Catholic weathers ‘storm,’ tops North Davidson 35-23 in NC 4A playoffs

Charlotte Catholic’s defense stiffened after an early onslaught from visiting North Davidson, and running back Jaret Anderson’s five-touchdown outburst carried the Cougars to a 35-23 4A playoff victory Friday night.

The victory set up a Western Region semifinal next week in Greensboro between the unbeaten Cougars (13-0) and top-seeded Dudley (13-1).

“We weathered the storm,” Catholic head coach Mike Brodowicz said. “We knew that if we could persevere after that early attack of theirs, we could win this game.”

While Catholic surrendered a 315-yard passing night by Knights’ quarterback Joe Butts, they turned North Davidson’s high-powered offense into a one-dimensional attack by limiting Shrine Bowl running back Kennedy McKoy to 70 yards on 17 carries.

Meanwhile, Anderson rushed 19 times for 182 yards. He scored four touchdowns on the ground and got a fifth score on a 50-yard screen pass.

North Davidson, which had scored 81 points in its first two playoff games and was averaging 34 points a contest for the season, struck quickly. The Knights went 80 yards in six plays in the first series of the game, scoring on a 31-yard pass from Butts to Juy Smith.

Meanwhile, Catholic’s offense gradually kicked into gear, with the Cougars scoring touchdowns in the final minute of the first and second quarters. The Cougars’ second possession ended with a 28-yard Anderson touchdown run with 58 seconds left in the first period.

The second scoring drive covered 95 yards. The Cougars, who prefer to run the ball, covered most of the distance in the air, with John Walton completing all five pass attempts, including a 43-yard reception by Angel Marrero. Anderson capped the drive on a 3-yard scoring run with 14 seconds left in the half.

“To get that 95-yard drive and then know we were getting the ball to start the second half was really big,” Brodowicz said.

With the Catholic defense shutting down North Davidson for most of the second half, the Cougars pulled away on Anderson’s 50-yard touchdown reception and two more scoring runs in the fourth quarter by the Cougars’ standout senior running back.

Quote: “Our front four and linebackers shut down a Shrine Bowl running back. That’s the kind of effort we needed.” – Catholic coach Mike Brodowicz, referring to North Davidson’s Kennedy McKoy.

Records: North Davidson finished 12-2. Charlotte Catholic is 13-0.

Worth mentioning: For the third straight week, North Davidson successfully executed an onside kick, this time early in the second quarter after scoring on a field goal. Catholic held the Knights to a three-and-out, however … North Davidson tried two more onside kicks but was unsuccessful each time … Junior running back Angel Morreno added 63 rushing yards for Catholic.

What's Next: Charlotte Catholic plays in the 4A semifinals at Greensboro Dudley.

This story was originally published November 27, 2015 at 11:39 PM with the headline "Catholic weathers ‘storm,’ tops North Davidson 35-23 in NC 4A playoffs."