No. 2 Providence Day rolls past Myers Park in electric season opener
Three things were very clear about Providence Day’s easy-as-it-sounds 49-13 win over a good Myers Park team.
1. All that talk about Providence Day’s lack of offense? Put that to bed. Senior Cole Cater, who has studied the great Chargers quarterbacks before him at practice, looked comfortable in his new QB1 role. Providence Day’s offense, with a seriously talented receiving core, looked as electric as ever.
2. The Chargers’ defense, featuring 10 starters with Division I scholarships, is a problem —with a capital P.
3. And Providence Day, ranked No. 2 in The Observer’s Sweet 16 and Super 25 statewide polls, is a real threat to No. 1 Hough for the de facto Queen City championship. The two nationally ranked teams are scheduled to play in a few weeks, in a rare matchup of a reigning public school state champ and a private school one.
Friday, Providence Day scored all six times it had the ball in a decisive first half against Myers Park. Cater threw two touchdowns and ran for one.
And on defense, Providence Day was stifling.
Myers Park did get a big run from sophomore James Drayton that helped set up a tough TD run from QB Ramir Watson in the first half, but offense was simply just hard for the Mustangs. A lot of plays ended up being stopped behind the line of scrimmage, and Tre’ Geathers had a first-quarter pick-six for a score.
By halftime, Providence Day was up 42-6 and the game, pretty much, was done, forcing the second half to be played with a running clock.
Notes
— The start of the game was delayed by more than 30 minutes because of lightning and heavy rain.
— A small fight broke out in the first half, resulting in multiple personal fouls. No players were ejected.
— Providence Day didn’t run the ball much when the game was competitive and used a lot of sweeps when it did.
— Myers Park’s Bockarie Sesay picked up a fumble after a strip sack of Cater in the third quarter to give the Mustangs the ball at the Provdience Day 22 late in the third quarter. A few plays later, now into the fourth quarter, Watson hit Tate Recchia with a pretty 14-yard scoring pass he threw against his body while scrambling away from three Providence Day defenders.
Three who made a difference
Cole Cater, Providence Day: The new Chargers’ quarterback, a senior, threw three touchdown passes and ran for another. He looked comfortable running coach Chad Grier’s complex passing scheme.
Providence Day’s offensive line: The Chargers’ front was dominant, opening up running holes and giving Cater time to pass.
Steele Fletcher, Providence Day: On a team with elite talent on the outside, Fletcher lines up in the slot and is hard to deal with. He caught passes underneath and nearly got behind the defense for a big pass over the top. His elusivenss quick feet and speed makes the Wake Forest a scoring threat every time he touches the ball.
PHOTOS: Myers Park at Providence Day
Game summary
Myers Park 0 6 0 7 — 13
Providence Day 28 14 7 — 49
First quarter
PD: Max Cassell 25 pass from Cole Cater (Cameron Kiehl kick)
PD: Ethan Dempsey 13 pass from Cater (Kiehl kick)
PD: Cater 22 run (Kiehl kick)
PD: Tre’ Geathers 26 interception return (Kiehl kick)
Second quarter
MP: Ramir Watson 1 run (kick failed)
PD: Justin Abanquah 4 run (Kiehl kick)
PD: Ashton Gibbs 4 run (Kiehl kick)
Third quarter
PD: Braylon Clark 17 pass from Cater (Kiehl kick)
Fourth quarter
MP: Tate Recchia 14 pass from Watson (Thomas McLaurin kick)
This story was originally published August 21, 2026 at 9:46 PM with the headline "No. 2 Providence Day rolls past Myers Park in electric season opener."
