No. 4 Catholic passes Luke Bailey test, routs Providence in Southwestern 4A opener
The last time Providence High’s Luke Bailey played a football game, the running back had one of the best performances in North Carolina history.
On Friday night, Charlotte Catholic was determined to not let Bailey have that kind of performance against it. And the Cougars pretty much accomplished their goal.
Ethan Ellis took the opening kickoff back 98 yards for a Catholic score just 15 seconds into the game, and the Cougars poured it on from there, winning 49-14.
Catholic (3-1, 1-0 Southwestern 4A) is No. 4 in The Observer’s Sweet 16, and the Cougars played like it on Senior Night. The Cougars ran up a 35-7 lead at halftime and made a statement early when the young Catholic defense stuffed Providence on the Panthers’ first possession, allowing 11 yards to Bailey in four carries.
That was a far cry from what Bailey did in a 64-42 win over Parkwood on Sept. 2.
In that game, Bailey ran 36 times for a Mecklenburg County record 429 yards. He scored a North Carolina and Mecklenburg County record nine touchdowns.
But on Friday, Providence, which had been off for a week, couldn’t move Catholic’s defense the same way it did Parkwood’s.
Bailey certainly had his moments, running for 273 yards — including an 79-yard scoring run in the third quarter — but he didn’t have anywhere near the impact on the scoreboard that he had in this past two games, where he went for 745 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Instead, Catholic quarterback Sean Boyle, a Charlotte 49ers recruit, threw two touchdown passes, including one to Notre Dame recruit Jack Larsen. Boyle didn’t play a full three quarters.
Actually, a lot of Cougars had big nights: Catholic’s JT Brasser had an interception. Ellis had two scores, including a 54-yard run. Fullback Griffin Sovine scored twice. It was a fun kind of night for the Cougars and their fans.
Bailey had two touchdowns for Providence, which had a two-game winning streak snapped. In the final 30 seconds, Bailey suffered an injury to his shin and needed assistance to leave the field.
The Panthers will hope to have their star back next Friday when they play their second straight Sweet 16 team next week, hosting No. 10 Butler. Butler beat Garinger 69-0 Friday.
Catholic will have a conference showdown at No. 12 Independence.
This story was originally published September 16, 2022 at 9:25 PM.
