Thursday, December 7, 2017

3A Preview: Havelock vs. Charlotte Catholic

Duke’s Wallace Wade Stadium is returning to the state championship rotation and the first matchup of the day on Saturday is a matchup that many high school football fans have been clamoring for. Both Havelock and Charlotte Catholic have won multiple state titles over the last dozen years and each has a rabid fanbase that loves the feeling of success and is hoping to add another trophy to the trophy case on Saturday.

Wallace Wade Stadium


Havelock has been an offensive juggernaut this season under new coach Caleb King. The Rams have averaged over 50 points per game and have eclipsed the 60-point threshold three times this year. Leading this offensive charge has been quarterback Zach Sabdo, a senior who has thrown for over 4,000 yards and 45 touchdowns this season. Khalil Barrett has rushed for over 1,000 yards and scored 16 times.

After a close loss to fellow state finalist Wallace-Rose Hill, Havelock has reeled off twelve straight wins and held many opposing offenses in check with tough, smothering defense.

Charlotte Catholic has been dominating this season and is coming into Saturday's game with a 15-0 record. The Cougars are outscoring opponents by an average of 31 points and have not had an opponent within 15 points of them at the final whistle since the first week of October. Chase Foley and Brian Jacobs have amassed over 200 tackles between them while the defense as a whole has held opponents to single digits in ten different games.

The Cougars have been able to score points in bunches this season and much of this is due to the rushing of senior Milan Howard. Howard has rushed for over 1,800 yards and is the perfect complement to quarterback Christopher Walton, a senior with 1,500 passing yards 23 touchdowns against only three interceptions.