-- Charlotte Christian football coach Justin Estep didn’t hide his disappointment with last week’s 19-14 loss to Charlotte Catholic in a battle of teams ranked in the top 10 of the Observer’s Sweet 16 poll.
Christian ran up more than 300 yards offense in the first half at Charlotte Catholic, but turned the ball over three times on Catholic’s side of the field. So what Estep thought could’ve been an easy night turned into a slugfest that his team ultimately lost.
And to Estep that loss made Friday’s win at Myrtle Beach that much sweeter.
Christian rallied for a wild 54-51 decision against the No. 5 ranked 4A public team in MaxPreps’ South Carolina poll, a win that wasn’t done until quarterback Garrett Shrader hit Ricky Kofoed for a 13-yard pass on fourth-and-9 with 22 seconds left.
“It’s a huge win,” Estep said. “You know that. Bouncing back after what happened last week, when we felt we were three touchdowns better than our opponent and it didn’t work out that way on the scoreboard. I told the kids after the Catholic game that it’s not about when you fall, because you’re going to fall, but about how you get up.
“Today, I never felt like were out of the game. I said if the clock is in our favor, we’ll keep scoring. We had some young guys in the game, and we were a little banged up, but they played their butts off and we had a chance to win it.”
The teams combined for 105 points and 1,009 total yards and it really got wild after Christian took a 47-32 lead on an touchdown interception return from JB Awolowo. There was about eight minutes to play. But Myrtle Beach scored three times in the next four minutes to take a 51-47 lead. Xayvion Knox intercepted Shrader and returned it 40 yards for the go-ahead score.
But, as Estep said, he felt good about scoring -- as long as time was on the clock.
Charlotte Christian (1-1) had about four minutes.
Awolowo returned the kickoff near midfield and Christian drove down the field and finally arrived at the 13. On fourth down, Estep said he felt his team could get something over the middle. Shrader threw it there and Kofoed made a one-handed catch for a game-winner that left Myrtle Beach at 0-2 for the first time in more than a decade.
Besides redeeming his fourth-quarter turnover, Shrader had perhaps the best game of his career: 25-of-35 passing for 288 yards and three touchdowns, plus 15 carries for 181 yards rushing and four more touchdowns. He also caught a pass for 30 yards.
Most importantly, he made the hero play when his team needed it most.
“We called trips boundary,” Shrader told the Myrtle Beach Sun News, “and we went stick pump (where) our tight end Ricky Kofoed did a hitch and go. The line gave us enough time and (Kofoed) made a play.”
▪ Powerhouse teams continue to find problems getting games. Mallard Creek and Scotland County scheduled each other, basically, because they couldn’t find dance partners. Part of the reason Charlotte Christian took its team to the beach was because the Knights can’t find anyone to play. Ditto, Butler, which has two byes in the first three weeks of the season.
“It’s hard to find people to play,” Charlotte Christian’s Estep said. “Phone calls don’t get returned. Emails don’t get returned. It makes it tough.”
Christian ran up more than 300 yards offense in the first half at Charlotte Catholic, but turned the ball over three times on Catholic’s side of the field. So what Estep thought could’ve been an easy night turned into a slugfest that his team ultimately lost.
And to Estep that loss made Friday’s win at Myrtle Beach that much sweeter.
Christian rallied for a wild 54-51 decision against the No. 5 ranked 4A public team in MaxPreps’ South Carolina poll, a win that wasn’t done until quarterback Garrett Shrader hit Ricky Kofoed for a 13-yard pass on fourth-and-9 with 22 seconds left.
“It’s a huge win,” Estep said. “You know that. Bouncing back after what happened last week, when we felt we were three touchdowns better than our opponent and it didn’t work out that way on the scoreboard. I told the kids after the Catholic game that it’s not about when you fall, because you’re going to fall, but about how you get up.
“Today, I never felt like were out of the game. I said if the clock is in our favor, we’ll keep scoring. We had some young guys in the game, and we were a little banged up, but they played their butts off and we had a chance to win it.”
The teams combined for 105 points and 1,009 total yards and it really got wild after Christian took a 47-32 lead on an touchdown interception return from JB Awolowo. There was about eight minutes to play. But Myrtle Beach scored three times in the next four minutes to take a 51-47 lead. Xayvion Knox intercepted Shrader and returned it 40 yards for the go-ahead score.
But, as Estep said, he felt good about scoring -- as long as time was on the clock.
Charlotte Christian (1-1) had about four minutes.
Awolowo returned the kickoff near midfield and Christian drove down the field and finally arrived at the 13. On fourth down, Estep said he felt his team could get something over the middle. Shrader threw it there and Kofoed made a one-handed catch for a game-winner that left Myrtle Beach at 0-2 for the first time in more than a decade.
Besides redeeming his fourth-quarter turnover, Shrader had perhaps the best game of his career: 25-of-35 passing for 288 yards and three touchdowns, plus 15 carries for 181 yards rushing and four more touchdowns. He also caught a pass for 30 yards.
Most importantly, he made the hero play when his team needed it most.
“We called trips boundary,” Shrader told the Myrtle Beach Sun News, “and we went stick pump (where) our tight end Ricky Kofoed did a hitch and go. The line gave us enough time and (Kofoed) made a play.”
▪ Powerhouse teams continue to find problems getting games. Mallard Creek and Scotland County scheduled each other, basically, because they couldn’t find dance partners. Part of the reason Charlotte Christian took its team to the beach was because the Knights can’t find anyone to play. Ditto, Butler, which has two byes in the first three weeks of the season.
“It’s hard to find people to play,” Charlotte Christian’s Estep said. “Phone calls don’t get returned. Emails don’t get returned. It makes it tough.”