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Sometimes, small changes can yield big results.
Providence High football coach Wes Ward, returning for his second season this spring, knew he had to make some big changes. The last time we had high school football, at the end of 2019, Providence finished 3-8.
One of the things Ward knew he had to change was to make his defense better. He was returning nine starters, most of them coming off a sophomore season where they were tossed into 4A football and asked to keep up.
“We don’t have a lot of big kids,” Ward said. “We have a lot of linebackers, guys like 6-foot, 210 to 220 pounds. We’re not going to be able to go head-to-head with 300-pounders every week. So I said, ‘We’ll put tough guys up front and make people run laterally and see if we can run with them.’
“And sure enough, we can run with them.”
Providence beat Olympic 20-0 Thursday night and improved to 6-0. The Panthers won this week the exact same way they’ve won every week in this 2021 season: They just don’t let you score.
Providence has allowed 19 points — all season — after Ward made his defensive adjustments. Instead of four linemen and three linebackers, Ward has switched to three linemen and four linebackers.
On Thursday, linemen Eli Watson, Gentry Otero and Luke Gullickson dominated the line of scrimmage. Because of that, the Providence High linebackers — Sam Decker, Lukas Dendrolivanos, John Balas and Jake Gilley — were free to disrupt everything Olympic tried to do.
The Trojans (5-1) came in unbeaten and averaging more than 37 points per game. Against the Providence 3-4 defense, they got minus-1 yard passing and 74 yards rushing, averaging 2.5 yards per attempt.
This wasn’t a 50-0 blowout, but it was also never in doubt. Olympic, honestly, had one drive where it threatened to score points, and the Panthers ended that with an interception.
“I’m not surprised, to be honest,” Ward said. “I didn’t know they would be this good. But this group had that fire in their eyes last year. They feared nothing. They just couldn’t keep up with people because they were so young. I knew once they matured and got bigger and stronger — and our weight room is top notch in the state in my opinion — I knew they would be pretty good.”
Ward, 32, is in his sixth season at the school, his second as head coach. He knows the history that Providence has, kind of like a bad stock — rising just enough to give you hope, but then falling heavy and making you count your losses.
“It’s culture,” Ward said. “We needed culture. It is kids believing in kids and it is kids caring about each other and about their coaches. And it’s the coaches caring about the kids.”
At the beginning of every season, Ward gives out a coaches packet to his staff to remind them of his mantra. “Care about one another,” it reads, followed by “Coaches love coaches,” then “coaches love players,” then “players love coaches,” and finally “players love players.”
Ward truly believes he’s tapped into something special on Highway 51. He thinks that Providence can be a year-in, year-out power, and every week the Panthers keep winning, Ward’s belief only grows stronger.
“This is a gold mine here,” he said. “If you can win, you’ve got a great community and people that care about you and this is a place, I think, where (coaches) have only stayed here two or three years and moved on. No one starts a tradition and builds a culture and carries things on. That’s how you get a program going.
“And I plan to do that.”
Quick Links
Providence rolls past Olympic, one game away from league title
No. 2 Hough stops Mallard Creek, looks ahead to No. 1 Vance
West Mecklenburg gets first win of season against Harding, gets a chance to exhale
Thursday’s scores, Friday’s previews and schedule
Observations
▪ Providence may not have traditional size on its defensive line, but its offensive line is massive. Sophomore Connor Drake is 6-6, 305; senior Jalen Brooks is 6-5, 325; senior Tyler Mason is 5-10, 215; sophomore Nate Taylor is 5-11, 210; and sophomore Eric Hinson (6-0, 225) started in place of sophomore Marc Tomlianovic (6-5, 300), who was out with injury.
▪ The Panthers linebackers are good players and good students. Ward said Sam Decker, Lukas Dendrolivanos, John Balas and Jake Gilley have a cumulative grade-point average of more than 4.0.
“They’re super intelligent,” he said. “I can talk to them and tell them things, and it registers right away. We can make adjustments on the fly, and they just roll with it. That’s big.”
▪ Christ The King beat Cherryville 20-10 to improve to 3-3 on the season. It’s the first time in school history, the school has won that many games in one year.
▪ Crest junior linebacker Eli Hall got an offer from Florida Thursday. Hall, a 6-foot-4, 250-pound junior is a 4-star national prospect with offers from schools like Auburn, Georgia, Penn State and South Carolina. Thursday night, he helped Crest, No. 9 in the Sweet 16, beat No. 16 Burns 37-24.
Friday’s #BIG5 Top Performers
Michael Catlin, West Mecklenburg: in a win over Harding, Catlin had a 67-yard touchdown catch, a 7-yard touchdown run and a 88-yard kickoff return for a score. Teammate Beady Waddell V, son of the head coach of the same name, ran 15 times for 56 yards and two touchdowns as his father got his first win at the school.
Blane Fulbright, East Burke: 32 carries, 172 yards, three touchdowns in a 30-14 win over Fred T. Foard. On defense, Michael Magni (11 tackles), Spencer Goins (10 tackles, interception, fumble recovery), Matthew Vue (nine tackles) and Noah Rooks and Landon Langley (eight tackles each) had strong games.
Tyler Hoff, Julian Rawlins, Hough: in a blowout win over Mallard Creek, Hoff caught four passes for 133 yards and two scores. Rawlins had three sacks.
Jacob Newman, Myers Park: Junior ran 20 times for 153 yards in a 16-7 win over Porter Ridge that gave the Mustangs a share of the Southwestern 4A title. QB Lucas Lenhoff (8-for-15, 113 yards, two touchdowns), Jordan Hanson (7 tackles) and Omari Philyaw (five tackles, interceptions) played strong games.
Gentry Otero, Providence: strip fumble and recovery to set up a score and a fumble recovery on Olympic’s final possession in a 20-0 win Friday.
Around the Area
▪ Glenwood Robinson ran for 130 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-0 win over West Charlotte Thursday. The Mooresville defense held the Lions to 20 total yards.
▪ Alexander Central’s Ryheem Craig (seven carries, 118 yards) and Cameron Lackey (11 carries, 113) yards both hit the century mark in a 48-0 win over Hickory Thursday. And Dayente Calhoun (14-94) nearly got to 100. Craig had seven tackles on defense.
▪ Mount Pleasant’s Ryan Tyson completed 13-of-15 passes for 277 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-0 win over Montgomery Central Thursday. He hooked up with Bryce Parker five times for 135 yards and two scores. On defense, Jase Young had eight tackles, a sack and five tackles for a loss.
▪ Butler ran 28 times for 272 yards and six touchdowns in a 70-8 win over Garinger. Ashler Little led the Bulldogs with nine carries for 71 yards
Thursday’s Conference Recaps
I-MECK 4A
Lake Norman 28, Hopewell 0 … The Wildcats’ ground attack kept Hopewell’s offense off the field for much of the game. Lake Norman improved to 4-2, 4-2, while Hopewell is 1-5, 1-5.
Hough 35, Mallard Creek 14 … The Huskies (6-0, 6-0) set up their conference championship showdown next Friday with defending 4AA state champion Vance, as Elijah McWilliams rushed for more than 100 yards. Tad Hudson threw a pair of touchdown passes to Tyler Hoff, including a 70-yarder. Mallard Creek fell to 3-3, 3-3.
Mooresville 46, West Charlotte 0 … The Blue Devils (1-4, 1-4) scored the first victory for coach Joe Nixon at the school. The Lions fell to 1-5, 1-5.
SO MECK 7 4A
South Mecklenburg 35, Berry Academy 7 … The Sabres (3-3, 2-3) won their third straight game, dropping the Cardinals to (2-4, 1-4). South Mecklenburg visits West Mecklenburg next week, with a chance to finish with a winning season.
SOUTHWESTERN 4A
Myers Park 16, Porter Ridge 7 … The Mustangs (6-0, 6-0) wrapped up the conference championship, rallying from a 7-0 deficit. Porter Ridge (4-2, 4-2) led 7-0 after Brandon Perry’s touchdown run, but Myers Park rallied with a pair of Lucas Lenhoff touchdown passes in the second half.
Hickory Ridge 56, East Mecklenburg 0 … The Ragin’ Bulls (4-2, 4-2) set up a third-place showdown next week with Porter Ridge. The Eagles fell to 1-5, 1-5.
Rocky River 24, Independence 22 … The Ravens (2-4, 2-4) scored what proved to be the winning touchdown with 53 seconds left. Arnold Taylor threw a touchdown pass for Independence (2-4, 2-4) with 31 seconds left, but the Patriots missed the two-point conversion.
NORTHWESTERN 3A-4A
Watauga 21, Freedom 0 … The Pioneers (5-0, 5-0) remained undefeated, scoring three times in the first 17 minutes of play. Freedom fell to 2-3, 2-2. The game was played in a steady snowfall in Boone.
Alexander Central 48, Hickory 0 … The Cougars (4-2, 4-1) scored 34 second-quarter points and routed Hickory (0-6, 0-5). Ryheem Craig rushed for 118 yards, and Cameron Lackey ran for another 113 yards.
BIG SOUTH 3A
Ashbrook 33, North Gaston 20 … Linebacker Jeffrey Poole scored on a pick-6, lifting the Green Wave (3-3, 3-2) over North Gaston (0-5, 0-5).
Kings Mountain 39, Forestview 7 … The Mountaineers (6-0, 5-0) whipped the Jaguars (2-3, 1-3) and set up a showdown next Friday with Crest for the conference championship.
NORTH PIEDMONT 3A
South Iredell 39, North Iredell 13 … The Vikings (3-3, 2-2) built a 26-0 halftime lead and coasted. North Iredell is 0-5, 0-4.
SOUTH PIEDMONT 3A
A.L. Brown 29, Jay M. Robinson 14 … Jamison Flowe ran for touchdowns of 60 and 47 yards, and the Wonders (5-1, 5-0) clinched the conference championship. Jay M. Robinson (4-1, 3-1) led 8-7 early.
West Cabarrus 11, Central Cabarrus 8 (OT) … Freshman Ryan Dempster kicked field goal in overtime, and then West Cabarrus (3-3, 3-3) stopped the Vikings (2-4, 2-3) on downs for the victory.
Cox Mill 21, Concord 20 … The Chargers (2-3, 2-2) won the game by blocking an extra point kick byn Concord (2-4, 1-4) with 58 seconds left.
SOUTHERN CAROLINA 3A
Weddington 45, Monroe 14 … The Warriors (4-0, 4-0) remained unbeaten, as Kyle Parsons ran for two touchdowns and Dante Casciola threw for another. Monroe fell to 4-2, 4-2.
Parkwood 17, Piedmont 14 … Connor Benito kicked a 30-yard field goal with 6:52 left, lifting the Wolfpack (2-4, 2-4) over the Panthers (0-4, 0-4).
Marvin Ridge 28, Sun Valley 6 … Evan Medders threw a pair of touchdown passes, and Jack Coppinger scored on a 55-yard interception return for the Mavericks (4-1, 4-1). Sun Valley is 0-5, 0-5.
ROCKY RIVER 2A-3A
Mount Pleasant 35, Montgomery Central 0 … The Tigers (6-0, 4-0) remained unbeaten, limiting the Timber Wolves (1-4, 0-4) to six first downs and less than 125 yards total offense.
CENTRAL CAROLINA 2A
Salisbury 42, Ledford 6 … The Hornets (4-2, 3-2) rolled to a surprisingly easy victory and clinched a playoff berth. Quarterback Vance Honeycutt ran for four touchdowns.
FOOTHILLS 2A
Hibriten 50, West Iredell 0 … Dillon Earp returned a fumble 26 yards for a touchdown, just one minute into the game, and the Panthers (6-0, 5-0) rolled over the Warriors (0-6, 0-6). Quaidyn Tugman also returned an interception 50 yards for a Hibriten touchdown.
Bunker Hill 48, Patton 0 … Bunker Hill (5-1, 5-1) held second place, as Kaden Robinson ran for three first-half touchdowns. Patton slipped to 1-5, 1-5.
East Burke 30, Fred T. Foard 14 … The Cavaliers (4-2, 4-2) rallied from a 14-8 deficit and topped Fred T. Foard (1-4, 1-4).
SOUTHWESTERN 2A
South Point 28, Shelby 16 … South Point (4-2, 3-2) stunned the Golden Lions (4-2, 4-1), as Omari Hunt ran 77 yards for a clinching touchdown with three minutes left. Shelby still can win the conference title next week by beating winless East Rutherford.
MOUNTAIN VALLEY 1A-2A
Ashe County 55, West Wilkes 6 … The Huskies (6-0, 6-0) clinched the conference championship, as Dawson Cox threw for three touchdowns and ran for another.
SOUTHERN PIEDMONT 1A
Thomas Jefferson Academy 48, Bessemer City 8 … Bryce Jergensen threw three touchdown passes, and Isaiah McMullens ran for two scores, as the Gryphons (6-0, 5-0) tied Pine Lake Prep for first place. The two teams do not play one another during the regular season.
Community School of Davidson 23, Mountain Island Charter 6 … The Spartans (5-1, 4-1) remained third in the conference. They host Pine Lake Prep (5-0, 5-0) next Friday.
Union Academy 26, Highland Tech 25 … Union Academy (1-4, 1-4) broke into the victory column, as Isaac King ran for a game-winning two-point conversion with six minutes left. Highland Tech fell to 1-3, 1-3.
Christ the King 20, Cherryville 10 … The Crusaders, playing their second season of N.C. High School Athletic Association football, improved to 3-3, 3-3. Cherryville is 1-5, 1-4.
YADKIN VALLEY 1A
North Stanly 36, North Moore 7 … The Comets (5-0, 5-0) wrapped up the conference title, as Luke Shaver ran for a pair of touchdowns and passed for a third.
NONCONFERENCE
Crest 37, Burns 14 … Malachi McKinney picked up a fumbled lateral and ran 47 yards for a touchdown, helping the Chargers (6-0) top their Cleveland County rivals (4-2).
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