📣 Charlotte Catholic defeats Hough in a Thriller. 🔥

Wow! What a helluva game!

We previewed this game here so you can check that out for more context. But the basic storyline was this: Hough were the undisputed “team to beat” and Charlotte Catholic were seeking redemption after getting blown out by them last season.

Funny story: A couple weeks ago, we were watching game film of one of Charlotte Catholic’s matches, and somebody offscreen (presumably an opposing fan) blurted out, “Whoa, I didn’t know Catholic was good at rugby!”

Yes, yes they are. Charlotte Catholic is very good at rugby, my friends. And they are the only undefeated team left in North Carolina.

This game was a battle through and through. Hough commanded large portions of the match, Catholic fought back, and the Cinderella story continues for a Charlotte Catholic team that nobody should question at this point.

Here’s how it went down:

First Half

Charlotte Catholic was first to draw blood. The score was set up by some nifty kick-work by Vince Keller that gave Catholic excellent field position within Hough’s 22 meter area. Then, after a couple phases of forward play, Keller found a full-speed Luke Zehmke, who charged into the try zone. (7-0 Catholic after the kick)

Hough scored the next two tries in dominant fashion. The first was a textbook-perfect maul that traveled 25 meters before Hough 8-man Kai Campbell busted loose for a try. The second arrived after a penalty by Charlotte Catholic gave the ball to Hough near the Catholic try zone. Porter Kuebler (Hough’s #9) quickly fired the ball out to Kai Campbell for another rumbling try. (14-7 Hough after the kick)

The first half featured plenty of kicking by both sides, and Hough will regret a few mishandled kicks that gave the Catholic boys opportunities. But aside from the first score of the game, Hough’s defense held strong at critical moments and kept Catholic out of the try zone, ending the half 14-7 with Hough on top.

Second Half

The second half saw Charlotte Catholic strike first via penalty kick for 3 points. (Score now 14-10, Hough)

Then Hough got rolling again. Catholic lost lock, Lukas Lupinksi, to a yellow card, and the Hough boys scored a minute later from another well-executed maul. The kick was no good this time, bringing the score to 19-10 with Hough leading and about 25 minutes left on the clock.

Charlotte Catholic never panicked, nor resorted to frantic play. Instead, they once again trusted captain Vince Keller to consistently gain territory with his boot. On defense, both teams were impenetrable. For ten straight minutes, Catholic battled in Hough’s half of the field, looking for a sliver of space to exploit. When Hough’s #7 was sent off with a yellow card, the following play led to a Catholic try—the ball popped loose in the try zone and Andrew Kuhn (scrum-half) grounded it while the Charlotte Catholic faithful cheered robustly from the stands.

After a successful kick, the scoreboard showed 19-17 in Hough’s favor, with about 14 minutes left on the clock.

Oooh baby that’s when the intensity ramped up a notch.

Catholic never stopped kicking. Vince Keller hit the launch codes repeatedly and Hough struggled to handle the aerial assault, knocking it on or getting forced into touch a couple times. Luke Zehmke was everywhere, making some absolutely phenomenal hits when chasing Keller’s kicks.

Ten minutes left on the clock and Charlotte Catholic was knocking on the door again. For a moment it looked like Catholic prop, Finley Costello, had scored a try after a gallop into the try zone, but Hough did very well to hold the ball up. (Score still 19-17)

Then came the moment. A Hough penalty resulted in a Catholic lineout just five meters out. It was an absolute war on the goal line for several tense minutes. Hough made tackle after tackle, protecting their turf. Catholic surged with their forward pack. It took 7 attempts, but Charlotte Catholic’s (#4) Lukas Lupinski finally found a crease in Hough’s stalwart defense and grounded the ball for a try.

Six minutes left — Catholic up 24-19.

Hough emptied the tank in the final minutes. They hammered away with a flurry of hard, determined runs, testing every inch of Catholic’s defense. But Catholic held their ground, surviving phase after phase (nine straight at one point) with disciplined tackling.

Hough kept scrapping, with Porter Kuebler snatching a crucial turnover in the final minute to give his team one last shot. On the final play, they spun the ball wide, but Catholic swarmed and drove the ball carrier into touch.

The whistle blew, and Charlotte Catholic—still undefeated—erupted in celebration.

Final Score: Charlotte Catholic 24 — 19 Hough

Some Observations:

• Good defense was on display all game. Case in point: the longest ball-carry of the game was Hough’s try-scoring maul in the first half (35 meters covered total). Not once did a player truly break free all game. These dudes can tackle.

• IF these two meet again (it would be in the state final), Hough will need to figure out how to handle Catholic’s kicking game. On the other side, Charlotte must find an answer to Hough’s maul skills.

• Penalties led to points: Both teams capitalized on penalties by their opponents to score points throughout the match (see: 22 points directly after penalties).

• Porter Kuebler, Hough’s scrum-half, has incredible ball delivery. The ball absolutely explodes out of his hands and hits his runners in stride. He also is very proficient with the box-kick and used it mercilessly whenever Hough got backed up. Add in several well-earned poaches, and this kid is balling out right now.

• Is there a more clutch kicker than Vince Keller in the country right now? He has won the kicking battle in every game we’ve watched this season. Not only does he pick the right moments to kick, his placement is sublime, often pinning the opponent against the sideline with nowhere to go (if they catch it at all). And that’s only one aspect of his game—he’s a savvy all-around 10.

Next up:

State semi-finals are almost here. The calendar shows Friday, February 7th, but we’ll standby in case that changes.

Charlotte Catholic will likely take on Marvin Ridge.

Hough will likely have a date with South Meck, the #3 team in NC and a very tough opponent.

Before those games, Catholic takes on Ardrey Kell, and Hough plays Myers Park, in the last season games before playoffs.