Charlotte Christian QB threw a bad pick vs. Providence Day. Then he became a hero.
Charlotte Christian senior Matthew Tuomala said he’s always been taught to have a short memory as a quarterback.
When he threw a fourth-quarter interception in the end zone at rival Providence Day on Friday night, Tuomala didn’t panic. And that’s a big reason why Charlotte Christian rallied for a 30-24 win that delivered the Big South 4A conference tournament championship.
“Ever since I was a little kid,” he said, “I have been told to have a short memory; make the next play. As soon as I threw the pick, (it was) ‘Bounce back and go make the next play.’ ”
Nate Abraham intercepted the ball for Providence Day (4-1), and there was an emotional swing. It looked like the regular-season conference champions might be in position to beat Charlotte Christian for the second time in a matter of weeks. Before this season, Providence Day hadn’t beaten Christian in nine years.
“The kid (Abraham) made a good play for Providence Day, so I want to acknowledge that,” Charlotte Christian coach Jason Estep said, “but in that situation, we’ve got to know, ‘Hey, if I don’t have a clear picture, I’ve got to throw the ball away and live to play another down. Those are high school quarterback moments, right? And Matthew’s got to make a better decision. We can’t leave points off the board.”
Charlotte Christian (4-1) was down 24-17 when Tuomala threw the pick, but a 60-yard Henry Rutledge touchdown later tied the game, and then the Knights defense gave Tuomala the ball back with 129 seconds left.
Sure enough, Tuomala made that next play he had been thinking of: On first down at the Providence Day 41, he lofted pretty 40-yard pass to Grant Tucker, who had sneaked behind the Chargers defense. Rutledge scored the game-winner from 1-yard out.
Having a short memory works.
“We had been running some routes throughout the game, and we had been coming to the sidelines communicating,” Tuomala said. “And we thought we had that route. (The Provdence Day defensive back) had been jumping it a little bit, and we thought he would jump it, and that’s exactly what he did. And it set us up for the touchdown to win the game.”
Observations
▪ These two Providence Day-Charlotte Christian games have been a lot of fun to watch. If Vance-Mallard Creek and Hopewell-North Meck and Butler-Independence are the standard bearer rivalries in Mecklenburg County, I think you can add this one to the list. Providence Day’s Chad Grier and Charlotte Christian’s Jason Estep are two of the best coaches in the state. Grier has four state titles; Estep has seven.
▪ The N.C. Independent Schools are expected to release their playoff pairings this weekend. Two quick points: One, good on the association for getting through the regular-season in the pandemic and getting to the playoffs. Two, if Charlotte Country Day goes into the D2, I’d install them as a heavy favorite. If they go D1, which the Bucs probably should, I wouldn’t want to play them.
▪ First-year coach Jamie Bolton of the Cabarrus Warriors took over a team that was 2-8 last season. This year, the team — a combination of Cannon School and Concord Academy — finished 4-2 and won the NCISAA Piedmont conference title. Bolton’s team starts six freshmen — QB Tyler Green, RB/LB Will Jones and WRs Max Riley and Gavin Powell and DBs Correll Johnson and Cole Frood.
Five sophomores also start: RT Colin Bullard, DB Jackson Scurlock, DL Hayes Galloway, DE Jack Shultz and DB Eli Snodgrass.
That’s impressive.
Friday’s #BIG5 Top Performers
Thomas Flynn, Providence Day: Flynn, a senior receiver, had four catches for 44 yards against Providence Day. He scored on passes of 14 and 13 yards.
Scott Hosmer, Charlotte Country Day: Nine tackles in a 49-14 win over Charlotte Latin
Henry Rutledge, Charlotte Christian: Rutledge ran 20 times for 177 yards. He scored on runs of 37 and 60 yards, and he plunged 1 yard for the winning touchdown.
Andrew and Kevin Sangmuah, Providence Day: These brothers accounted for five tackles for losses and three pass break-ups. Kevin, a senior, had two tackles for losses and the two break-ups. Andrew, a junior, had three tackles for losses and a break-up.
Russell Tabor, Charlotte Country Day: The senior completed 12 of 20 passes for 264 yards and four touchdowns in a 49-14 win over Charlotte Latin. He ran seven times for 105 yards and two scores. He had a 56-yard scoring pass to Jordan Erwin, a 59-yard scoring pass to Cameron Ray and a 48-yard scoring run.
Friday’s Recap
Charlotte Country Day 49, Charlotte Latin 14: The Bucs (2-3) scored 21 points in the second quarter to bust the game open. Country Day, which lost three times to Charlotte Christian or Providence Day, beat Latin for the second time this season.
Latin’s Justin Wheeler completed 17 of 25 passes for 286 yards and a score. Daniel Haughton caught 10 of those passes for 100 yards and a receiving touchdown.
This story was originally published November 7, 2020 at 6:30 AM.
