No. 5 Charlotte Catholic escapes Harrisburg with OT win over No. 8 Hickory Ridge
In a battle of Charlotte area heavyweights, the Charlotte Catholic Cougars edged the Hickory Ridge Ragin’ Bulls 35-34 in overtime, but only after a series of unfortunate events for the Ragin’ Bulls on their point after attempts.
So, what exactly happened?
After the Cougars scored quickly on their overtime possession, taking a 34-28 lead, the Cougars had their point after attempt blocked. Thanks to an illegal procedure before the play, they were able to re-kick the extra point, ending successfully.
The Ragin’ Bulls struck back quickly with a touchdown of their own, when QB Caden Haywood hit Jalen Harris for his third touchdown reception of the game. Head coach Jupiter Wilson took time deliberating his decision on whether to go for two or take the PAT to go to double overtime.
After much deliberation, Wilson decided to go for two and win the game.
Much confusion followed.
As soon as the Ragin’ Bulls got set in their formation, the back referee tossed his flag in the air. There were 12 men on the field.
After the penalty, coach Wilson elected to just take the PAT, but this is when things got even worse for Hickory Ridge.
The snap went over the holder’s head and neither the holder nor the kicker could make a play to salvage the game for the Ragin’ Bulls ending the game.
To win, Catholic did what it does best, and that is run the ball -- again and again -- luring their opponent to sleep, until they strike on a deep pass or two shocking defensive coordinators all over the state. Senior tailback for the Cougars, Griffin Sovine, touched the ball more than 30 times in the game gaining around 4.3 yards per carry.
“We stuck to what we do,” Sovine said after the game. “We started spreading the offense out, but at the end of the day it comes down to what we do on the ground and I think we got into it, we got aggressive and it worked out for us in the end.”
Senior quarterback Sean Boyle kept calm when pressured all night and made the right reads as he had three total touchdowns in the game, two through the air and one on the ground.
“Obviously it was a really good game and we fought till the end,” Boyle said. “It’s just the work over summer that we put in.”
The touchdown in overtime for the Cougars might have come as a surprise to fans in the stands because when many probably thought the Cougars would run the ball, Boyle found his tight end, Notre Dame recruit Jack Larsen, in the back left corner of the endzone.
“We just thought if we lined up strong, they were going to bring some pressure and I just found my tight end in the corner of the endzone,” Boyle said. “My O-line did a great job blocking.”
Catholic coach Mike Brodowicz will celebrate the win for now, but knows he wants his guys to clean up on some things before they face Providence Day next week.
“Obviously our pass defense needs work,” Brodowicz said. “We’ve got a young defense and Hickory Ridge’s offense, take nothing away from it. They are a well-polished offense. We still made some huge mental mistakes that gave them easy scores.”
Three Who Made a Difference
Sean Boyle, Charlotte Catholic: The senior quarterback did everything that was expected of him in this game. He made great reads and knew when his guys were in spots to make plays on the football. Coach Brodowicz says that they have total confidence in Boyle anywhere on the field.
Caden Haywood, Hickory Ridge: Haywood accounted for all of his team’s touchdowns in the game finding Christian Hamilton for two touchdowns and Jalen Harris for the other three. He also was able to extend several plays for the Ragin’ Bulls with his feet.
Griffin Sovine, Charlotte Catholic: Totaling 126 yards rushing with a touchdown to go along with it, Sovine was an absolute workhorse for the Catholic offense during the game. He fought for yards after contact and picked up hard-fought first downs repeatedly.
Worth Mentioning
▪ Charlotte Catholic dominated time of possession in the game, as they normally do with their run-heavy style of play.
▪ Hickory Ridge scored 14 unanswered points in the second half, tying the game up at 28 before going into overtime.
▪ Hickory Ridge possessed the ball last in regulation but had a 15-yard pass play called back due to a penalty, pushing the Ragin’ Bulls back further into their territory.
What’s Next?
Hickory Ridge will travel to Porter Ridge on Sept. 2, while Charlotte Catholic will battle with Providence Day, fresh off a 20-point win against Weddington.
Scoring Summary
Charlotte Catholic: 7 13 8 0 7 – 35
Hickory Ridge: 7 7 0 14 6 – 34
CC - Mikey Giroux 9 rush (Grant Coughlin kick)
HR - Christian Hamilton 24 pass from Cayden Haywood (Brandon Bowman kick)
CC - Griffin Sovine 5 rush (Coughlin kick)
HR - Jalen Harris 45 pass from Haywood (Bowman kick)
CC - Web Helms 36 pass from Sean Boyle (kick blocked)
CC - Boyle 4 rush (Sovine 2pt rush)
HR - Harris 33 pass from Haywood (Bowman kick)
HR - Hamilton 43 pass from Haywood (Bowman kick)
CC - Larsen 15 pass from Boyle (Coughlin kick)
HR - Harris 15 pass from Haywood (PAT failed)
This story was originally published August 26, 2022 at 11:52 PM.
