South Mecklenburg a pushover no more, and proves it against No. 9 Providence
South Mecklenburg’s days as an easy mark on opponents’ schedules appears to be at an end.
A week after pushing powerhouse Charlotte Catholic deep into the fourth quarter, the Sabres came back Friday night and dominated Providence, 24-7.
South Mecklenburg did it with a well-rounded offense, a powerful defense, and a strong special teams performance.
“We played well last week,” Sabres’ coach Joe Evans said. “Tonight, we played even better. We cleaned up some of the mistakes.”
South Mecklenburg went 5-29 from 2017-19. But Evans, who has the reputation of rebuilding football programs, guided the Sabres to a 4-3 mark during the spring season.
Friday’s performance at Providence signaled that the Sabres are capable of pushing teams like Myers Park, Olympic and Ardrey Kell in the South Mecklenburg 4A race this season.
“The kids worked their butts off all week,” Evans said. “We had to battle with the heat, but the kids kept working.”
The Sabres did a lot of things well Friday night, but their biggest accomplishment might have been stopping Providence’s standout running back, Jamar Price.
Price, an Air Force commit, was held to 53 yards on 14 carries. When he got the ball, he usually found two or three South Mecklenburg defenders waiting for him. Sabres’ defensive linemen Junior Mpiama and Josh Streu hounded Price all night, and cornerback Dimitri Kelly came up to make some big stops.
“It was a really strong performance from our defense,” Evans said, adding that the Sabres’ performance was especially strong, considering they were facing a running back like Price.
“He’s a really good player,” Evans said.
Here’s a difference between the old and new versions of South Mecklenburg football.
Midway in the first quarter, the Sabres drove to the Providence 1. On the next play, running back Jacob Newman was hit hard by Providence middle linebacker Sam Decker and fumbled the ball away. A few years ago, such a disappointing play might have taken the air out of the Sabres.
But on Providence’s third play, the Sabres forced a fumble and South Mecklenburg’s Jaden Medlock recovered at the Panthers’ 15.
The new-version South Mecklenburg capitalized, with Cam Reese throwing a 16-yard touchdown pass to Michael Nesbit.
The Sabres made it 14-0 late in the first quarter on a 32-yard pass from Reese to Tiquez Mallette. And two minutes later, Anthony Simpkins returned a Providence punt 77 yards for a score.
Evans’ team led 21-0 at that point, and the defense took over.
Three who mattered
Cam Reese, South Mecklenburg: The Sabres’ quarterback completed 11-of-16 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns. He had another long pass play called back by a penalty.
Jacob Newman, South Mecklenburg: Newman, a senior running back, carried 24 times for 180 yards. That included a 68-yard gallop in the closing minutes of the game that snuffed out Providence’s last hopes.
Sam Decker, Providence: Decker, a senior middle linebacker, recovered a South Mecklenburg fumble near the goal line. He also clogged the running lanes and helped limit Jacob Newman to 39 yards rushing in the first half.
Worth mentioning
▪ The Sabres moved the ball through the air early in the game, then moved to the ground after building their 21-0 lead. South Mecklenburg had 127 passing yards in the first quarter.
▪ The Sabres’ defense made it tough on Providence starting quarterback Brady Hibbard, a sophomore. Hibbard and running back Jamar Price had a pair of bad handoff exchanges that resulted in lost fumbles in the first half. The Sabres also registered four sacks. But Hibbard looked sharp in leading Providence on a third-quarter scoring drive, completing a pair of passes for 55 yards.
▪ The game got chippy in the second quarter, and after tempers flared on a sidelines tackle, the officials called both head coaches and captains together at midfield for a conversation. That seemed to work, as there were no problems afterward.
▪ Providence and South Mecklenburg were fellow members of the SoMeck 7 4A Conference for several years, but they have gone separate ways. The Panthers are in the Southwestern 4A, while the Sabres are playing in the South Meck 4A.
▪ Kudos to the training staffs of both teams. It was 88 degrees with a high humidity at kickoff, yet there were no stoppages in the game due to players cramping up.
What’s next
South Mecklenburg is scheduled to visit East Mecklenburg next Friday. Providence was scheduled to face Parkwood next Friday, but Parkwood has announced that the game is canceled. That leaves Providence doing what a number of teams are doing this fall — looking for a new opponent.
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle
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South Mecklenburg 14 7 0 3 — 24
Providence 0 0 7 0 — 7
SM – Michael Nesbit 16 pass from Cam Reese (Zane Davis kick)
SM – Tiquez Mallette 32 pass from Reese (Davis kick)
SM – Anthony Simpkins 77 punt return (Davis kick)
P – Jamar Price 6 run (Graham MacPhail kick)
SM – FG Davis 30
This story was originally published August 27, 2021 at 11:38 PM.