Catholic survives its first battle with the 4A ‘Big Guys,’ looks to compete

Us against the Big Guys.

That appears to be the theme this season at Charlotte Catholic, as the four-time defending 3A state champions move their trademark style of football into the 4A ranks.

“We have 1,100 kids,” Cougars’ coach Mike Brodowicz says. “We’re the smallest school in 4A by far — by several hundred kids.”

Several of the schools on Charlotte Catholic’s schedule have nearly twice as many students. How can the Cougars ever hope to compete?

“We pride ourselves on discipline,” Brodowicz says. “We play together as a unit. It’s 11 guys getting to the ball at the same time.”

That grit was on display Thursday evening at Memorial Stadium as the Cougars knocked off the first of the giants on their schedule, South Mecklenburg, by a 13-6 score.

It was a tightly played game. The Sabres, beaten soundly by Charlotte Catholic several times in recent years, were stopped twice by interceptions deep in Cougar territory.

But in the end, an iconic part of Charlotte Catholic football, the time-eating touchdown drive, made the difference. The Cougars have mastered the art of moving the football on the ground, with a series of punishing short and medium range runs that eat up big chunks of quarters.

On Thursday night, a Cougar drive took about 10 minutes off the clock and ended with a touchdown, giving Brodowicz’s team a 13-0 lead with 4:45 to play.

“That was what we call a Charlotte Catholic drive,” Brodowicz said.

The Sabres tightened the game by driving for a Cam Reese touchdown on a 7-yard run with 1:29 left.

Thursday’s game was a microcosm of what Charlotte Catholic’s season will be like in the 4A ranks. The Cougars were smaller than South Mecklenburg, and the Sabres were probably quicker at some of the skilled offensive positions.

With teams like Hickory Ridge, Providence and Butler ahead on the schedule, it’s something Charlotte Catholic will need to get accustomed to.

But time and again Thursday, the Cougars made a big play when it was needed.

Senior defensive back Tommy Hoefling picked off a Reese pass at the Charlotte Catholic 14 early in the second quarter. And just 14 seconds before the half, Hoefling intercepted another pass, this time at the goal line.

“We had the right defense called, and I was in the right position to make the play,” Hoefling said of the second pick.

“Tommy made two big plays for us,” Brodowicz said.

Another South Mecklenburg drive was halted when a half-dozen Charlotte Catholic defenders swarmed Sabre running back Jacob Newman on a fourth-down play.

The Cougars’ head coach said graduation took away several key defensive players from the unit that helped win the 3A state title in May.

“We have a lot of seniors playing defense who were backups last season,” Brodowicz said. “We really have a no-name defense.”

The Cougars’ coach said he was proud of the way his team handled the weather. The temperature index was near 100 degrees when the game started, and then the contest was halted for nearly two hours by a thunderstorm. When the contest restarted, players had to deal with stifling humidity.

“The rain, the weather, the heat … but both teams played hard,” Brodowicz said. “A game like this early in the season can make or break you.”

The Cougars survived to fight the Big Guys another day.

Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle