Latin overcomes errors, 3rd quarter to top Country Day 31-16
By Steve Lyttle
October 25, 2018 10:48 PM
Charlotte Latin played three quarters of solid football, overcoming one nightmarish quarter and toppling host Charlotte Country Day 31-16 Thursday night.
The Hawks piled up 378 yards of offense and all their scoring in the first, second and fourth quarters. They gained only 24 yards and lost three fumbles in the third period.
But 36 minutes of solid football was enough Thursday night.
Charlotte Latin is a young teams, and a pair of sophomores and a junior were responsible for most of the damage.
Sophomore quarterback Jake Helfrich completed 15 of 19 passes, throwing a pair of touchdowns to sophomore Elijah Horton. And junior Carter Stockwell rushed for 69 yards, including a touchdown.
Horton got the Hawks off to a big start, returning the opening kickoff 53 yards to the Country Day 37. Latin scored on its fourth play, with Helfrich throwing 14 yards to Horton.
After forcing the Buccaneers to punt, Latin went back to work. The Hawks marched 70 yards in eight plays, scoring on Stockwell’s 4-yard run. That made it 14-0 midway into the first quarter.
Charlotte Latin expanded the lead to 21-0 midway in the second quarter on a 32-yard Helfrich-to-Horton touchdown pass.
The Hawks took a 24-7 lead into the third quarter but needed the margin, given how their offense short-circuited. They fumbled away the ball at their 31, and Country Day turned that into a Edward Dellinger field goal. Latin fumbled the ball away near midfield on its next possession, but the defense stopped Country Day at the Hawks’ 22.
But on the next play, Charlotte Latin lost another fumble. This time, the Buccaneers took advantage of the mistake and scored on a 16-yard run by Quintin Cooper. The conversion failed, but the Bucs had closed the margin to 24-16.
The Hawks reverted to good Latin in the fourth quarter, avoiding mistakes and driving for a final touchdown with four minutes left.
Records: Charlotte Latin is 5-4, 1-2 in the NCISAA Big South; Charlotte Country Day is 5-5, 0-3.
Three who mattered
Jake Helfrich (Charlotte Latin): The Hawks’ quarterback passed for 193 yards and two touchdowns and avoided throwing any interceptions.
Elijah Horton (Charlotte Latin): Horton had six receptions for 66 yards, including a pair of touchdowns.
Quintin Cooper (Charlotte Country Day): Cooper, a junior running back, carried 17 times for 120 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown run.
Worth mentioning
▪ The NCISAA will announced playoff pairings Sunday, and both Charlotte Latin and Charlotte Country Day are expected to be part of the Division 2 field.
▪ A bit of a Halloween touch – volunteers on the chain crew were wearing Dracula-style capes.
▪ Charlotte Country Day senior John Demas had a big game on defense. He recovered a fumble and had two sacks.
▪ Charlotte Latin had 201 yards of offense in each half. Charlotte Country Day finished with 318 yards.
▪ A year ago, Charlotte Latin and Charlotte Country Day met in a regular-season finale. Latin was 0-2 in the conference, the same as this year. The Hawks were 5-4 overall (4-4 this year). Latin won 48-30, and it launched the Hawks on a ride to the NCISAA Division 2 state title. Latin beat Country Day 33-0 in the title game.
What’s next?
▪ The teams will await berths in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association playoffs.
By Steve Lyttle
October 25, 2018 10:48 PM
Charlotte Latin played three quarters of solid football, overcoming one nightmarish quarter and toppling host Charlotte Country Day 31-16 Thursday night.
The Hawks piled up 378 yards of offense and all their scoring in the first, second and fourth quarters. They gained only 24 yards and lost three fumbles in the third period.
But 36 minutes of solid football was enough Thursday night.
Charlotte Latin is a young teams, and a pair of sophomores and a junior were responsible for most of the damage.
Sophomore quarterback Jake Helfrich completed 15 of 19 passes, throwing a pair of touchdowns to sophomore Elijah Horton. And junior Carter Stockwell rushed for 69 yards, including a touchdown.
Horton got the Hawks off to a big start, returning the opening kickoff 53 yards to the Country Day 37. Latin scored on its fourth play, with Helfrich throwing 14 yards to Horton.
After forcing the Buccaneers to punt, Latin went back to work. The Hawks marched 70 yards in eight plays, scoring on Stockwell’s 4-yard run. That made it 14-0 midway into the first quarter.
Charlotte Latin expanded the lead to 21-0 midway in the second quarter on a 32-yard Helfrich-to-Horton touchdown pass.
The Hawks took a 24-7 lead into the third quarter but needed the margin, given how their offense short-circuited. They fumbled away the ball at their 31, and Country Day turned that into a Edward Dellinger field goal. Latin fumbled the ball away near midfield on its next possession, but the defense stopped Country Day at the Hawks’ 22.
But on the next play, Charlotte Latin lost another fumble. This time, the Buccaneers took advantage of the mistake and scored on a 16-yard run by Quintin Cooper. The conversion failed, but the Bucs had closed the margin to 24-16.
The Hawks reverted to good Latin in the fourth quarter, avoiding mistakes and driving for a final touchdown with four minutes left.
Records: Charlotte Latin is 5-4, 1-2 in the NCISAA Big South; Charlotte Country Day is 5-5, 0-3.
Three who mattered
Jake Helfrich (Charlotte Latin): The Hawks’ quarterback passed for 193 yards and two touchdowns and avoided throwing any interceptions.
Elijah Horton (Charlotte Latin): Horton had six receptions for 66 yards, including a pair of touchdowns.
Quintin Cooper (Charlotte Country Day): Cooper, a junior running back, carried 17 times for 120 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown run.
Worth mentioning
▪ The NCISAA will announced playoff pairings Sunday, and both Charlotte Latin and Charlotte Country Day are expected to be part of the Division 2 field.
▪ A bit of a Halloween touch – volunteers on the chain crew were wearing Dracula-style capes.
▪ Charlotte Country Day senior John Demas had a big game on defense. He recovered a fumble and had two sacks.
▪ Charlotte Latin had 201 yards of offense in each half. Charlotte Country Day finished with 318 yards.
▪ A year ago, Charlotte Latin and Charlotte Country Day met in a regular-season finale. Latin was 0-2 in the conference, the same as this year. The Hawks were 5-4 overall (4-4 this year). Latin won 48-30, and it launched the Hawks on a ride to the NCISAA Division 2 state title. Latin beat Country Day 33-0 in the title game.
What’s next?
▪ The teams will await berths in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association playoffs.
