Published November 20, 2009
By Aaron Garcia
South Charlotte Weekly
With their 31-10 win over Charlotte Christian on Nov. 20, the Charlotte Latin Hawks reclaimed the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I championship in emphatic fashion.
The championship is the Hawks’ fourth in five years. According to Charlotte Latin coach Larry McNulty, his team’s success this season was sparked by a strong group of veterans.
“The seniors on this team practiced the right way, they did the right things, they came to summer workouts, and that’s a really, really big part of the success,” he said. “Obviously we have some talent, but I think we play with a (heck) of a lot of heart, and they’re kids of character.”
After swapping field goals in the first half, the teams were tied at 3 until Charlotte Latin senior fullback Chase Carbone scored from 2 yards out to put the Hawks up, 10-3, with just under nine minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Then, it was a junior’s turn to take over. With only 1 minute, 36 seconds remaining in the third stanza, running back Jalen Ross broke free on the right side of the field for a 48-yard scoring jaunt to put the Hawks up by two touchdowns, 17-3.
On the ensuing drive, Charlotte Christian threw two incomplete passes before Charlotte Latin’s Archie McIntosh sacked Knights quarterback John Kincaid for a 12-yard loss on third down. Charlotte Latin’s Paul Paschal then corralled a punt at midfield and returned it all the way to the Charlotte Christian 17-yard line. On the next play, Ross again found daylight and raced 17 yards for his second touchdown in 1:09 to give the Hawks a three-touchdown advantage.
According to McNulty, Ross’ scoring outburst was the turning point in the game.
“When Jalen gets loose, goodbye,” McNulty said. “He’s gone. That was it. That broke it open.”
For Ross, the runs were the culmination of a year’s worth of hard work.
“I thought to myself, ‘We’re finally doing what we were supposed to be doing,’” Ross said. “We found the play that worked well. Chase Carbone made a beautiful block on both of those plays that sprung me so I didn’t get touched on the first level. After that, I was getting in.”
Charlotte Latin linebacker Colton Walls said his team learned from its Oct. 2 loss to Charlotte Christian, when the Knights came back from a late deficit to hand the Hawks their only loss of the season.
“We came out flat (in the second half of the loss),” said Walls, who had an interception, a sack and a blocked punt in the win. “This time, Coach gave us a speech and said we couldn’t come out flat – we had to stick it to them. We came out and stuck it to them. It was a great game.”
Ross finished with 99 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries to pace the Hawks. Thomas Armstrong added 26 yards on the ground and a two-yard touchdown reception from Sam Spence to cap Charlotte Latin’s scoring. Spence finished with 111 yards and completed 10 of 25 attempts. Senior kicker Sam Myers added a 21-yard field goal in the first half.
Charlotte Christian actually outgained the Hawks 265 yards to 251. But six penalties for 42 yards, as well as a mere 74 rushing yards, kept the Knights from gaining any momentum.
“We knew our run defense would be able to stop them,” said Charlotte Latin senior linebacker Paul Paschal. “It was just a complete team effort. I’m proud of all of my teammates.”
According to Charlotte Christian coach Jason Estep, the Hawks won the game in the trenches.
“You’ve got to tip your hat to Latin; those kids played extremely hard,” Estep said. “They beat us up front on both sides of the ball. Coach (McNulty) and his staff did a great job. They just beat us. They made plays and we didn’t, and that’s why they won the game.”
Freshman kicker Wes Medeiros nailed a 22-yard field goal at the end of the second quarter to tie the game at 3, but the Knights didn’t score again until receiver Matthias Farley collected a 32-yard touchdown reception, which was deflected by a pair of Latin defenders, late in the fourth quarter.
Kincaid finished with 16 completions on 39 attempts for 191 yards but was intercepted three times. Farley led all receivers with 88 yards on six catches.
With the loss, Charlotte Christian finished the season 9-3. Charlotte Latin improved to 11-1.
“To start the season, we said we were going to win a state championship, and we did it,” said Ross. “It’s wonderful.”
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