Covenant Day School

Game Recap 10/12 vs Carolina Pride

October 12th marked the first time in CDS history that Varsity Football was a part of Covenant Day Homecoming festivities. Warner Park was full of fans and alumni who joined in the fun on the beautiful fall evening. After the Varsity Soccer team started off the Homecoming events by defeating Carmel Christian, 3-2, the field was changed over to accommodate the football team and cheerleaders. Senior Recognition at halftime of the football game included 42 fall-season athletes and their parents -- it was a truly memorable night!

Our Football Lions got off to a great start by scoring a touchdown just three minutes into the first quarter with Edwin Barnes taking the ball into the end zone. A Robert Stone pass to Nicko Henderson at the 5-minute mark gave the Lions a 14-0 lead before the Pride ran in a touchdown and two-point conversion of their own to send the teams into the second quarter with a six-point differential. The Lions offense kicked into gear and piled up the points, taking a 42-22 lead into the halftime break, as Stone connected with Barnes, Hanson Church, and Jackson Bertelsen for touchdown completions. The Pride was held scoreless in the second half while the Lions increased their lead. Stone reeled off an 8-yard pas to Barnes for a TD in the third, and runs by Nich Prevette and Ben Blackard tacked on two more touchdowns for the Lions. Josh Lee wrapped up the scoring for the Lions when he intercepted a pass by the Pride and ran it into the end zone. At the kicker position, Hanson Church was perfect in his point-after-touchdown attempts, going 9-for-9 on extra points. Quarterback Robert Stone put up impressive stats for the night by going 23 for 31 with 324 yards and six touchdowns. Ben Blackard led in rushing yards with 45, followed closely by Nate Smith with 35. Defensive efforts were highlighted by 6.5 tackles from Ben Walton, and 4.5 by Nicko Henderson, as well as interceptions by Timmy Cotton, Lee and Bertelsen. Next up for the Lions is an away game at Charlotte Country Day on Oct. 19th at 7:30 p.m.

Game Recap 10/5/2018 vs Charlotte Latin

The Varsity Lions took on the Hawks of Charlotte Latin on Friday, Oct. 5th and battled to keep the score close during the away contest. The team trailed by just one touchdown with one minute remaining in the third quarter, but saw the game slip away from them as Latin fired up their offense in the final quarter of play. Jackson Bertelsen had an exceptional game as he had 2 total touchdowns for the game as well as 8.5 tackles. Bertelsen's offensive success came as he caught one pass for a score and also returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown. Other highlights came from defensive efforts by Ben Walton who had 7 tackles and 3.5 tackles for a loss, Nich Prevette with 6.5 tackles and Edwin Barnes who added 6 tackles to the team's totals. The Lions will spend the week preparing for their Homecoming game against the Carolina Pride on Oct. 12th at 7:00 p.m.

Game Recap 9/28/2018 vs Commonwealth HS

A great crowd showed up to support the team and enjoy the festive atmosphere as our Varsity Lions took to the field against the Bulls of Commonwealth High School on Friday, 9/28. The opponent put up their share of offense in the first half, posting 14 points to the Lions' 28. Numerous penalties and injuries prolonged the first half of play and extended it to nearly two hours in length. Our team showed tremendous endurance and continued to increase the lead, ending the game with a 42-14 victory. Robert Stone had another outstanding night at the quarterback position, going 18 for 24 passing with 172 yards, and two touchdowns. Hanson Church proved reliable in kicking the point after touchdown, and added seven extra points to the Lions' total. Nich Prevette had 17 carries for 81 yards and two touchdowns offensively, as well as 3 tackles for a loss defensively. Seth Shannon and Ben Walton added 6 tackles each to the defensive efforts for the night. Nicko Henderson had 7 receptions for 72 offensive yards, and Jackson Bertelsen made 5 catches for 64 yards and two touchdowns. On Friday, Oct. 5th, the Lions will head to Charlotte Latin for a 7:00 matchup.

Game Recap 9/7/2018 vs Cannon School

Sept 7th was a historic night for Covenant Day as the Varsity Football team played their first home game, and recorded their first win as a varsity program! After the coin flip, Head of School Mark Davis, and Athletic Director Sherry Kapelar presented the game ball to Coach James. Following the presentation, the team burst onto the field through the cheer tunnel, carrying the American flag as the fans greeted them with wild applause and fanfare. The overall atmosphere for the evening was charged with excitement and culminated in a great night for our team and community.

The Lions quickly set the pace for the game on offense, as they added their first touchdown to the scoreboard with Edwin Barnes scrambling 2.5 yards into the end zone, followed by an extra point kicked by Hanson Church. Over the course of the game, the Lions' offense out-gained Cannon's offense 356 to 232 yards. Quarterback Robert Stone had a fantastic night as he threw for 218 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jackson Bertelsen turned in an impressive 148 yards and 2 TD's for the offense as well as 7 tackles and 1 interception from the defensive side. Nich Prevette contributed to the defensive efforts with 6.5 tackles and 2 tackles for a loss to help limit Cannon to 14 points for the night.

Game Recap 8/31/2018 vs Charlotte Christian

It was a great night for high school football as the team headed up the road to Charlotte Christian for a 7:00 game. The Knights provided a terrific atmosphere for our first local varsity game as Covenant Day students, families and friends filled the visitor stands with Lion pride and watched their team take the field. The host team showed that they were game-ready and scored off the opening kickoff. Christian's talented and more experienced squad continued to roll offensively, and the Lions were short on answers when it came to stopping the Knights. The second half was played with a running clock, and the Varsity Lions managed to hold the opponent to only three additional points in the half. The game served as another important building block for our team and football program as they move forward. The team is excited to play their first home game this Friday, Sept. 7th vs. Cannon School, starting at 7:00 p.m. at Warner Park.

Game Recap 8/17/2018 vs. High Point Christian, 16-41

The Varsity Lions traveled to High Point Athletic Complex on a beautiful evening for the first full varsity football game in Covenant Day history. The Lions received the opening kickoff for a touchback to start the game. On the first down play, we achieved a positive gain but proceeded to go 3-and-out on our first offensive possession as a varsity team. The Cougars of High Point Christian made a nice punt return, and after a couple of first downs, scored to take the early lead. With 3:07 in the quarter, our Lions took over possession, marched down the field, and threatened to score. The Cougars intercepted Robert Stone's pass to the end zone with only :08 remaining on the clock, forcing the Lions to end the first quarter without points on the board. High Point started the second quarter near their own goal line following the late first-quarter interception.Our Lions prevented the Cougars from gaining positive yards and forced them to punt. On the next CDS possession, Stone hit Hanson Church for a big gain, and two notable running plays from Ben Blackard picked up more positive yardage for the Lions. Unfortunately, the Cougars' defense held steady and our Lions missed their attempted field goal. In the next series, High Point took the ball down the field, only to be forced into a field goal by the Lions' defense, keeping the lead at 0-10. On the next CDS possession, Stone's pass to Josh Lee along the sideline resulted in significant yardage. Several successful run plays picked up more positive yards, and then a pass to Nicko Henderson brought the Lions to the 1-yard line. A quick handoff to Nate Smith on the next play looked as though Smith would be pushed back to the 4-yard line before he battled his way into the end zone for the Lions' first touchdown! Hanson Church secured the extra point, and the Lions narrowed their deficit to three points, 7-10. High Point followed up with a first down off a CDS pass interception penalty and the next three plays led to another Cougars' score. The Lions trailed 7-17 at halftime.

After the break, CDS came out strong in the third quarter and managed to get on the board first, after a made field goal by Church. The Lions could not hold the Cougars on their next possession, allowing them to post another touchdown to increase the gap to 14 points. Our Lions drove down the field and into the end zone for a touchdown off a pass from Stone to Edwin Barnes. An errant snap on the extra point kept the team from converting and they continued to trail the Cougars by 8 points. High Point took the ensuing kickoff all the way to the end zone and the Lions found themselves down 16-31 at the end of the third quarter. To open the fourth and final quarter, the Cougars scored a field goal before a lighting malfunction caused a game delay with 6 minutes left to play. Our Lions could not make their way into the end zone in the fourth quarter and struggled to keep High Point from moving down the field. A long pass by the Cougars late in the quarter gave them another successful scoring opportunity and the game ended with a final result of 16-41.