Providence Day digs too big of a hole in state semifinal, falls to Rabun Gap

Steve Lyttle, Langston Wertz Jr.
·4 min read

Providence Day turned on the defense Friday night, but not quickly enough to save the Chargers from a season-ending 52-42 playoff semifinal loss to Rabun School.

The Georgia visitors built a huge early lead, then made enough big plays down the stretch to hold off the Chargers.

Rabun Gap (7-1) will travel to Charlotte Christian (4-1) next Friday for the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association’s Division 1 football championship.

The first half was a nightmarish collection of turnovers and bad tackling for Providence Day (4-2). The Chargers trailed 31-7 at one point. But they nearly made a game of it in the second half.

“They didn’t quit,” Chargers’ coach Chad Grier said. “When the other team puts 45 on the scoreboard in the first half, that might intimidate some teams. But our kids kept going.”

Rabun Gap accumulated 342 yards of offense in the first half. The Eagles netted only 88 in the final two quarters.

“We made some defensive adjustments at halftime, and those made a difference,” Grier said.

But ultimately, a Charger turnover made the difference.

Providence Day had narrowed the gap to 45-35 and was driving into Rabun Gap territory as the fourth quarter started. Charger quarterback Jake Helfich completed a pass to senior wide receiver Thomas Flynn. As Flynn caught the ball at the 28, he was rocked from behind on a perfectly timed hit by Rabun Gap’s Remez Lockhart.

The ball flew out of Flynn’s arms and into the hands of Eagle defensive standout Linus Zunk, who raced 62 yards in the opposite direction before being forced out of bounds at the Providence Day 10. Two plays later, Rabun Gap scored for a 52-35 lead.

The Chargers scored again, cutting the gap to 52-42, and forced a fumble near midfield with 5:54 left. But Rabun Gap stopped Providence Day on downs.

“We had those opportunities near the end, but we just couldn’t quite climb back into it,” Grier said.

THREE WHO MATTERED

Jake Helfich, Providence Day: The Chargers’ senior quarterback ended his high school career on a high note. He completed 23-of-40 passes for 318 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a score and passed for a two-point conversion.

Thomas Flynn, Providence Day: Also a senior, Flynn was the go-to receiver for Helfich, catching seven passes for 97 yards. One of those was a 47-yard touchdown catch, and Flynn also caught a pass for a two-point conversion.

Coleman Bryson, Rabun Gap: Bryson rushed 17 times for 229 yards (173 of those in the first half) and scored four touchdowns.

Worth mentioning

▪ There were 731 yards of total offense in the first half -- 389 of that by Providence Day. And the teams scored 55 points just in the second quarter.

▪ Providence Day won the statistical battle. The Chargers outgained Rabun Ga 569 to 430 (that’s 999 yards of total offense) and had more first downs, 29 to 15.

▪ The Chargers lost three fumbles and threw an interception, all in the first half. Rabun Gap converted each of those turnovers into points.

▪ In a game loaded with offense, there were a few big defensive plays. One of those came in the third quarter, with Rabun Gap leading 45-35 and driving. Providence Day sophomore Christopher Peal batted away a potential touchdown pass on fourth down, ending the Eagle drive.

▪ Both of Rabun Gap’s standout running backs are slated to return next season. Coleman Bryson, who rushed for 229 yards, is a junior. Yunus Altincinar, who ran for 154 yards, is a sophomore.

▪ The wild-scoring first half brought back memories of another game in which Grier was head coach. In 2012, he coached Davidson Day to a 104-80 playoff victory over Harrells Christian. Grier’s son Will, now a backup quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, threw for 837 yards and 10 touchdowns in the game.

THEY SAID IT

“We will build from this, come back next year, and keep growing.” -- Providence Day coach Chad Grier.

Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle

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Rabun Gap 17 28 0 7 -- 52

Providence Day 0 27 8 7 -- 42

RG -- Yunus Altincinar 15 run (Dominik Sojat kick)

RG -- FG Sojak 26

RG -- Aidan Semo 3 run (Sojat kick)

PD -- Thomas Flynn 47 pass from Jake Helfich (Jacob Porter kick)

RG -- Coleman Bryson 76 run (Sojat kick)

RG -- Altincinar 7 run (Sojat kick)

PD -- Christopher Peal 6 run (kick blocked)

RG -- Bryson 10 run (Sojat kick)

PD -- Helfich 9 run (pass failed)

RG -- Bryson 83 run (Sojat kick)

PD -- Brady Barnhardt 8 pass from Helfich (J.T. Smith run)

PD -- Smith 1 run (Flynn pass from Helfich)

RG -- Bryson 6 run (Sojat kick)

PD -- Helfich 5 run (Porter kick)