Aloha, Warriors! On Friday, the student section at the Dub was absolutely decked out ready to hit the beach with a Hawaiian spirit theme. Coming off of a 14-7 victory over Charlotte Christian, the Warriors looked to start the season off with a winning streak.

This game would be the Providence Day Chargers’ first game of the season. They kicked off their season with a winning coin toss and elected to receive the ball in the first half. A quick three and out, which included a sack by Knox Willingham for a loss of seven, gave Weddington the ball immediately.

Weddington’s first drive of the game began in Charger territory. Despite a deep pass to Griffin Reimer on the third drive, a holding penalty pushed the ball back into Weddington territory. A sack for a loss of 17 by Connor Glossom forced the punt team on the field and senior Matthew Moonan to send the football to the Providence Day 29.

The next three drives resulted in three-and-outs, signaling early that this would be a very defense-heavy football game. Both sides were applying pressure to the opposing quarterback and locking down receivers left and right.

A failed fake punt by Providence Day started the Warriors at the Charger 27. Driving 26 yards to the one, head coach Andy Capone called for a fourth down conversion attempt. However, the attempt failed, rewarding Providence Day with the football.

Another sack by Willingham and a short pass to Chris Peal marked yet another third and out. The punt was downed by the Warriors at the Providence Day 36, giving them another chance to capitalize on a short punt. Senior quarterback Grady Brosterhous launched a dime into the endzone, but the touchdown was called back on an offensive pass interference penalty. Two plays later, Brosterhous scrambled for an 11 yard gain, bringing the ball to the five yard line. The play marked the end of the first quarter, with a close game tied at zero.

On the very first play of the second quarter, Brosterhous’s pass in the endzone was picked off by Chris Peal, the standout in the first quarter for the Chargers. The ball would be placed at the Providence Day 20 to begin the drive. Despite moving the ball 22 yards upfield, three straight incomplete passes by senior quarterback Harrison Barnett forced a punt.

Senior wide receiver Landyn Backey was set up to return the punt. However, the snap went over the head of the Providence Day punter, with the ball recovered by the Warriors at their opponent’s 12 yard line. A two yard run by Wofford College commit Kyle Parsons set up a scoring opportunity for the Warriors, as Brosterhous turned on the jets, taking the ball ten yards to the house. With 9:30 minutes to play in the first half, the Warriors were up 7-0.

However, it did not take long for the Chargers to answer the score. A three minute drive, which included passes to Liam Groulx and Peal, ended in an eight yard pass to Jordan Shipp for a touchdown. Almost halfway through the quarter, the score was knotted up at seven.

Although they drove deep enough into Providence Day territory for a field goal attempt, Weddington did not get the ball into the endzone. A failed field goal attempt gave the ball back to Providence Day. Each team had one more drive, but neither scored before the horn sounded, signaling the end of the half. The tie score would make for an exciting second half, with fans of both schools eager to see the outcome.

The Warriors came out of the locker room on a mission. Last week, Brosterhous threw a seemingly perfect pass to Backey, but the ball was just out of the receiver’s reach. However, the duo made up for the play on the first drive of the game. A 68 yard pass to Backey put the Warriors on top 14-7, only 1:02 into the second half.

Providence Day did not answer the Warrior touchdown on their next drive. Both teams failed fourth down conversion attempts, and Weddington missed a field goal before the clock wound down. With only one score separating the Chargers and Warriors, the game was anybody’s.

Weddington’s first drive of the last quarter of the game began at their own 42 yard line. A penalty committed by Providence Day moved the ball up 15 yards, setting up a better scoring opportunity. The Warriors drove all the way down to the one yard line. Kyle Parsons sealed the drive with a one yard rush, increasing the Warrior lead to 14 with 8:00 left in the game.

Once again, Providence Day did not respond to the Warrior touchdown on their next drive and were forced to punt.

The ball was downed by the Chargers at the Weddington 25. On the drive, Parsons accounted for 19 yards, all of which were rushing. The drive was capped off by another deep pass, but this time to Zymill Patterson. Brosterhous’s 49 yard pass, along with Moonan’s extra point, increased the Warrior lead to three touchdowns. The score was 28-7 with 1:53 left.

That drive sealed the deal for the Warriors. The 28-7 victory over Providence Day kept them undefeated in the short season. This week, Weddington will travel to Ardrey Kell High School.