Myers Park turns deficit around quickly, then dominates Ardrey Kell

Ardrey Kell marched 80 yards in seven plays, scoring on a 36-yard pass from Matthew Bennett to Michael Hetzel on the game’s first drive.

But Myers Park (2-0) dominated from that point on, scoring 50 unanswered points as the Mustangs rolled to a 50-7 victory.

Mustangs sophomore quarterback Drake Maye, brother of North Carolina All-American basketball player Luke Maye, completed 14 of 22 passes for 283 yards passing and two touchdowns.

Maye got help from Elijah Bowick (six catches for 133 yards), Andre Francois (four catches for 97 yards and a touchdown) and Muhsin Muhammad III (two catches for 48 yards and a touchdown).

Myers Park, which led 14-7 after a quarter and 37-7 at halftime, never looked back.

The Mustangs’ defense was equally as dominant, allowing Ardrey Kell 176 yards of total offense.

Ardrey Kell (2-0) was led by junior quarterback Bennett, who was 13-for-23 for 156 yards and a touchdown, and junior receiver Hetzel, who had eight catches for 114 yards and the Knights’ lone score.

Records: Myers Park is 2-0. Ardrey Kell is 0-2.

Three who mattered

Maye, Myers Park: The sophomoreset the tone for his team for the second game in a row with 283 yards passing and two touchdowns. He had touchdown passes of 43 and 68 yards.

Muhammad, Myers Park: The Mustangs’ junior dominated in all phases, scoring on a 55-yard run (on a fake punt), a 55-yard punt return and a 43-yard touchdown pass. Muhammad had 158 yards of total offense.

The Myers Park run defense: The Mustangs’ defense limited Ardrey Kell’s offense to 20 yards rushing on 22 carries.

Worth mentioning

▪  Myers Park’s offense was explosive, scoring on big plays repeatedly, including 43- and 68-yard touchdown passes, a 55-yard run and a 55-yard punt return.

▪  Myers Park’s defense was also strong, allowing 176 yards of total offense on the Knights’ 43 offensive plays.

▪  Ardrey Kell has a strong pair of receivers in juniors Cedric Gray and Hetzel, who combined for 12 catches for 156 yards and a touchdown.

They said it

“We got off to a shaky start on the first drive. But from that point on, we dominated the game. We did a great job of taking advantage of what (Ardrey Kell) was giving us. Drake (Maye) did a really good job of hanging in there and making plays from the pocket.” – Scott Chadwick, Myers Park coach.

What's next

Myers Park visits Providence Friday. Ardrey Kell is at Marvin Ridge.

This story was originally published August 24, 2018 at 11:58 PM.