Prep football update: Providence Day, Latin get Thursday wins; Friday’s previews
Week 8 of the high school football season kicked off Thursday. Below find a live scoreboard, plus Thursday’s game recaps, previews for Friday, who the N.C. Super 25 are playing, the Talking Preps preview show and statewide schedules.
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Providence Day’s high school football team hasn’t lost at home since October 2023.
There was little chance that was going to change on Thursday.
The Chargers hosted Ambassador Christian on Thursday and simply ran away from a Lions team that started the season 6-1.
Providence Day won 51-14 and ran its record to 6-1. And the Chargers looked like the No. 2 ranked team in North Carolina while doing it.
Providence Day didn’t score on its first possession, but kicker Cameron Kiehl made a short field goal on its second. After that, Preston Rachele caught a 17-yard TD pass with 27 seconds left in the first quarter.
The rout was on.
On the Chargers’ next possession, 5-star junior Braylon Clark caught a 10-yard scoring pass followed by a 48-yarder. All of a sudden, in the middle of second quarter, Providence Day was up 24-0.
For Ambassador Christian, QB David Echevarria, the state’s leading passer, threw a 43-yard pass to junior Knowledge Echols — younger brother of former UNC and Chambers High star Power Echols — on his first attempt.
Down 24-0, Echevarria threw a pretty 35-yard scoring pass after Providence Day fumbled late in the first half.
But, after that, Providence Day mostly shut off a Lions offense that came into the game averaging nearly 40 points per game. Echevarria threw a second touchdown in the fourth quarter, with his team down 44-7 and Providence Day beginning to clear its bench.
By then, however, the game was decided — and the Chargers had done plenty of damage.
For the game, Providence Day’s Ashton Gibbs had an interception. The Chargers had six sacks. Chase Biermann had a touchdown run. Chargers’ backup QB Gavin Bronikowski threw six touchdown passes for the game. Clark caught four.
Charlotte Latin 21, Cannon School 20: Charlotte Latin (3-4) went on the road and got an upset win over Cannon (5-2).
Cannon was the No. 2 ranked private school in the state behind Providence Day in this week’s rankings.
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Cannon trailed most of the game, but tied the score at 14-14 after a Rudolph Davis touchdown catch. Latin’s Troy Logan threw a touchdown to put his team back up, 21-14, late in the third quarter.
With about three minutes to play, Cannon QB Lucas Lopez scored on a run, but the Cougars missed the extra point. They also failed to recover an onside kick immediately afterwards. That ended their hopes.
The Cougars have now lost two of their last three games heading into next Friday’s game with Metrolina Christian.
Latin snapped a two-game losing streak and will host rival Providence Day next Thursday.
Charlotte Catholic (3-3, 1-1 Southern Carolina) at Sun Valley (3-3, 1-1), Friday, 7 p.m.: Both teams are part of a three-way tie for second place in the conference behind Weddington and Porter Ridge. With the playoffs about a month away, this one will be important for seeding. Catholic ended a two-game losing streak by beating Porter Ridge, 35-14, last week. Sun Valley also ended a two-game losing streak last Friday, beating Cuthbertson, 43-12.
Harding (2-4, 1-2 Greater Metro) at Berry (2-4, 0-3), Friday, 7 p.m.: Harding has lost three of its four games but still hopes for its first three-win season since 2022. The Rams’ linemen-sized QB, Tytan Smith (6-1, 270), and running back Jamarcus Hairston (5-7, 235) have combined for 1,311 yards and eight touchdowns. Berry seeks to end a three-game streak in a game dubbed “The Battle of Alleghany Street.” The two schools are separated by a mile. There may not be two schools geographically closer in the state.
Myers Park (4-2, 1-0 Greater Charlotte) at Hopewell (4-2, 0-1), Friday, 7: Myers Park has won four in a row since an 0-2 start under first-year coach Duke Howell. Hopewell was upset, 48-25, by South Mecklenburg on Sept. 25, a game that ended a three-game winning streak. The Titans were missing several starters. Coming off a bye week, those Hopewell players are expected back Friday.
Palisades (5-1, 1-0 Southwestern) at Ballantyne Ridge (3-3, 1-0), Friday, 7: This may be the biggest game in school history for Ballantyne Ridge: A conference favorite coming to its home stadium; on a three-game win streak; and with a legitimate star in sophomore running back Osazee Inneh (980 yards, 14 TDs). Palisades looked sluggish in a win over Ardrey Kell last week that was full of penalties. The Pumas will look to play cleaner and get in position for a league title.
Ashbrook (3-3, 1-1 Big South) at Kings Mountain (5-1, 2-0), Friday, 7: Kings Mountain has won five games in a row and is tied with Crest (5-1, 2-0) for the league lead. Ashbrook ended a two-game losing streak, beating North Gaston, 60-6, last week behind 123 yards and a touchdown from freshman running back Messiah Patterson.
West Iredell (6-0, 4-0 Western Foothills) at Hickory (6-1, 5-0), Friday, 7:30 p.m.: West Iredell got one of its biggest wins in recent years, beating previously unbeaten East Lincoln, 42-38, last week. A win over Hickory would give the Warriors the inside track to a conference title. Hickory, the preseason league favorite, has won six games in a row since a 34-28 loss to South Point in August. The average score of those wins? 52-12.
Rk, School, Rec, Friday
1. Hough 6-0 vs. Garinger
2. Providence Day 6-1: d. Ambassador Christian 51-14
3. Grimsley 6-0 vs. Ragsdale
4. Weddington 7-0 vs. Cuthbertson
5. Clayton 7-0 at South Garner
6. Chambers 6-0 vs. Independence
7. Lake Norman 6-0 vs. South Iredell
8. Reagan 5-1 vs. RJ Reynolds
9. Millbrook 5-0 vs. Broughton
10. Hoggard 5-1 vs. Topsail
11. Northside 6-0 vs. West Cateret
12. Robinson 6-0 vs. South Rowan
13. West Forsyth 5-1 vs. Northwest Guilford
14. Crest 5-1 vs. Hunter Huss
15. Palisades 5-1 at Ballantyne Ridge
16. Cardinal Gibbons 4-2 at Holly Springs
17. Southeast Raleigh 5-2 vs. Smithfield-Selma
18. Hunt 6-0 at Southern Nash
19. Cleveland 6-0 at Garner
20. A.L. Brown 6-0 vs. Central Cabarrus
21. Rose 6-0 vs. Jacksonville
22. Page 6-0: at Southwest Guilford
23. Myers Park 4-2 at Hopewell
24. Mallard Creek 5-2 idle
25. Kings Mountain 5-1 vs. Ashbrook
THURSDAY’S GAMES
Providence Day 51, Ambassador Christian 14
Charlotte Latin 21, Cannon School 20
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Greater Charlotte 7A/8A
Garinger at Hough, 7 p.m.
Myers Park at Hopewell, 7 p.m.
Power Six 7A/8A
Butler at North Mecklenburg, 7 p.m.
Independence at Chambers, 7 p.m.
Southwestern 7A/8A
Ardrey Kell at Rocky River, 7 p.m.
Palisades at Ballantyne Ridge, 7 p.m.
Greater Metro 6A/7A
Central Cabarrus at A.L. Brown, 7 p.m.
Cox Mill at Hickory Ridge, 7 p.m.
Harding at Berry Academy, 7 p.m.
West Cabarrus at Olympic, 7 p.m.
Big South (NCISAA)
Charlotte Christian at Christ School, 7 p.m.
Metrolina Christian at Charlotte Country Day, 7 p.m.
Southern Carolina 6A/7A
Charlotte Catholic at Sun Valley, 7 p.m.
Cuthbertson at Weddington, 7 p.m.
Marvin Ridge at Porter Ridge, 7 p.m.
North Piedmont 6A/7A
Davie County at Statesville, 7 p.m.
Mooresville at North Iredell, 7 p.m.
South Iredell at Lake Norman, 7 p.m.
Big South 5A/6A
Ashbrook at Kings Mountain, 7 p.m.
Hunter Huss at Crest, 7 p.m.
North Gaston at South Point, 7 p.m.
Rocky River 4A/5A
Mount Pleasant at Anson County
Parkwood at Forest Hills
West Stanly at Monroe
South Piedmont 4A/5A
Concord at Jesse Carson, 7 p.m.
East Rowan at West Rowan, 7 p.m.
Salisbury at Northwest Cabarrus, 7 p.m.
South Rowan at Jay M. Robinson, 7 p.m.
Western Foothills 4A/5A
Fred T. Foard at East Lincoln, 7:30 p.m.
Newton-Conover at Bunker Hill, 7:30 p.m.
North Lincoln at Bandys, 7:30 p.m.
West Iredell at Hickory, 7:30 p.m.
Southern Piedmont 2A/3A/4A
Bessemer City at Highland Tech, 7 p.m.
Cherryville at East Gaston, 7:30 p.m.
Lincolnton at Shelby, 7:30 p.m.
West Lincoln at Stuart Cramer, 7:30 p.m.
Catawba Shores 2A/3A/4A
Bradford Prep at Pine Lake Prep, 7 p.m.
Community School of Davidson vs. Lincoln Charter at Lenoir-Rhyne University, 7 p.m.
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Corvian Community at Langtree Charter, 7 p.m.
Lake Norman Charter at Christ the King, 7 p.m.
Catawba-Yadkin Valley 1A/2A/3A
Bonnie Cone Academy at Mountain Island Charter, 7 p.m.
North Rowan defeated Thomas Jefferson Academy by forfeit.
South Stanly at North Stanly, 7 p.m.
Union Academy at Albemarle, 7 p.m.
Big 5 (NCISAA)
Covenant Day at SouthLake Christian, 7 p.m.
High Point Christian at Asheville School, 7 p.m.
Hickory Grove Christian at Mount Zion Academy, 7 p.m.
Western Athletic (NCISAA)
Charlotte Christian at Christ School, 7 p.m.
Metrolina Christian at Charlotte Country Day, 7 p.m.
OTHER GAMES
Cabarrus Stallions at Fayetteville Sandhills Titans, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published October 8, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
