Brodowicz’s Charlotte Catholic football team climbing up the history books
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BVM) — After winning back-to-back state championships in 2017 and 2018, Charlotte Catholic football started their 2019 campaign with a 2-3 record. Although two of these losses came to out-of-state powerhouses — Archbishop Rummel from Louisiana and Our Lady of Good Counsel from Maryland — the Cougars appeared vulnerable.
That’s when they did the unthinkable. Head coach Mike Brodowicz guided his team to 10 straight victories, including their third consecutive 3A state championship.
For Charlotte Catholic, this wasn’t a surprise.
“Everybody kind of wrote us off, saying that we weren’t as good anymore,” Brodowicz said. “But I knew we had a pretty good football team.”
Entering the postseason, the Cougars were a five-seed and the state championship had them squaring off with a team making their first-ever state appearance, Southern Nash. They took their underdog role in stride, playing their best football when it mattered most.
Down, 7-3, entering the fourth quarter, the Cougars outscored the Firebirds 20-0. Charlotte Catholic’s 2,000-yard rusher, Paul Neel, had a 38-yard touchdown run on the first play that set the tone for the remainder of the game. Neel scampered for another touchdown, senior linebacker Billy Brewer ripped down an interception, and the rest is history.
Brodowicz was hesitant to say his team plays best with their backs against the wall, though. Instead, he credited the relationship his coaching staff and players have created to understand one another, and what needs to be done in each situation.
“Our process, our programs that we put our kids through, we get to know our players very well,” Brodowicz said. “We are very good at understanding the talent and the types of teams that we have.”
Their recent success has led to a revamp of the schedule for the upcoming 2020 season. Their out-of-state matchups will feature New Jersey perennial power, Bergen Catholic, and current Georgia three-peat state champions, Blessed Trinity. They’ll also travel to Louisiana for a rematch with 2019 state champions, Archbishop Rummel. In hopes of a four-peat this year, the Cougars of Charlotte Catholic look forward to these high-profile challenges.
“We try to put our kids in difficult situations early on in the season to learn,” Brodowicz said. “As opposed to playing weaker teams for nine games and then having a weakness exposed in the playoffs.”
On offense, Charlotte Catholic will be led by their lethal running back duo of rising senior Paul Neel and rising junior Jimmy Brewer. Neel led the team with 26 total touchdowns as a junior, while Brewer complimented him with 882 yards and eight scores on the ground.
On defense, the Cougars will be losing two big time threats in linebackers Jacob Schachte and Billy Brewer to graduation, who combined for 216 tackles with 13 of them being for a loss. However, they will return linebacker Liam Barbee, receiving interest from Power 5 schools, who led the team with 183 tackles, as well as defensive end Connor Daughtery, who had 18 tackles for loss.
“We play a lot of people and that’s one of things about our program…it’s always the next guy up,” Brodowicz said. “Skill wise, my skill players have probably the best depth of skill players I’ve had in my six years of being head coach here.”
Coach Brodowicz has instilled the right mindset into his players as well. Brodowicz says that he tells his players it’s a process. You have to sacrifice, you have to sweat, and you have to work, Brodowicz said. He has made sure that his team remains committed to doing things that state championship teams do.
“You can’t click your heels three times and all of a sudden have a state championship banner hanging,” Brodowicz said. “It has to be there in the back of your mind.”
And keeping a state championship vision in the back of their minds has been a priority at Charlotte Catholic for almost 20 years. Brodowicz says while they understand it takes steps to get there, they want to make sure they continue talking about it. That’s what they work for all season long. Trying to ignore the fact that they have an opportunity to four-peat isn’t their style.
“Everything we do in the Charlotte Catholic football program, when there is a group of guys together, we break it down as ‘state champion,’” Brodowicz said. “Every practice, every weight room session, breaks down with ‘1-2-3, state champion!’”
The Cougars recognize the potential to do something they’ve never done before, and everyone involved wants to make sure they are a part of that legacy.
