Friday’s Observations: No. 1 Mallard Creek beats Vance, but expects to get much better
Mallard Creek High football coach Mike Palmieri said he had a simple plan for his team’s I-MECK conference opener against Vance Friday night.
“We’re battled tested,” Palmieri said after his team rallied for a 17-7 win on Vance’s home field. “I think our schedule really helps us out. It definitely helped us tonight. I think we just wore them down. We knew they would come out strong and they’ve got a great defense, but we thought they would wear down. They really hadn’t played anybody and we thought we could get them in the second half. We were tougher.”
Mallard Creek (4-0-1), No. 1 in the Observer’s Sweet 16 poll, looked like the top team in the area in the second half, turning to a bruising running game that Sweet 16 No. 2 Vance (3-1) just couldn’t stop.
Quasean Holmes ran eight times for 73 yards for Mallard Creek in the second half, when the Mavericks turned a 7-3 deficit into a win.
Meanwhile, Vance managed only 78 yards in the second half as a team.
A little contrary to Palmieri’s thoughts, I think Vance had played decent competition, just not the type that Mallard Creek had faced. And, yes, it did show.
Vance whipped Virginia 3A state champion Heritage 35-7 to start the season. Heritage is now 4-1 and ranked among the top 20 teams in its state. Vance also whipped regional 3A power Gastonia Huss, which is 3-1 and ranked in the top 30 in North Carolina, regardless of class.
But Mallard Creek has squared off with nationally ranked Dutch Fork (SC), three-time N.C. 4AA state champion Butler and S.C. 5A power Gaffney. Both S.C games were on the road, in hostile, late-round playoff-type atmospheres.
So Palmieri figured nothing could phase his team, even a physically imposing, fast defensive team like Vance, spearheaded by reigning N.C. Associated Press defensive player of the year Power Echols. Echols is a heavily recruited junior who -- at times -- was the best player on the field Friday night.
But as soon as this game was over, Palmieri was already looking ahead. Mallard Creek will likely be favored the rest of the regular season. No upcoming opponent is ranked higher than 39th statewide by MaxPreps. Only, at Mallard Creek, just making the playoffs isn’t the goal.
Winning them is.
And Mallard Creek -- with one of and, if it keeps improving, potentially the best team in school history -- is only focused on rings.
“We still want to build our depth for the playoffs,” Palmieri said. “And we’ve got to cut down penalties. We’re getting too many penalties before and after the whistle. So right now, we’ll celebrate this victory and (Saturday morning) we’ll get ready for Lake Norman.”
Palmieri is an interview robot, saying a lot but always giving away little. But he did let a little piece of inside information slip, however, that gives some insight into how much he believes in his 2019 team.
“It’s only our fifth game,” he said. “We have a huge upside with these kids. We can play a lot better, a lot cleaner. We haven’t played our best game yet and we’re looking forward to the rest of the season and we’ll keep building for the playoffs.”
In other words, Mallard Creek’s coach thinks Mallard Creek’s best is yet to come.
That should be a scary thought for anyone else playing 4AA football in North Carolina.
Quick Links
Friday’s scores, how the Sweet 16 fared, next week’s schedule
Friday’s top high school football performers
No. 1 Mallard Creek rallies past No. 2 Vance
Myers Park, Drake Maye, whip Garinger
Charlotte Country Day ends streak, beats Christian
Lake Norman holds off West Charlotte in I-Meck opener
Ardrey Kell pulls away from South Meck
Tired of poor facilities, Harding fights for equity
3 Quick Thoughts
1. Charlotte Catholic whipped Monroe 31-3 Friday and the Cougars sport a defense that’s allowed 24 points all season. So much for that two-game losing streak. Catholic (2-2) looks like a real threat to 3-peat in 3A this season. And how about next week’s game: 3A state champ Catholic at 3AA champ Weddington. Two state champions, one conference (Southern Carolinas 3A).
How rare is that?
2. Looks like Ardrey Kell and Olympic are going to be the front runners in what still looks like a wide open race in the SoMECK. Olympic has won four of five games after Friday’s 28-7 win over Harding. The Trojans are 4-2 under first-year coach Brandon Thompson.
In each of the past two seasons, Olympic won three games. The Trojans haven’t had a winning season since 2013.
Ardrey Kell has won four in a row since losing to 3AA state champ Weddington. In the streak, the Knights are averaging 37 points per game.
3. Don’t think for a second that Vance is out of the state title race. Now, I don’t expect Mallard Creek to lose in the regular-season, so the Cougars won’t win the league title in the I-MECK 4A. But they didn’t last year, either, and they made the state finals just fine. Vance will be better for facing Mallard Creek and be bettered prepared for a November or December rematch if we’re lucky enough to get one.
Elevator
↑ West Stanly: After Friday’s 47-6 win over East Rowan, West Stanly is 5-0 for the second time in school history. The 1997 team was 5-0 before losing 26-20 to North Rowan. After a bye next week, West Stanly goes for history Oct. 11 at Forest Hills.
↑ Myers Park: nationally ranked Mustangs have outscored opponents 279-24. Three opponents were shut out.
↑ Mookie Williams, Harrisburg Hickory Ridge: playing for a family relative in intensive care, Williams ran 17 times for 120 yards in a 42-6 win over Independence.
↑ Charlotte Country Day: Bucs snapped a 3-year, 9-game conference losing streak with an upset win over reigning D1 state champ Charlotte Christian.
Friday’s #BIG5 Top Performers
Travis Collins, Ardrey Kell: junior defensive back had a blocked punt, two sacks and two other tackles for losses in a 34-13 win over South Mecklenburg.
Trent Corn, Valdese Draughn: Ran 27 times for 235 yards in a 38-28 win over West Iredell.
Jordan Poole, West Stanly: major college recruit ran for 256 yards on 14 carries against West Rowan. He had scoring runs of 85-, 56-, 45- and 2-yards.
Kujuan Pryor, Lawndale Burns: ran 26 times for 255 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-28 win over South Point. Zach Benfield’s kick with less than 30 seconds to play was the difference.
Varney Farhnbullah, Concord Cox Mill: led his team to a 42-21 come-from-behind win over Mount Pleasant. After trailing 21-7, Farhnbullah had the bulk of his 312 yards passing and five touchdowns. For the game, he completed 15-of-19 passes.