Unbeaten Charlotte Christian rallies, stuns Providence Day on final play
Charlotte Christian rallied from a 20-point halftime deficit and quarterback Garrett Shrader scored the game-winning touchdown on the final play for a thrilling 33-32 victory over visiting Providence Day on Friday night.
It appeared Christian might suffer its first loss of the season as Providence Day dominated the first half, forcing four turnovers and taking a 26-6 halftime lead, thanks to two Osita Ekwonu scoring runs and an interception for a score by Kendrick Bingley-Jones.
In the second half, Shrader ran for two touchdowns and threw for another and Christian took a 27-26 lead with 7 minutes, 34 seconds left.
Providence Day drove 80 yards in 13 plays and took a 32-27 lead with 3:37 left when Ekwonu scored on a 4-yard run.
Shrader fumbled on Christian’s next series, but the defense forced a punt and took over with 1:25 left at the Knights 37. Shrader completed four passes to drive to the Providence Day 7 with 14 seconds left. On second down, Shrader scrambled for a first down and was tackled at the 2. But the clock kept running and Providence Day thought it had pulled off the upset.
After a discussion, the officials put 2.7 seconds on the clock and Shrader ran a quarterback draw up the middle for the game-winner.
Records: Christian is 9-0, 4-0 in the NCISAA Big South. Providence Day is 5-5 and 3-1.
Three who mattered
Shrader, Charlotte Christian: Mississippi State recruit rushed for 176 yards on 26 carries and four touchdowns and threw for 163 yards with another touchdown. On the negative side, Shrader threw two interceptions and lost three fumbles (he had another fumble that was recovered by Christian).
Ekwonu, Providence Day: Notre Dame recruit rushed for 229 yards on 30 carries and three touchdowns, adding 26 yards receiving and playing nearly every snap on both sides of the ball.
Ben Williams, Charlotte Christian: Rushed for 94 yards with 66 of those coming in the second half comeback.
Worth Mentioning
▪ Christian made a lot of mistakes, committing six turnovers as well as 100 yards in penalties.
▪ All the rain and damp conditions were a factor, as the teams combined for eight turnovers, had three more fumbles that didn’t become turnovers and there were several bad snaps from center.
▪ Providence Day had to shuffle its offense as running back Nickel Fields is out with a knee injury. Ekwonu took a majority of the snaps at running back and receiver Porter Rooks ran a lot of wildcat formation plays, including a touchdown in the second quarter.
They said it
“Wow. I don’t know if any team has ever won a game with six turnovers, but the kids’ attitude at half was that they could come back. A lot of teams would’ve quit down 20 but this group showed me something tonight.” -- Charlotte Christian coach Jason Estep.
What’s Next
Both teams will wait until Sunday to see their seed for the NCISAA playoffs, but it’s likely Christian will be the top seed and Providence Day may be the fourth seed, setting up a rematch next week.
Providence Day 7 19 0 6 - 32
Charlotte Christian 0 6 14 13 - 33
PD- Osita Ekwonu 15 run (William Wallace kick)
PD- Porter Rooks 3 run (Wallace kick)
CC- Garrett Shrader 3 run (run failed)
PD- Ekwonu 1 run (kick blocked)
PD- Kendrick Bingley-Jones 3 interception return (pass failed)
CC- Shrader 1 run (Nathan Collins kick)
CC- Henry Rutledge 14 pass from Shrader (Collins kick)
CC- Shrader 4 run (Collins kick)
PD- Ekwonu 4 run (pass failed)
CC- Shrader 2 run (no try)
This story was originally published October 26, 2018 at 11:48 PM.