No. 1 Providence Day rallies late to stop Roman Catholic (PA) upset bid
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Providence Day overcame a late deficit to edge Roman Catholic 29-28 Friday night.
- Quarterback Zaid Lott and receiver Gordon Sellars sparked a fourth-quarter rally.
- Chargers' defense sealed the win by denying a final field goal and key late passes.
Providence Day figured it out eventually.
The Chargers’ defense finally stopped Philadelphia Roman Catholic’s quick-hitting passing game, and the offense’s big players stepped up in the fourth quarter, as top-ranked Providence Day scored a 29-28 victory Friday night.
Providence Day coach Chad Grier said he wanted his powerhouse football team to be tested, and Roman Catholic was happy to oblige.
The Cahillites, a Pennsylvania state runner-up last season, scored two third-quarter touchdowns and grabbed a 28-23 lead.
The Chargers spent much of the third quarter in chase mode, as Roman Catholic quarterback Semaj Beals repeatedly connected with receivers on quick sidelines passes. Beals completed 10-of-13 passes in the third quarter, as his team rallied from a 23-14 halftime deficit for the lead.
Providence Day’s offense, which operated at its typical high efficiency in the first half, suddenly went cold after halftime. The Chargers got only two first downs on their four possessions in the third quarter.
The Cahillites had double-teamed Providence Day’s standout senior wide receiver, Gordon Sellars, for the opening three quarters. But Sellars eventually found a way to beat the Roman Catholic defense in the final period, and quarterback Zaid Lott was quick to notice.
Lott connected with Sellars on four passes, and although the drive ended on downs at the Roman Catholic 10 with six minutes left, the visitors were unable to move the ball on their next possession and then were hurt by a bad punt. Providence Day took over at the Roman Catholic 25 with 4:55 left, and Quintin McCray, who spends most of his time at linebacker, ran the ball 13 yards for the go-ahead score with 4:10 left.
That’s when the Providence Day defense found a way to stop Beals. The Cahillites drove from their 20 to the Providence Day 25 with two minutes left. But the Chargers’ secondary broke up three straight passes.
Roman Catholic tried to win it with a field goal, but Eli Pollack’s 43-yard kick went wide-left with 1:22 remaining.
Lott then clinched the victory with a 15-yard run for first down.
Three who mattered
Zaid Lott, Providence Day: Lott completed 17-of-33 passes for 161 yards and was intercepted once. That wasn’t his best passing game ever, but he ran for two touchdowns and guided the Chargers on two key fourth-quarter drives.
Steele Fletcher, Providence Day: The story of the first half was the Chargers’ kick return game. Fletcher returned the game’s opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, then ran back a punt 64 yards later in the quarter to set up a field goal.
Semaj Beals, Philadelphia Roman Catholic: Beals completed 10-of-14 passes in the third quarter, when his team scored two touchdowns and took the lead. His qulick release gave the Providence Day defense fits.
Just noting
It didn’t take long for the game to produce fireworks. Providence Day’s Steele Fletcher returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown.
Here’s an assumption: Philadelphia Roman Catholic has a unique nickname. The Cahillites were named for Thomas E. Cahill, a Philadelphia business leader who built the school in 1890. At the time, it was the first Catholic high school in the country that didn’t charge tuition. The school now charges tuition.
After Providence Day had three long kick returns in the first quarter, the Cahillites stopped kicking the ball deep on kickoffs.
Chargers’ kicker Jacob Baggett missed the extra point on his team’s first touchdown, but he was 3-for-3 after that and added a field goal. He also had touchbacks on all six kickoffs.
What’s next?
Providence Day travels next Friday to the Raleigh area, facing Rolesville, last year’s 4A public school runner-up. The Rams will be in a bad mood after their 36-21 loss Friday night at Mallard Creek.
Philadelphia Roman Catholic has another trip to the South,, visiting West Palm Beach (FL) Cardinal Newman.
Roman Catholic 7 7 14 0 — 28
Providence Day 9 14 0 6 — 29
PD — Steele Fletcher 95 kickoff return (kick failed)
RC — Eyan Stead 21 pass from Semaj Beals (Eli Pollack kick)
PD — FG Jacob Baggett 34
PD — Zaid Lott 12 run (Baggett kick)
RC — Eisa Nealy 80 halfback pass from Jayden Alford (Pollack kick)
PD — Lott 1 run (Baggett kick)
RC — Xavier Cruz 5 pass from Beals (Pollack kick)
RC — Kaylin Bass 8 pass from Beals (Pollack kick)
PD — Quintin McCray 13 run ((run failed)
This story was originally published August 22, 2025 at 10:22 PM.