‘It ain’t over till it’s over.’ How Providence Day football upset Charlotte Christian.
Providence Day finally beat Charlotte Christian.
The Chargers went up 10 points, then went down by 11 before they rallied for a thrilling 32-28 win at Charlotte Christian. The game wasn’t decided until the final play — when the Knights threw an incomplete pass at the Providence Day 25.
The last time Providence Day beat Charlotte Christian in football? That was in 2011, when Providence Day won 28-0.
“Christian is who we want to beat,” Providence Day first-year coach Chad Grier said. “They’ve won three straight state championships. You talk about the class programs in the Carolinas, public or private, and Christian is one of them. Coach (Jason) Estep has done a tremendous job. His staff has great continuity. They put out NFL guys, Division I guys. It’s a great program.”
Grier’s team played Friday without seven starters, and began the week wondering if the game would be played after a Chargers player tested positive for COVID-19. Contact tracing cleared the team to continue practicing.
Providence Day (2-0) looked especially good early Friday night.
After Nickel Fields’ 7-yard run in the second quarter, the Chargers led 17-7, and Providence Day quickly got the ball back, looking for more. But that’s when Christian welled up on defense, blocked a punt and drove five plays from the Providence Day 31. Quarterback Matthew Tuomala’s 5-yard run made the score 17-14 at halftime.
In the second half, Christian got a 67-yard run from Henry Rutledge on the first play of the third quarter. Then the Knights began to dominate, eventually going up 28-17 early in the fourth quarter off a bruising 8-yard run from Chip Kasay, the son of legendary Carolina Panthers’ kicker John Kasay.
During the run, Providence Day looked beat up and tired, like a team missing seven starters.
The Chargers ran 14 plays that netted 25 yards.
“We never gave up,” Grier said. “We talk about it every game. We say, ‘Be prepared to win on the last play of the game.’ And it happened tonight. If we can knock somebody out early, great. But our approach, the way we condition, the way we train, our culture is to complete at everything and quit at nothing, and it ain’t over till it’s over. “
Providence Day dropped a sure scoring pass on fourth down after Kasay’s big score. But the Chargers kept coming, scoring twice in their next seven plays -- a 65-yard pass from Jake Helfrich to Thomas Flynn and on a 37-yard run from sophomore Chris Peal with 2:08 to play.
Finally, Christian drove from its 38 to the Providence Day 25, but with one second left, that Knights pass fell incomplete.
THREE WHO MATTERED
Henry Rutledge, Charlotte Christian: Senior tailback was amazing all game. He had a 62-yard scoring run and a 97-yard kick return for a score called back for penalties. He still had 23 carries for 209 yards and two touchdowns.
Nickel Fields, Providence Day: 19 carries for 125 yards and a score.
Dalton Goodwin, Providence Day: 180-pound junior volunteered to play offensive tackle when Providence Day senior Zach Lohavichan left the game with an injury. He helped the Chargers move the ball on what turned out to be the game-winning drive.
Observations
▪ Charlotte Christian is No. 1 in the Charlotte Observer’s and The News & Observer’s All-North Carolina ranking. Providence Day is No. 2. The teams looked like it Friday.
▪ Providence Day is going to have to shore up its punting game. The Chargers tried to quick kick using the quarterback and tried traditional punts with the punter. Three punts Friday went fewer than 15 yards.
▪ It’s possible these teams could play three times in this weird season. After Friday’s game they could play against each other in a conference championship later this month, then possibly in a state championship game in November. If those two games happen, and they are as good as the one Friday, be sure to watch the live stream.
▪ Kudos to both coaching staffs. The teams were extremely well prepared and played a really clean game. It definitely didn’t seem like the second game of the season, since the season normally would have been eight or nine games deep at this point.
What’s Next
Providence Day plays at Charlotte Country Day (1-1) on Oct. 23. Charlotte Christian (1-1) plays at Charlotte Latin (0-2). It’s the final week of the regular season for all four schools.
They said It
“I’m just so proud of my kids. What a win.” Providence Day first-year coach Chad Grier
Summary
Providence Day 10 7 0 15 -- 32
Charlotte Christian 7 7 7 7 -- 28
PD: JT Smith 7 run (Jake Porter kick)
CC: Henry Rutledge 8 run (Ben Shropshire kick)
PD: FG Porter 44
PD: Nickel Fields 7 run (Porter kick)
CC: Matthew Tuomala 3 run (Shropshire kick)
CC: Rutledge 67 run (Shropshire kick)
CC: Chip Kasay 8 run (Shropshire kick)
PD: Thomas Flynn 65 pass from Jake Helfrich (Flynn pass from Helfrich)
PD: Chris Pearl 32 run (Porter kick)
