Providence Day holds on to beat Charlotte Christian, advances to NCISAA state title game
Providence Day is heading back to the state championship game after a 45-37 win over Charlotte Christian School on Friday.
The Chargers, No. 1 in The Observer’s Sweet 16, will get a shot a third straight state championship next week, when they play at Rabun Gap. They’ll also get a chance to avenge their only loss of the season.
“At the end of the day, winning sure beats the alternative,” Providence Day coach Chad Grier said, “especially when it means winning to go to the state championship, so I am proud of our kids for finding a way to do it.”
Providence Day may have been looking ahead a little early. The appeared to lose focus in the fourth quarter, when a bad snap and an interception gave Christian two extra possessions. The Knights, once down 45-28, had the ball down and trailed by just eight in the red zone before a fumble ended the game.
“We had to make a big play at the end,” Grier said. “Griff (Galloway) getting the strip sack and Kyle (Van Dam) getting on top of it was huge. It shouldn’t have come to that. I’ve got to do a better job with seven minutes left with a big lead. I maybe got a little cute and shouldn’t have.”
After an interception to start the game, Chargers’ quarterback Jadyn Davis settled down and played like the reigning NC Mr. Football and a finalist to win again this season. He threw three touchdown passes, two to Channing Goodwin and the other to Jordan Shipp.
“Winning isn’t easy,” Davis said. “Winning is hard in high school football. They (Charlotte Christian) are a great opponent. We have so much respect for them even though they are our rivals. We know there is respect both ways. Obviously, the big game is next week against Rabun Gap.”
Davis said to beat Rabun Gap, the Chargers will have to be better.
“We have a lot of things to fix that we screwed up on tonight to prepare for (Rabun Gap),” Davis said. “That is a big test for us but I think we are ready to meet it.”
In their regular season matchup, Rabun Gap was able to move the ball on the ground running behind their strong offensive line. All-purpose receiver Trey Horne had five rushing touchdowns against the Chargers.
When asked about Rabun Gap’s size, Grier had a witty response.
“We are going to feed our boys some more pancakes and waffles to get them a little bigger,” Grier said. “Those are some big ole rascals we are playing against. That front seven is as good as I’ve ever seen. But, I believe in our guys and believe in our coaches. All you can hope for is a chance to play them again which we have, and this time I hope it will go our way.”
Three who made a difference
Jadyn Davis, Providence Day: Despite the two interceptions, Davis helped get his team the momentum back when they were down 7-3 late in the first half. He was able to improvise a few times with his legs as well, extending plays and finding his open receivers.
David Sanders, Providence Day: Linemen often times don’t get the credit they deserve. But it doesn’t seem to matter who you match up with Sanders, he will win. He not only blocked well on the offensive line, but he was Charlotte Christian quarterback Owen Farrell’s worst nightmare in the backfield when he played defensive line.
Channing Goodwin, Providence Day: The Michigan commit had two touchdown receptions in the game. His touchdown with 5:28 to go in the third quarter put the Chargers up 31-14, giving them the cushion they would need in the end to hang on and win.
What’s next?
Providence Day (11-1) will travel to Rabun Gap on Nov. 17 for the NCISAA state championship game. Charlotte Christian finishes its season with an 8-4 record.
PHOTOS: Charlotte Christian at Providence Day
