When the Davidson Day Patriots lost at Charlotte Latin 49-20 last week, it wasn’t surprising that the most glaring differences between the programs might have been those things completely out of the control of anyone, like veteran leadership, in the form of 17 Charlotte Latin seniors who play key roles for the Hawks.
Many of the seniors have played in high-pressure, big-game situations over the past three seasons. For the Patriots, who have just three seniors on their 28-man roster, the hype surrounding the game was more than most of them had ever experienced.
The result was uncharacteristic mistakes, dropped passes, and a lopsided loss. The Patriots went to Charlotte Latin and saw a team they hope to resemble in the very near future.
“We’ll take that tape and use it as a training tool for our kids,” Davidson Day coach Chad Grier said. “They were efficient. They were crisp. We weren’t.”
Last season, Grier’s team went 10-0 at the junior varsity level. Heading into the game at Latin, it was 8-0 this season against varsity competition. Of the 19 games now in the record books at the school, however, none might have been as beneficial as last Friday’s game, when Patriots players got to go against a team that plays at the highest level of private school football (Division I) and expects to win every time it takes the field. The mindset of the teams is identical, the Patriots hope.
“It’s all momentum and mojo,” Grier said. “And when you play a team like Charlotte Latin they will make you pay for every mistake.”
Latin scored touchdowns on its first four possessions, including capitalizing on a fumble on a kickoff return by Davidson Day, and also getting a touchdown after the Patriots jumped offsides on a field goal attempt on a fourth-and-10 play, prompting Latin to send their offense back onto the field. The Hawks had 28 points midway through the second quarter, before the Patriots began their third offensive drive.
Game planning
The first thing Latin did strategically was devise a defensive game plan in which Patriots quarterback Will Grier would not be able to hurt them with his arm. The Hawks frequently dropped eight players into coverage and dared Grier to run the ball. Grier finished with 167 rushing yards and three touchdowns, but was hit far more often than usual, and the team had to take a lot more time moving the ball downfield.
The hits may have slowed down Grier, but they didn’t stop him. He finished 13-of-24 passing for 164 yards, and was victimized by at least five dropped passes during the game.
Plays that had been routine during the team’s first eight weeks of the season, suddenly were not so easy against the Hawks, who have developed one of the top programs in the state over the past three decades.
Lessons learned
“It’s interesting playing against coach Mac (Latin head coach Larry McNulty),” said Chad Grier, “because it leads to a lot of feedback.”
McNulty, who coached Chad Grier 26 years ago when Grier was an all-state quarterback at Latin, provided words of encouragement to his former player that helped him put the outcome into perspective. The message?
“We’re not as far off as the score on Friday might indicate,” Grier said.
The Patriots’ biggest struggles against Latin were on defense, not offense. The Hawks were able to move the ball with relative ease against a Davidson Day defense that consists almost entirely of players who also play offense. Davidson Day focused on stopping the run. Latin, which has relied on the running game this season, countered with play-action passes, which resulted in three touchdowns through the air against the Patriots.
“We just need to re-focus, re-energize,” Grier said. “We’re going to be alright.”
PATs
The Patriots lost starting defensive back/wide receiver Mike Stevens to injury on the first series of the game last week. Stevens was taken off the field on a stretcher. The injury appears to be less severe than the team initially feared, and Stevens might be able to play this week against Victory Christian. … The trio of Jordan Brown, Adam Seward and Evan Gates has put up huge numbers this season but was held in check by Latin, combining for five catches and 11 rushing yards. Jordan Young picked up some of the slack with six catches for 58 yards. … The Patriots expect to have games next season against Charlotte Latin, Providence Day and Charlotte Country Day and are in the process of finding dates for those games, Grier said.
