Charlotte Christian holds off Providence Day, grabs share of Big South 4A title
As Charlotte Christian Head Coach Jason Estep left Overcash Stadium Friday night his first words were “that was ugly, but I’ll take it.”
“Ugly” was the Knights 10-7 road victory over arch-rival Providence Day that clinched both a share of the NCISAA Big South Conference and likely a spot in the Division I playoffs where they will go for their third consecutive state title.
Christian scored first, going 52 yards on their opening possession on just four plays and taking a 7-0 lead on a one-yard run by Henry Rutledge.
Christian’s defense held Providence Day to just 64 total yards in the first half and controlled field position as well, as all of Providence Day’s first half possessions started at their own 20 or worse.
Benjamin Shropshire kicked a 25-yard field goal on the last play of the first half and Christian led 10-0.
In the third quarter Providence Day closed the gap on their opening drive, going 58 yards in 11 plays, and scoring on a seven-yard scramble by quarterback Cody Cater to cut the lead to 10-7.
From there the teams would trade punts, the last coming by Christian with 1:53 that pushed Providence Day to their own 9. The Chargers were unable to move the ball and turned it over on downs to allow Christian to celebrate the hard-fought victory.
“This team has had a lot of adversity this year,” Estep said. “Tonight we won the game on defense and didn’t lose it on offense. I’ll take it.”
Records: Charlotte Christian improves to 6-2 overall and finishes 2-1 in the NCISAA Big South Conference while Providence Day falls to 6-3 and 1-2
Three Who Mattered
Henry Rutledge, Charlotte Christian: Rushed for 151 yards on 26 carries with a touchdown and added 17 yards receiving. Rutledge also punted six times with four of those kicks getting inside the Providence Day 20.
Nickel Fields, Providence Day: Rushed for 97 yards on 23 carries, 56 of those coming in the second half.
Pass Defenses: Providence Day came into the game averaging 182 yards passing per game while Charlotte Christian was averaging 137. The two pass offenses combined for 61 yards and were a combined 11-for-29 passing.
What’s Next
Regular season is complete for both teams and they will find out their playoff fates on Sunday.
Worth Mentioning
▪ The Providence Day frustration against their rivals continues. Friday’s win was Christian’s 13th straight in the series with the Chargers last victory coming in 2011.
▪ The game obviously wasn’t pretty from an offensive standpoint but both defenses were strong. There were 19 plays that either went for zero or negative yards (not counting incomplete passes) but surprisingly, there were no turnovers.
▪ On Providence Day’s touchdown run Christian standout linebacker Brett Adams was injured with what looked like a left leg problem. Adams lay on the turf for about five minutes, was eventually carried and carted off the field.
Charlotte Christian 7 3 0 0 10
Providence Day 0 0 7 0 7
First Quarter
CC- Henry Rutledge 1 run (Benjamin Shropshire kick)
Second Quarter
CC- FG Shropshire 25
Third Quarter
PD- CD Cater 7 run (William Wallace kick)
As Charlotte Christian Head Coach Jason Estep left Overcash Stadium Friday night his first words were “that was ugly, but I’ll take it.”
“Ugly” was the Knights 10-7 road victory over arch-rival Providence Day that clinched both a share of the NCISAA Big South Conference and likely a spot in the Division I playoffs where they will go for their third consecutive state title.
Christian scored first, going 52 yards on their opening possession on just four plays and taking a 7-0 lead on a one-yard run by Henry Rutledge.
Christian’s defense held Providence Day to just 64 total yards in the first half and controlled field position as well, as all of Providence Day’s first half possessions started at their own 20 or worse.
Benjamin Shropshire kicked a 25-yard field goal on the last play of the first half and Christian led 10-0.
In the third quarter Providence Day closed the gap on their opening drive, going 58 yards in 11 plays, and scoring on a seven-yard scramble by quarterback Cody Cater to cut the lead to 10-7.
From there the teams would trade punts, the last coming by Christian with 1:53 that pushed Providence Day to their own 9. The Chargers were unable to move the ball and turned it over on downs to allow Christian to celebrate the hard-fought victory.
“This team has had a lot of adversity this year,” Estep said. “Tonight we won the game on defense and didn’t lose it on offense. I’ll take it.”
Records: Charlotte Christian improves to 6-2 overall and finishes 2-1 in the NCISAA Big South Conference while Providence Day falls to 6-3 and 1-2
Three Who Mattered
Henry Rutledge, Charlotte Christian: Rushed for 151 yards on 26 carries with a touchdown and added 17 yards receiving. Rutledge also punted six times with four of those kicks getting inside the Providence Day 20.
Nickel Fields, Providence Day: Rushed for 97 yards on 23 carries, 56 of those coming in the second half.
Pass Defenses: Providence Day came into the game averaging 182 yards passing per game while Charlotte Christian was averaging 137. The two pass offenses combined for 61 yards and were a combined 11-for-29 passing.
What’s Next
Regular season is complete for both teams and they will find out their playoff fates on Sunday.
Worth Mentioning
▪ The Providence Day frustration against their rivals continues. Friday’s win was Christian’s 13th straight in the series with the Chargers last victory coming in 2011.
▪ The game obviously wasn’t pretty from an offensive standpoint but both defenses were strong. There were 19 plays that either went for zero or negative yards (not counting incomplete passes) but surprisingly, there were no turnovers.
▪ On Providence Day’s touchdown run Christian standout linebacker Brett Adams was injured with what looked like a left leg problem. Adams lay on the turf for about five minutes, was eventually carried and carted off the field.
Charlotte Christian 7 3 0 0 10
Providence Day 0 0 7 0 7
First Quarter
CC- Henry Rutledge 1 run (Benjamin Shropshire kick)
Second Quarter
CC- FG Shropshire 25
Third Quarter
PD- CD Cater 7 run (William Wallace kick)
