Not your father’s Charlotte Catholic. ‘People will find out’ about Cougars’ air attack

Charlotte Catholic threw the ball all over the place in its season-opening 41-26 victory over South Mecklenburg, and it looked like a new era of Cougar football.

But two weeks later, against top-ranked Providence Day, the Cougars reverted to the offense they have used to win a series of state championships in recent years: running the ball.

So fast-forward a few weeks to last Friday. The Cougars found themselves trailing Independence by a touchdown and in possession of the ball near midfield, with less than a minute remaining.

What did head coach Mike Brodowicz call for?

No, not a run. And not a screen pass or a short toss to junior tight end Jack Larsen, a Notre Dame commit who is close to a sure thing when it comes to receiving the ball.

Instead, the Cougars threw the bomb. Quarterback Sean Boyle found receiver Mike Giroux streaking down the left sideline and connected on a 46-yard touchdown pass. After the subsequent two-point conversion, the fourth-ranked Cougars had a 36-35 victory over Independence.

Brodowicz figures most people still think of Charlotte Catholic as a run-first team.

“That doesn’t matter,” he says. “People will find out. We’ve got more ways to attack a defense.”

And, he adds, “People don’t realize how strong that guy’s arm is.”

He was referring to Boyle, a senior who completed 16-of-20 passes for 260 yards against the Patriots. And he didn’t just compile the bulk of the yardage in the closing quarter, with Charlotte Catholic scrambling to recover from a 14-point deficit.

Boyle threw for 132 yards in the first half and 128 in the second. He connected with seven different receivers.

“This is what we were working on before the season,” Brodowicz says. “We have installed a spread offense. We can spread the ball around.”

The Cougars coach quickly notes, “Now, that doesn’t mean we’re going to pass the ball all the time. But it gives us an option.”

The ground game is in fine shape, as you’d expect.

The Cougars seem to find a standout running back every autumn, and this year it’s senior Griffin Sovine. He carried for 102 yards against Independence and has 596 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns in his team’s five games.

When Boyle is passing, he has options.

Larsen, at 6-3 and 215 pounds, is usually targeted on shorter passing plays. He had four catches for 49 yards against the Patriots, but that included a 23-yard catch-and-run. Sophomore Web Helms also is targeted on the short- to medium-range passes often.

But Boyle’s strong arm gives him the ability to reach speedy receivers like Giroux and Jacob Deller, both seniors. Deller had five receptions for 116 yards Friday.

For the season, Boyle has completed 70% of his passes (53-of-76) for 831 yards.

“It gives our offense a whole new dimension,” Brodowicz says.

The Cougars’ head coach showed a gambling style after his team’s final touchdown, which left Charlotte Catholic trailing Independence 35-34. Rather than call for a game-tying kick and try to win it in overtime, Brodowicz opted for a two-point conversion.

That time, there wasn’t a pass involved. The Cougars went to their traditional attack, handing the ball to Sovine. He bulled his way into the end zone for the winning points.

“After the Marvin Ridge game last year, I vowed not put our kids in a position of losing a game due to a kick,” Brodowicz says.

The Cougars fell to Marvin Ridge 20-19 in the opening round of the playoffs, missing a field goal late in the game.

“In a situation like that, we’re going for the victory,” he says.

Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle