Tripp Woody’s big kick gives Charlotte Christian memorable upset of No. 1 Providence Day
BY LANGSTON WERTZ JR.
On Friday night, Providence Day and Charlotte Christian — a pair of rivals located on the same street — played a high school football game fans will talk about for a long time.
Charlotte Christian’s Tripp Woody made a 47-yard field goal as time expired to give his team a 38-37 upset over the No. 1-ranked team in The Charlotte Observer’s Sweet 16. The last four times Providence Day and Charlotte Christian have played, the games have been decided by a total of 15 points.
Those games include a one-point overtime win, a touchdown pass at the buzzer and Woody’s big kick that started a mad celebration.
“Think about that,” Charlotte Christian coach Jason Estep said, “in high school football. It’s just amazing.”
To get in position for the upset, Estep and Charlotte Christian scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns in just over four minutes. For the game, Christian rallied -- twice -- from being down by 20 points. And the Knights didn’t make a first down until the second quarter.
“For whatever reason,” Estep said. “We were a little bit nervous going in. I think we have pretty good personnel, but they have highly decorated personnel. We just didn’t go in swinging, and I thought we had a really good week of preparation, and it just didn’t show.”
But Estep said, despite being down 20-0 to start the game and 34-14 in the third quarter, he and his team never lost hope. And he was especially proud of the way his team played on a night where he had to move starting right tackle Danny Stevens to the left side and start defensive player Odera Orizu, a senior, on the offensive line.
The Knights played without all-conference left tackle Gavin Major, who has a shoulder injury.
“I didn’t feel like we were out of it, ever,” Estep said, “even though the scoreboard said that we were. We saw some things offensively (after we got behind) and we’re like, ‘alright we just need to get a drive before the first half ends.’”
Sure enough, after getting down 20-0, Christian began to find its way, belting Providence Day quarterback Jadyn Davis time and again; this after Davis had riddled the Knights with three first quarter touchdown passes. Christian began to muscle Providence Day around, and scored a pair of touchdowns to get back to 20-14 in the third quarter.
But then the Chargers quickly pushed the lead back to 20 again. Davis threw his fourth touchdown pass and running back Chris Peal ran for one.
“We catch momentum,” Estep said, “and we’re down 20 again. I’m like, ‘Gosh.’ But our guys starting making plays. They had a couple turnovers that were costly, and they were penalized 12 times for like 115 yards. That was the difference. Those were the two glaring things.”
So after being ahead 34-14, Providence Day fell behind, finally losing its lead after a turnover deep in its own end. Davis appeared to be trying to pass and the officials ruled he was hit before he attempted it. The fumble gave Christian a crucial possession and Cam Estep threw his third touchdown pass of the game on the next play.
Now down 35-34, the Chargers answered with a scoring drive, getting a 42-yard field goal from Jake Porter with about a minute left. Christian didn’t panic.
“I wasn’t nervous,” Estep said. “We practice that situation. And I’m always trying to figure out where we have get to, to give (Woody) a chance. I asked him before that last drive started, ‘Where do we have to go?’ He said, ‘You get me to the 35, right hash, and I can’t make it.’ And that’s before we took a snap.”
Cam Estep slowly moving the team into scoring range, finally getting the Knights to the Chargers 30 with four seconds left. That was five yards better than Woody had promised his coach. Next came the snap. Then came the nerves.
“I thought it was going left initially,” Jason Estep said. “And I kept thinking, ‘We just gotta get this ball up in the air quick (so it doesn’t get blocked). Well, he got it up and it went off and it looked left, and then it sort of bent back, and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, he made that thing!’ And he had some yards to spare.”
NOTABLE MOMENTS
▪ Consider that Christian (6-2) was down 20-0 to Providence Day (7-1) after the first quarter, and the Knights didn’t manage a first down until the second. And that was via penalty.
But Christian began to slow down and physically impose itself on Providence Day. The Knights made sure to hit Davis — a lot — and Providence Day noticeably slowed down. Christian scored late in the second quarter and trailed 20-7 at halftime.
▪ Next, Christian scored again to open the second half, trimming the lead to six, but Providence Day — showing championship mettle — found its form. The Chargers, bleeding momentum, scored on their next two drives to move in front 34-14 late in the third quarter.
Davis threw his fourth touchdown on the game, and Chris Peal had an urgent 12-yard scoring run. Then Christian’s big rally began. Micah Gilbert had a pair of touchdown catches sandwiched around a scoring run from Jones.
And then it got even wilder.
“It’s obviously a big win,” Christian coach Estep said.
“They’re the No. 1 team in our poll, and they’re a top 5 team in the state and they’ve got really good personnel and really coaching, but it’s just one. We didn’t finish them off. We threw a punch, and it’s a huge win for our kids. It’s a huge momentum boost. Man, that felt good.”
FIRST-HALF HIGHLIGHTS
▪ Providence Day began the game with a long pass from Jadyn Davis to Channing Goodwin at the Chargers’ 20. Later, Davis hit Jayden Hollar with a 19-yard pass on third-and-8 to end the drive barely three minutes into the game.
▪ Christian went three-and-out on its first possession, trying to answer. A double-reverse to start the drive was snuffed out with a great stop by Brody Barnhardt, and the Chargers got the ball back near midfield. Providence Day drove to the Christian 2, where Davis hit Jordan Shipp — while being knocked to the ground — with a 2-yard scoring pass. With 4:20 left in the first quarter, Providence Day led 13-0.
▪ Christian again failed to move the ball and Providence Day started its third drive at its 45. After a big pass to Shipp, Davis hit Channing Goodwin for a 24-yard score — while under heavy pressure — on fourth-and-5. Providence Day led 20-0 in the first quarter.
▪ Christian settled down defensively in the second quarter and began to slow the Chargers down more. An interception in the red zone helped, but the Knights missed several big plays with receivers who had gotten behind the Providence Day defense.
▪ And after another stop, Christian got going when Cam Estep hit Micah Gilbert with a long pass to get Christian inside the Providence Day 10 late in the second quarter. After a short run, Estep hit Gilbert with a 7-yard scoring pass. Christian trailed 20-7 at halftime.
THREE WHO MATTERED
Henry Hulbert, Charlotte Christian: had a big interception on Davis in the second quarter at the Knights’ 13. Providence Day was up 20-0 at the time. That helped Christian ultimately trim the lead to 6.
Chris Peal, Providence Day: had some big runs, some big catches and lined up 1-on-1 on some college recruited receivers on Christian’s side.
Tripp Woody, Charlotte Christian: kicked game winning field goal at the buzzer.
BY LANGSTON WERTZ JR.
On Friday night, Providence Day and Charlotte Christian — a pair of rivals located on the same street — played a high school football game fans will talk about for a long time.
Charlotte Christian’s Tripp Woody made a 47-yard field goal as time expired to give his team a 38-37 upset over the No. 1-ranked team in The Charlotte Observer’s Sweet 16. The last four times Providence Day and Charlotte Christian have played, the games have been decided by a total of 15 points.
Those games include a one-point overtime win, a touchdown pass at the buzzer and Woody’s big kick that started a mad celebration.
“Think about that,” Charlotte Christian coach Jason Estep said, “in high school football. It’s just amazing.”
To get in position for the upset, Estep and Charlotte Christian scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns in just over four minutes. For the game, Christian rallied -- twice -- from being down by 20 points. And the Knights didn’t make a first down until the second quarter.
“For whatever reason,” Estep said. “We were a little bit nervous going in. I think we have pretty good personnel, but they have highly decorated personnel. We just didn’t go in swinging, and I thought we had a really good week of preparation, and it just didn’t show.”
But Estep said, despite being down 20-0 to start the game and 34-14 in the third quarter, he and his team never lost hope. And he was especially proud of the way his team played on a night where he had to move starting right tackle Danny Stevens to the left side and start defensive player Odera Orizu, a senior, on the offensive line.
The Knights played without all-conference left tackle Gavin Major, who has a shoulder injury.
“I didn’t feel like we were out of it, ever,” Estep said, “even though the scoreboard said that we were. We saw some things offensively (after we got behind) and we’re like, ‘alright we just need to get a drive before the first half ends.’”
Sure enough, after getting down 20-0, Christian began to find its way, belting Providence Day quarterback Jadyn Davis time and again; this after Davis had riddled the Knights with three first quarter touchdown passes. Christian began to muscle Providence Day around, and scored a pair of touchdowns to get back to 20-14 in the third quarter.
But then the Chargers quickly pushed the lead back to 20 again. Davis threw his fourth touchdown pass and running back Chris Peal ran for one.
“We catch momentum,” Estep said, “and we’re down 20 again. I’m like, ‘Gosh.’ But our guys starting making plays. They had a couple turnovers that were costly, and they were penalized 12 times for like 115 yards. That was the difference. Those were the two glaring things.”
So after being ahead 34-14, Providence Day fell behind, finally losing its lead after a turnover deep in its own end. Davis appeared to be trying to pass and the officials ruled he was hit before he attempted it. The fumble gave Christian a crucial possession and Cam Estep threw his third touchdown pass of the game on the next play.
Now down 35-34, the Chargers answered with a scoring drive, getting a 42-yard field goal from Jake Porter with about a minute left. Christian didn’t panic.
“I wasn’t nervous,” Estep said. “We practice that situation. And I’m always trying to figure out where we have get to, to give (Woody) a chance. I asked him before that last drive started, ‘Where do we have to go?’ He said, ‘You get me to the 35, right hash, and I can’t make it.’ And that’s before we took a snap.”
Cam Estep slowly moving the team into scoring range, finally getting the Knights to the Chargers 30 with four seconds left. That was five yards better than Woody had promised his coach. Next came the snap. Then came the nerves.
“I thought it was going left initially,” Jason Estep said. “And I kept thinking, ‘We just gotta get this ball up in the air quick (so it doesn’t get blocked). Well, he got it up and it went off and it looked left, and then it sort of bent back, and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, he made that thing!’ And he had some yards to spare.”
NOTABLE MOMENTS
▪ Consider that Christian (6-2) was down 20-0 to Providence Day (7-1) after the first quarter, and the Knights didn’t manage a first down until the second. And that was via penalty.
But Christian began to slow down and physically impose itself on Providence Day. The Knights made sure to hit Davis — a lot — and Providence Day noticeably slowed down. Christian scored late in the second quarter and trailed 20-7 at halftime.
▪ Next, Christian scored again to open the second half, trimming the lead to six, but Providence Day — showing championship mettle — found its form. The Chargers, bleeding momentum, scored on their next two drives to move in front 34-14 late in the third quarter.
Davis threw his fourth touchdown on the game, and Chris Peal had an urgent 12-yard scoring run. Then Christian’s big rally began. Micah Gilbert had a pair of touchdown catches sandwiched around a scoring run from Jones.
And then it got even wilder.
“It’s obviously a big win,” Christian coach Estep said.
“They’re the No. 1 team in our poll, and they’re a top 5 team in the state and they’ve got really good personnel and really coaching, but it’s just one. We didn’t finish them off. We threw a punch, and it’s a huge win for our kids. It’s a huge momentum boost. Man, that felt good.”
FIRST-HALF HIGHLIGHTS
▪ Providence Day began the game with a long pass from Jadyn Davis to Channing Goodwin at the Chargers’ 20. Later, Davis hit Jayden Hollar with a 19-yard pass on third-and-8 to end the drive barely three minutes into the game.
▪ Christian went three-and-out on its first possession, trying to answer. A double-reverse to start the drive was snuffed out with a great stop by Brody Barnhardt, and the Chargers got the ball back near midfield. Providence Day drove to the Christian 2, where Davis hit Jordan Shipp — while being knocked to the ground — with a 2-yard scoring pass. With 4:20 left in the first quarter, Providence Day led 13-0.
▪ Christian again failed to move the ball and Providence Day started its third drive at its 45. After a big pass to Shipp, Davis hit Channing Goodwin for a 24-yard score — while under heavy pressure — on fourth-and-5. Providence Day led 20-0 in the first quarter.
▪ Christian settled down defensively in the second quarter and began to slow the Chargers down more. An interception in the red zone helped, but the Knights missed several big plays with receivers who had gotten behind the Providence Day defense.
▪ And after another stop, Christian got going when Cam Estep hit Micah Gilbert with a long pass to get Christian inside the Providence Day 10 late in the second quarter. After a short run, Estep hit Gilbert with a 7-yard scoring pass. Christian trailed 20-7 at halftime.
THREE WHO MATTERED
Henry Hulbert, Charlotte Christian: had a big interception on Davis in the second quarter at the Knights’ 13. Providence Day was up 20-0 at the time. That helped Christian ultimately trim the lead to 6.
Chris Peal, Providence Day: had some big runs, some big catches and lined up 1-on-1 on some college recruited receivers on Christian’s side.
Tripp Woody, Charlotte Christian: kicked game winning field goal at the buzzer.
