How 11-1 Myers Park feels about rematch against surging Butler in playoffs’ 2nd round

Myers Park High’s football team has shut out five opponents this season, won 11 of 12 games and tied a school record for wins.

The Mustangs, who beat East Mecklenburg 28-6 in the first round of last week’s N.C. 4AA playoffs, will visit regional power Butler in the second round Friday night.

“We feel it’s been a great year,” Mustangs coach Scott Chadwick said. “But the way the 4AA is, you’re in the second round and you’re already playing what I consider a fourth-round game just because of the depth of talent and the teams in the 4AA West.”

Myers Park, No. 6 in the Observer’s Sweet 16 poll, had a similar draw in the playoffs last season, losing at home to eventual 4AA regional finalist Vance 41-38 in overtime in the second round. That ended an 11-win season that tied a school record for wins set in 1965.

Myers Park has bounced back to again tie the school record for wins with a fairly young team. Chadwick started nine underclassmen on defense in last week’s win.

This is Chadwick’s fourth season. After going 5-7 in his first year, Myers Park’s record is 29-9 in the past three at a school that had one winning season in the eight years before Chadwick arrived.

This season, Myers Park has set a school record with five shutouts. Quarterback Brayden Hawkins has thrown for 2,565 yards and 20 touchdowns. Running back Khamal Howard has rushed for 950 yards and 10 touchdowns. And receivers Elijah Bowick (1,001 yards, 10 touchdowns), Moose Muhammad (515 yards) and Emanuel Alston (465) have had productive seasons.

Defensively, linebacker Jake Harkelroad (90 tackles) leads a team that allows less 12 points per game.

“When you look at where this program was when we got here,” Chadwick said, “it’s been pretty satisfying to see what we’ve been able to accomplish. And this senior class - no matter what happens the rest of our season - will leave as the winningest class in the history of the school.

“So I think we’ve accomplished a lot. But we’d like to accomplish more.”

That will mean beating a Butler team that won 4AA state championships in 2009, 2010 and 2012. Butler, 8-2 this season and No. 7 in the Sweet 16, won 28-6 at Myers Park on Oct. 6.

Myers Park might be without Bowick, whom Chadwick said will be a “game-time decision” with an ankle sprain. At 6-foot-1 and 210-pounds, the junior has more than 15 Division I scholarship offers from schools in the ACC, Big 10, Big 12 and SEC.

“We need to see if he can go,” Chadwick said. “He’s progressed each day this week and we’ll see if he progresses enough in the next 24 hours to be able to go (Friday night).”

The Mustangs, Chadwick said, could use their standout receiver to help score points against a Butler team that’s on a roll. After struggles on offense to start the year, Butler has won eight of its past nine games. In the past four, the Bulldogs are averaging 48 points.

“So we’ve got to play Butler in the second round, and you know that will be tough,” Chadwick said. “We had to play Vance last year and they were (highly ranked) when we played them. Like I said it’s the beast that is the 4AA West.

“I wish you were a little bit more rewarded for being 11-1, but it is what it is.”

This story was originally published November 16, 2017 at 7:30 PM with the headline "How 11-1 Myers Park feels about rematch against surging Butler in playoffs’ 2nd round."