No. 6 Christian visits No. 3 Catholic in showdown between Sweet 16 powers

Charlotte Christian at Charlotte Catholic, 7:30 p.m.: A battle of powerhouses. The visiting Knights, No. 6 in the Observer Sweet 16, feature quarterback Garrett Shrader (2,500-plus passing yards in 2016) and running back Justus Woods, while No. 3 Catholic is led by 1,000-yard running back Milan Howard.

Dutch Fork (S.C) at Independence, 7 p.m.: Dutch Fork coach Tommy Knotts faces the school that he made a national power 15 years ago. Knotts’ team, defending S.C. 5A champion, is a powerhouse again, led by sophomore running back Ron Hoff (28 TDs as a freshman). The Patriots play for the first time under new coach Mike Natoli.

Charlotte Latin at Colleton (S.C.) Prep, 7:30 p.m.: Running back DeMarkes Stradford leads the defending state 3A private school champs against a Charleston-area power that finished second in the S.C. private school playoffs last season.

Harding at Hough, 7 p.m.: Plenty of star power in this game, with Harding running back Quavaris Crouch and Hough running back Jarrett Nagy and wide receiver Nolan Groulx. Hough is No. 9 in the Sweet 16 poll.

South Point at Crest, 7:30 p.m.: Defending state 3A champion South Point (now 2A), No. 15 in the Sweet 16 poll, is led by fullback Jake Alexander. Perennial 3A power Crest has 14 starters back from a 9-4 team.

Jay M. Robinson at Hibriten, 7:30 p.m.: Quarterback Que Reed leads Robinson into Lenoir against the powerful Panthers, who feature running back McKinley Witherspoon.

Northwestern at South Pointe, 7:30 p.m.: A meeting of York County powers in Rock Hill. Northwestern will try to slow down South Pointe quarterback (and Clemson-bound) Derion Kendrick. South Pointe is No. 1 in the Sweet 16 poll.

Steve Lyttle

This story was originally published August 17, 2017 at 3:56 PM with the headline "No. 6 Christian visits No. 3 Catholic in showdown between Sweet 16 powers."