Is Friday’s Rabun Gap at Providence Day matchup the high school football game of the year?
It is a rarity when the top two teams in any state get to play in the regular season. However, that’s what fans will see Friday night when the Rabun Gap Eagles travel to face the Providence Day Chargers.
Providence Day, ranked No. 1 in the Observer’s Sweet 16, has scored 42 points or more in every game this season. They have one of the best offensive units in the state, led by Michigan commit, quarterback Jadyn Davis.
In MaxPreps’ latest rankings of North Carolina’s top teams, regardless of class or division, Rabun Gap is No. 1. Providence Day is No. 2. Rabun Gap is a private boarding school in Rabun Gap, GA, about 90 miles from Atlanta and 150 miles from Charlotte. Rabun Gap’s 680 students come from 56 counties and 15 states.
The school’s football team plays in the N.C. private school leagues and was state runnerup in 2014, 2020 and 2021.
This year’s team might be its best, and coach Derek White knows that beating the 2022 state champions from Providence Day on Friday could lead to a home game in the state championship round — and a potential first set of rings.
But White said beating Providence Day, ranked as high as No. 19 in national polls, will not be easy.
“They have talent all over the place,” White said. “It starts with (QB) Jadyn (Davis). He does an unbelievable job. They have the two receivers in (Jordan) Shipp and (Channing) Goodwin. They have a lot of talent on the offensive line and highly recruited guys there. They are just so explosive. They have the running back (Ian Cline) who transferred in that is explosive. They don’t have a lot of weaknesses.”
Davis and Providence Day are averaging nearly 50 points per game, but the Eagles are also prolific. They have scored over 50 points in three games and an average 40 per game. Their lone outlier was a 16-6 win over Mays High School in Atlanta.
To beat Rabun Gap, Chargers coach Chad Grier, will require his team’s best effort, and not the type they turned in during last week’s win at rival Charlotte Christian.
“We can’t turn the ball over five times and beat (Rabun Gap) next week,” Grier said. “I’ve seen enough to know that they are really good. They have got some dudes that can really be a problem. So, it will be a heck of a football game.”
This game will showcase an excellent battle in the trenches as both teams have several high-profile players on both the offensive and defensive lines.
The Chargers offensive line is anchored by the 247 sports No. 1 player in the class of 2025, left tackle David Sanders. He rarely gives up pressure on the quarterback, and he presents a challenge for any team he lines up against.
“I think Sanders is probably the best you’ll see,” coach White said. “He is well coached and they have a great scheme. When we get the chance, we’ve got to make a play. If you give those guys a second chance it will hurt you and it will turn into a long night.”
Rabun Gap has several guys standing 6-5 or taller on the defensive line with a few standing at 6-8, and Sanders, who plays on the offensive and defensive line, is looking forward to stopping the Eagles’ pass rush on offense and trying to get to the quarterback himself on defense.
“(Rabun Gap) is going to compete hard and play to the whistle on every play,” Sanders said. “So, we have to make sure we come out and are ready to do the same thing ourselves. I think we will have a great week of preparation and can’t wait to see our performance.”
Jadyn Davis threw three interceptions in the Chargers’ win over Charlotte Christian, all in the first half. He had just one interception all season coming into that game. It is, in his terms, “probably the worst half in any game of my high school career.”
Davis has put last week behind him and understands the magnitude of the game against Rabun Gap.
“It is going to be a different test,” Davis said. “It is the best of the best. What else could you want in high school football? This game is really going to show us where we are as a team. I’m just excited to be able to play with some of the best players around the state, and you know those guys are from everywhere. I have a lot of respect for (Rabun Gap). They put in a lot of extremely hard work. So, it is going to be a really big game and it’s going to be a battle of the best.”
