Providence Day football team is ranked No. 1, thanks to selfless drive, family culture

Providence Day School has built a powerhouse football program, winning the past two NCISAA state championships.

Despite having an elite pedigree, and the four- and five-star talent to go along with it, the bond that the players have built with one another and coaches alike, they say, is what has led them to the amount of success they have had.

Providence Day is No. 1 in The Observer’s Sweet 16 regional football poll and is the top ranked team in The Carolinas Top 25, a ranking of the top 25 teams in North and South Carolina combined.

“The talent is obvious,” Providence Day coach Chad Grier said. “You don’t have to be an NFL scout to realize these guys are good at football. But, they are the hardest workers, they’re humble, they’re respectful, well-spoken, and they are great students. I really can’t say enough about them. I couldn’t be more proud of them. Clearly, I’m blessed to have great kids that are talented as a football coach, but it is so much bigger than football. I feel like a proud dad up here watching these guys talk. It is just so cool. I’m not trying to be anybody’s dad, but I love them like they are my own kids.”

In a 42-35 win over South Carolina powerhouse Rock Hill Northwestern last week, 4-star UNC commit Jordan Shipp had 13 catches for 234 yards and two touchdowns. But when asked about his performance, he deflected the attention.

“I give all the credit to my (offensive) line and to my quarterback,” Shipp said. “All I had to do was get past the guy and (QB) Jadyn (Davis) would put it in the right spot. The O-line gave me enough time to get where I needed to get. It was a team effort. It wasn’t just me.”

As Shipp alluded to, Davis also had an incredible game. The Michigan commit passed for 456 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. Asked about his performance, Davis, like Shipp, wanted to talk about “we” and not “me.”

“I’m just excited to share the field with my brothers honestly,” Davis said. “With me and Shipp being seniors and we are about to be gone away from home. I am just excited to start this senior season with the people I love the most. So, as they said before, this family thing is real. These guys have been at my house at all different times of the night. It isn’t just about football. It can be about normal stuff that teenagers go through. Everyone is coming together for one common goal and that is to love each other and play for each other.”

Shipp added just how important the job the coaches do to prepare them every week and the culture that they establish. The players are coached hard, Shipp said, but for him the family he now has because of football at Providence Day is something special to him.

“I think we are so good because of our culture,” Shipp said. “We are a very family-based team. Of course, we’ve got the guys, but if me and Jadyn (Davis) aren’t on the same page, then it isn’t going to work. I spent time out of school with him and he has become my brother. (Offensive lineman) David (Sanders) has been staying at my house before all of the four and five-star stuff. It was just me and David. We were both new to the school and we just click and he has been my brother ever since.”

Providence Day is special to Grier. He came back to North Carolina, specifically to coach ato Providence Day. He was living in Charleston, South Carolina, with no intentions of leaving until the opportunity to coach the Chargers came about.

“I came back for Providence Day,” Grier said. “I was never leaving Charleston by the way. I was living my best life. I was walking the beach and doing my thing, but Providence Day is a special place, and it is full of special people.”