Providence Day Chargers Season Preview

My colleagues have done a great job in previewing schools across North Carolina, and I will start previews with key players on schools within the Charlotte Metro Area. Previewing schools in the Charlotte Area can always be tricky in the new transfer era that we are in now, so if we preview a player who may have switched schools after a preview is completed, please forgive us.   The Providence Day Chargers are coming off another NCISAA State Championship under the leadership of Head Coach Chad Grier, who has built the Chargers into a respected state power in North Carolina over the past few years. The Chargers are fast becoming a school known for also getting players on the roster of college football programs, and there are several players lined up on the roster this season who have committed to programs that we'll look at in this article.    Ethan has developed well in his time at Providence Day, and he's a dynamic receiving threat who can threaten all three levels of the field. Ethan recently committed to play college football at Charlotte, and I think that's a great fit for him and his skill set. I think he will have an opportunity to play early there and help lead a local infusion of talent that local fans have been wanting from the 49ers for years. I expect him to be a leading receiver for the Chargers this season, who are breaking in a new quarterback after the graduation of the talented Zaid Lott.     Steele committed to play college football at Wake Forest, and I think that's a really good fit for him. As a slot receiver, Steele is strong with the football in his hands and has some electric speed that allows him to be a downfield threat in the passing game. Providence Day could also elect to get him going in the running game with jet sweeps and reverses. Also, you can't discount the threat that Steele is on special teams as well, as he has shown in his career that he can return punts and kickoffs for touchdowns, flipping a game on its head instantly. I'd expect a really big senior season production-wise from Steele.     Cooper has committed to play college football at Delaware, and he's going to be a major key to the success up front for the Chargers this season. His leadership from the center position is going to be really important with a new starting quarterback and a tougher overall schedule for the Chargers before conference play gets going. Cooper is an excellent run blocker and excels at angle and double-team blocks in the Chargers' run blocking scheme overall. In pass protection, Cooper provides accurate snaps consistently and doesn't give ground easily against interior pass-rushing defensive linemen.     One of the more complete defensive linemen in North Carolina, Griff committed to play college football at Kentucky, and that should be a good fit for him. Griff does an excellent job of setting the edge consistently in the running game, but he can also pass rush at a high level off the edge at the same time. Griff also has the strength to slide inside and play at the defensive tackle spot, so his versatility is definitely a big key for the Chargers and the varied looks they like to present to teams defensively.     Justin has developed into a tackling machine in the middle of the defense for the Chargers, and after picking up a number of offers from different schools, Justin decided to stay in-state for his college football start. Justin committed to play for Elon, and I really like the decision there. Justin has become stronger and more athletic during his time at Providence Day, and he's stabilized the defense in the middle in an impressive fashion. For his senior year, a lot of the defensive success lies on his shoulders in helping slow down the running game and covering the middle of the field in the passing game. I'm expecting Justin to do a great job in both areas.     I have loved Moses' defensive versatility throughout his career, and no matter where he lines up this season for the Chargers, he will be a player that opposing offenses will have to account for on every snap. Committing to play for Rutgers on the next level, the Scarlet Knights are getting a dynamic chess piece defensively who could succeed on either the 2nd or 3rd level of the defense this upcoming season. Moses can tackle well in space, blitz from depth, or be effective in coverage in a variety of ways in both man and zone-based coverages.     Tre has excelled in his hybrid role of safety & linebacker for the Chargers, and his impressive play throughout his career led him to commit to play college football for the University of Florida, and his type of speed and athleticism in space will be an asset for the Gators in the future. However, for this upcoming season, Tre will be important in helping to support at both levels of the defense, as the Chargers will be replacing a really good linebacker they lost to graduation last season. I think his leadership and athletic ability are going to be essential for the Chargers to try to repeat as NCISAA state champions.     Caleb is one of the better athletes I have seen over the last couple of years, and I am happy for him and for his family to commit to playing college football at Penn State. He is the kind of player who can help rebuild the tradition of winning for a well-known program that fell on hard times. However, for this upcoming season, Caleb will be an important piece to tie the secondary together from his safety position. Safeties who can come down and support in the running game while not losing much in coverage have become very valuable, and that's who Caleb is as a player. Expect his speed and explosive change of direction to be a major asset against teams that try to spread the Chargers out and attack offensively. Caleb tackles well in space and shows excellent discipline overall. I'm excited to see him in action this upcoming season.

My colleagues have done a great job in previewing schools across North Carolina, and I will start previews with key players on schools within the Charlotte Metro Area. Previewing schools in the Charlotte Area can always be tricky in the new transfer era that we are in now, so if we preview a player who may have switched schools after a preview is completed, please forgive us.