Is Charlotte Christian football ‘back’? Depends if you think the Knights were ever ‘gone’
Corban Hall is happy to talk about Charlotte Christian football — up to a point.
He hesitates when asked if the Knights have returned as a state power.
“With all due respect, I don’t believe we ever stopped being a state power,” said Hall, a 6-4, 220-pound senior tight end and defensive lineman.
OK, we can quibble about such distinctions, but the balance of power has shifted to the other end of southeast Charlotte’s Sardis Road over the past few years.
Charlotte Christian won four straight N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association state championships from 2017-20. The last three titles have gone to that Other School Up The Road — Providence Day.
This year, the Knights might be ready to reclaim the honor.
They open a grueling schedule Friday night, visiting Cox Mill at 7 p.m.
Reason for optimism
There is reason for optimism. After all, the roster is loaded with returning college recruits like Corban, and a couple of big-name players have transferred in. And if all that isn’t enough, some guys named Greg Olsen, Luke Kuechly and Jonathan Stewart are on the coaching staff.
“Yeah, I think we have the makings of a great team this year,” said second-year head coach Chris James, who played for a Charlotte Christian state championship team in 2008. “The problem is, we have a couple of nationally ranked teams in our division.”
Certainly, the focus of attention in recent years has centered on Providence Day, which has won the past three NCISAA championships. The Chargers are loaded with FBS talent once again this season. And not far behind is Georgia-based Rabun Gap School, which gave Providence Day a tough battle in the title game last fall.
What can Charlotte Christian do to compete with this?
“We play very hard, and we set a very high standard for ourselves,” Hall said.
He pointed to the eight football state championship banners on the fieldhouse, at the east end zone of the football field.
“We know the history here,” Hall said.
Well-known coaches
At Charlotte Christian, it starts in the middle school years.
Tate Olsen plays on the middle school team, and his dad, the former Carolina Panthers’ tight end great, is now the head coach. Kuechly and Stewart are assistants.
“Chris (James) is doing a great job, and we’re trying to work with him,” said Olsen, who coached his son in youth football in recent years. “The kids we have are great. They really want to learn.”
James said Stewart often participates in the drills, to show the middle school players how to execute a play.
“It’s amazing to see him out there, running those plays,” James said.
Olsen said he knows what to expect this fall.
“Oh, I know we’re going to get each team’s best shot,” he said with a laugh. “But that’s the fun of playing football. The kids will learn and get better.”
Providence Day has built a strong program in part with players who transferred in, to compete against a rugged schedule and gain the attention of college coaches. Rabun School has followed a similar path. Now some of that is happening at Charlotte Christian.
There are roster additions this season from schools such as West Charlotte, Community School of Davidson and Cuthbertson.
‘To be the best ...’
Perhaps the most noteworthy newcomer is Jamal Rule, a junior running back who rushed for more than 2,700 yards last season at Salisbury.
“I love the game of football,” said Rule, who admits that the two-way drive (100 miles each day) can be tiring. “To be the best, you’ve got to play the best. I knew I’d have an opportunity to do that at Charlotte Christian.”
“It was hard leaving Salisbury,” he admitted. “But everyone has been very welcoming to me here. I feel at home.”
James said Charlotte Christian tries to be careful when adding players.
“You can’t just put together a bunch of players and expect it to work,” he said. “There has to be some chemistry. Our student-athletes must appreciate and accept the academics and standards of Charlotte Christian School.”
He said there’s an air of excitement around the football program this year.
“Obviously, when you have three former NFL players coaching the middle school team, that peps things up,” he said. “But we’ve got some new players, and there just seems to be a different flavor this year.”
As Olsen said, “It’s a great school, we have great kids, and the program is first-class. Football here is a lot of fun.”
It’s not that the Knights have fallen that far from the top.
In last year’s state playoff semifinals, Charlotte Christian gave Providence Day all it could handle before falling 45-37.
So, back to Corban Hall and the question of whether Charlotte Christian “is back” ...
“If you think we fell off, then I guess we’re back,” he said with a smile. “But those of us in the program don’t think that way. Charlotte Christian football never slipped.”
