Vance pulls away from Mallard Creek in key MECKA 4A game
The Vance Cougars took care of an old score from last season and put themselves in a better position for the current MECKA 4A Conference race with a 38-21 victory at Mallard Creek on Friday night.
The result ties the Cougars, ranked No. 6 in the Observer’s Sweet 16, and the No. 2 Mavericks in the conference standings with a loss each as the season heads for its final couple of weeks.
Vance quarterback Kingsley Ifedi completed 10 of 22 passes for 202 yards, not his most eye-popping statistical performance of the season, but a productive one with two touchdown passes – one an 85-yarder in the first quarter to Jaylin Carr – and two more rushing.
Mallard Creek quarterback Chauncey Caldwell rushed for 185 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries and threw for another.
The Cougars took the lead for good on a 33-yard field goal by Odavion Bush-Smiley on the first play of the second quarter. That gave Vance a 10-7 lead which it boosted to 17-7 on the Mavericks’ biggest miscue of the game.
Backed up to its 5, Mallard Creek gave the ball away when the center snap didn’t reach Caldwell and Vance emerged from a pileup in the end zone with the ball.
Darnell Walker’s 9-yard touchdown run pulled the Mavericks to within 17-14 with 5 minutes, 32 seconds to play before halftime, but Vance responded with a long drive, Ifedi scoring on a 12-yard run for a 24-14 halftime lead.
Mallard Creek scored in the first two minutes of the second half, with Caldwell finishing a quick march with a 35-yard run to get the Mavericks back within three.
Vance drove 84 yards to make the score 31-21 on a 29-yard pass from Ifedi to Michael Roberts with 2:03 left in the third quarter. The Cougars sewed up the big conference victory after the Mavericks, running out of time and chances late in the fourth quarter, went for it on fourth down from their own 20 and failed.
Ifedi finished the short drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with three minutes to play.
Records: Vance 7-1, 2-1; Mallard Creek 6-2, 3-1
Worth mentioning: Each team was plagued by penalties, including a couple that took points off the scoreboard. Mallard Creek got the worst of it with 19 penalties for 188 yards, while Vance was flagged 14 times for 120 yards.
What’s Next: Vance will travel to North Mecklenburg at 7 next Friday. Mallard Creek will play at Kannapolis A.L. Brown at 7:30. Both are MECKA 4A games.
This story was originally published October 14, 2016 at 11:23 PM with the headline "Vance pulls away from Mallard Creek in key MECKA 4A game."