater, but said he was always “an under-the-radar Clemson fan.”

His college options included scholarship offers from Furman and Carson-Newman, and preferred walk-on opportunities at Notre Dame, Tennessee, NC State and South Carolina, among others. Clemson came calling late, he said.

“Clemson came into the picture in January before my senior year ended, and there was just something about it,” said Catanzaro. “I knew the opportunity would be hard to pass up if it came, and then it did. I fell in love with the coaching staff and the academics are great, and it's not too far and not too close to home...

“To be honest, I feel that God led me here. I think I made the right choice.”

Swinney said he expects 'Cat-Man's' heart to be thumping when he lines up for the first field goal try of his career.

“He's a young guy who hasn't played yet, and I'm sure he'll be plenty nervous,” Swinney said. “But he's a really focused young man, and he has been since the day he got here. There's not a lot of monkey-business with him – he's about his job all the time and is very dialed in every time I see him.”

Catanzaro said he entered preseason practice confident in his abilities, despite being the underdog in a three-man race.

“I trusted myself and believed in myself, and now it's like a dream come true,” he said. “I know I'm going to be nervous. I don't think you'd be human if you didn't have butterflies. More of it's just going be excitement and a surreal feeling, with all those people there cheering, and then running down the hill for the first time.

“I'm going to try to tune everything else out and concentrate on my kicks, just like I always do. In practice we've done a lot of game-winning kick situations. They've talked about my mama and have done everything they could think of make to me miss, and I've been pleased that I've been able to tune it out and focus-in and make my kicks.”

He's also pleased, he said, with his new nickname.

“I guess I'm 'Cat-man' now – everybody's been calling me that,” he said. “I like the nickname, because my dad told me that was my grandfather's nickname. It's pretty cool to me to be able to represent my grandfather in that way.”