Three-time defending NCISAA Division 1 state champs Providence Day kicked off its 2024 season with a bang on Friday night. The Chargers blew past defending Division 2 runner-up Trinity Christian School of Fayetteville by a score of 55-8.

This season represents the start of a new era for Providence Day. Gone are graduates Jadyn Davis and his star receivers Jordan Shipp/Channing Goodwin. In is junior quarterback Zaid Lott, who is already committed to play at North Carolina, and the reigning NCHSAA Male Athlete of the Year: Kendre Harrison.

A few weeks ago, Harrison announced his transfer to Providence Day from Reidsville High School. The 6-foot-7, 245-pound junior won a 2A state championship in both basketball and football during his sophomore season with the Rams. He has publicly cited his will to play tougher competition as the driving force behind his move.

Harrison and Providence Day didn’t face too tough of a test against Trinity Christian. After a couple of early lost fumbles, the Chargers locked in and gathered a 24-0 lead by just under five minutes left in the second.

Lott, at 6-foot-4, 200-pounds, has the rare distinction of being a Power 4 commit before starting a game in high school. His first start as Providence Day’s signal caller went very well. Lott threw for five touchdowns and rushed for one more on a broken play while not turning the ball over once. One of his passing touchdowns came on a second quarter fade route to Harrison in the back right corner of the end zone. Expect to see that at least a few more times this season.

The UNC commit resisted the temptation of targeting his new 5-star weapon on each drop back. He spread the ball out very well. Lott completed touchdown passes to junior D1 prospect Gordon Sellars, senior Jaylen Himes, sophomore Max Cassell, and junior Brendan Ravin, who also had a pick-six for a touchdown in the first quarter.

Providence Day’s might is clear, and the Chargers are just getting started. Head coach Chad Grier estimated after the game that only 10% of his offense has been installed for Harrison so far.

The Chargers’ next matchup comes with a short turnaround. They’ll take on defending 4A state champion Weddington on Thursday in the second annual Keep Pounding Classic at 8:00 p.m. in Bank of America Stadium. Weddington is currently HighSchoolOT’s No. 3 team in the state, while Providence Day is No. 2.

Additional Game Observations

• 5-star offensive tackle David Sanders was excellent on the eve of his commitment. Sanders has added weight, but it’s all muscle. He might be pushing 300 pounds, but most of that number seems to be muscle and bones. Sanders is remarkably resilient. He plays a bulk of Providence Day’s snaps as an edge rusher on defense in addition to his efforts blocking Lott’s blindside. He’ll even drop back into coverage in the flats on certain defensive calls. Providence Day can now also send out Kendre Harrison to rush the passer, which he did to great success tonight. Opposing quarterbacks will have to face a 5-star coming from each edge spot when they play Providence Day.
• Providence Day’s pass rush was a force independent of Sanders/Harrison’s impact. The Chargers regularly forced Trinity Christian’s Wake Forest commit Elijiah Oehlke outside of the pocket and sacked the passer ate least five different times. One of the sacks came from sophomore Griff Galloway, who was just ranked as the No. 46 sophomore prospect in the country by 247Sports.
• The team’s star running back Ian Cline did not play at all on offense. Cline is an exceptional rusher who could push for a 2,000-yard season should he be healthy for the rest of the regular season and playoffs. Cline did not appear to be significantly injured as he handled the holding duties for Providence Day on field goal and point after touchdown attempts.
• If Providence Day was operating on all cylinders, it could have scored 70 points tonight. The Chargers had to settle for a couple of field goals and fumbled twice while in Trinty territory in the first half. Providence Day wasn’t able to get a significant scrimmage stretch in due to the effects of Tropical Storm Debby, so tonight was more or less a scrimmage for the Chargers.
• Trinity Christian should be fine in the long run this season. The Crusaders’ starting 22 is pretty good, their depth is the question. The depth had to come into focus tonight thanks to the physicality of Providence Day.

Source: highschoolot.com