The Providence Day Chargers picked up their fifth consecutive win Thursday night, knocking off their rivals from Charlotte Christian, 28-14 — despite turning the ball over four times.
One was a fumble recovered in the end zone and three were turnovers inside the Knights’ 15-yard line.
“We got to do better than that,” Providence Day head coach Chad Grier said after the game. “We left a lot of points on the field instead of the scoreboard, so we got to better.”
Points were certainly at a premium early, as both teams exchanged punts in the first few drives. The end of the first quarter saw the Chargers gain some momentum though, as junior quarterback Zaid Lott, who has committed to North Carolina, found a wide-open receiver to set Providence Day up in the red zone.
Unable to score with their passing game, Lott dialed up his own number and ran the ball in for the touchdown. Charlotte Catholic soon found a rhythm of their own in the second quarter, as senior quarterback Owen Farrell found wideout Vincent Rosen for a 16-yard score.
With the score tied at 7-7, both teams exchanged interceptions on three consecutive drives, with Lott throwing two, and Farrell another. The Knights were set up in solid field position after Lott’s second interception was almost returned for a touchdown, but a big sack from senior David Sanders Jr. snuffed out the drive, and the Knights were forced to punt.
With just over a minute left in the second quarter, the Chargers put together a phenomenal drive capped off with a 17-yard pass from Lott to senior wideout Jaylen Himes to regain the lead.
Coming out of the locker room, Providence Day continued to pressure Charlotte Christian’s QB, forcing an errant pass that was picked off by Cairo Skanes. Two plays later Lott found Himes again for their second touching connection of the game.
The fourth quarter would see the Chargers gift Charlotte Christian two scoring opportunities with two turnovers. The first of these being a botched backward pass from Lott that the Knights recovered in the end zone for a touchdown. The second occurred midway through the quarter as the Chargers were driving, when junior receiver Gordon Sellers caught — and then fumbled — a pass near the Knights’ red zone.
With 3 minutes to go, Charlotte Christian was driving down field looking to cut the Chargers’ lead to one possession. With the ball on the goal line, Providence Day’s David Sanders Jr. forced and recovered the game-sealing fumble.
“It means the world for me to be able to contribute to my team,” Sanders said when asked about stepping up on defense. “We grind and compete against each other year in and year out, offseason, summertime, so to be able to put on a show for everybody that’s just my contribution to the team.”
Sanders’ head coach also had high praise for the five-star recruit, and what he was able to do for the team on offense and defense.
“I thought David played terrific tonight,” Grier said. “He had a lot of energy, he played with a lot of passion. He had some crushing blocks offensively, and defensively you know he’s that good on defense to. When he goes, he’s a handful.”
While the Chargers were able to pull out the win, they’ll have to get right back to work as next week they have another big test against one of the top teams in the country.
Three Who Made a Difference
David Sanders Jr., Providence Day: The five-star Tennessee commit was all over the field tonight, unleashing multiple viscous blocks on offense to go along with a sack and game-sealing fumble recovery on defense late in the fourth quarter.
Ian Cline, Providence Day: The leading rusher for the Chargers, Cline had well over 100 yards on the night to go along with a touchdown.
Owen Farrell, Charlotte Christian: Despite the loss, Farrell played a very good game for the Knights, testing a great Providence Day defense with his legs and his arm.
What’s Next
Providence Day travels to Rabun Gap next Friday for a 7 p.m. game.
Charlotte Christian travels to Charlotte Latin next Friday for a 7 p.m. game.
Scoring Summary
Providence Day – 7 7 14 0 - 28
Charlotte Christian – 7 0 0 7 - 14
First Quarter
(PD) - Zaid Lott 1-yard run (Davis Dudley Kick after good)
Second Quarter
(CC) - Vincent Rosen 16-yard pass from Owen Farrell (Elijah Boythe kick after good)
(PD) - Jaylen Himes 17-yard pass from Lott (kick after good)
Third Quarter
(PD) – Himes four-yard pass from Lott (kick after good)
(PD) - Ian Cline 24-yard run (kick after good)
Fourth Quarter
(CC) - Fumbled backwards pass by Lott recovered in end zone (kick after good)
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