Charlotte Catholic advances to 3A semifinals
Charlotte Catholic’s goal of repeating as 3A state champions stayed alive as the Cougars scored two special teams touchdowns and forced three Gastonia Huss turnovers in a 28-7 3A west semifinal victory Friday.
Playing in damp, soggy conditions, third-seeded Catholic struck first midway through the first quarter on a Lamagea McDowell 10-yard run to take a 6-0 lead.
The score stayed 6-0 until late in the second quarter. With Huss deep in its own territory and facing a fourth down, Michael Neel blocked the Huskies punt, scooped up the ball and went 10 yards for a score with 1 minute, 3 seconds left to push the lead to 14-0 at the break.
Huss, the second seed in the west region, seemed to gain momentum in the third, going 64 yards on its opening drive of the quarter and cutting the lead to 14-7 on a Jamal Littlejohn 14-yard run.
Huss then stopped Catholic on a fourth down near midfield on its next drive. Catholic’s defense stopped Huss on its drive, and on the ensuing punt Brian Jacobs returned it 73 yards down the sideline for a back-breaking touchdown and a 20-7 lead.
Any chance of a Huss comeback ended midway through the fourth when Catholic went 48 yards in just two plays, capping the scoring on a McDowell seven yard run.
Records: Charlotte Catholic improves to 13-1 while Huss’ strong season ends at 13-1.
Three who mattered
Michael Neel, Catholic: Cougars’ leading rusher only had 13 yards on the ground but made one of the game’s biggest plays, blocking a Huss punt and scooping the ball up for a 10-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Brian Jacobs, Catholic: Made Catholic’s other huge special teams play, returning a punt 73 yards for a touchdown in the third after Huss had closed to 14-7.
Lamagea McDowell, Catholic: Rushed for 53 yards but had two touchdowns and a two-point conversion, accounting for 14 of Catholic’s 28 points.
Worth mentioning
▪ Both defensive lines were strong. Huss allowed Catholic just 134 yards, while Catholic did a little better, giving up just 115 rush yards and sacking Huss quarterback Zo Wallace five times.
▪ An unsung hero was Catholic punter Drew Morais, who punted just three times but averaged 43 yards in tough conditions with all three punts pushing Huss inside its own 20.
▪ Friday night was the 11th time in 14 games that Catholic has given up less than 10 points, and the Cougars have allowed just 83 points all season. That’ll be tested next week by Kings Mountain, which has topped 40 points eight times.
What’s next
Catholic will host Kings Mountain next Friday in the 3A West final with the winner going to the state title game.
They said it
“Our goal each week is to try to win in all three phases of the game. We felt like with the conditions being what they were that special teams could be a difference and our kids came up with some big plays in that area.” -- Catholic coach Mike Brodowicz.