After weeks of waiting, Mallard Creek played, and the Mavericks stopped Providence
The Mallard Creek Mavericks finally got to play a varsity football game Friday night after their first two regular-season games were postponed due to Covid. Mallard Creek shook off a slow start to hold off the Providence Panthers 28-20 at home.
Trailing 7-0 and 14-7 in the first half, the Mavericks scored 21 of the game’s final 27 points. The slow start by Mallard Creek was somewhat expected as Providence had played twice already while the Mavericks were playing their first game of the season.
“The kids did a great job of bouncing back and I think in some ways this is a young club,” said Mallard Creek coach Kennedy Tinsley. “For them to show the maturity to bounce back, find a way to win, and take advantage of the momentum we built in between the second and third quarters, I thought was big.”
The Panthers scored on their first offensive play after blocking a Mavericks’ punt on Mallard Creek’s opening-game possession. Quarterback Kamen Carson found wide receiver Luke Bailey for a 37-yard strike and Providence led early 7-0.
Early in the second quarter, the Mavericks tied the game at 7, using a 10-play, 79-yard drive. It ended when Mavericks QB Brayden Hinze found wide receiver Jaiden Lee for a 21-yard touchdown pass. Hinze finished the game going 18-of-24 for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Jahki Patton and Tomar Bivens each had a rushing touchdown for Mallard Creek of seven and 23 yards respectively.
For Providence, starting quarterback Kamen Carson and backup QB Brady Hibbard each threw a touchdown pass.
On the Panthers’ first second-half possession, Carson was injured and didn’t return. On Providence’s next possession, Mallard Creek’s Darren Hamilton came up with a key interception.
“At halftime I was cramping and coach came up to me and told me he needed me on defense,” said Hamilton. “I came back, first play I had a scoop pickup, everyone was excited and that set the game up.”
Three who mattered
Providence wide receiver Dewayne Gissendanner (185 pounds) rumbled 100 yards for a second-quarter kickoff-return touchdown outracing several Mavericks in the process, and scored on a 77-yard TD catch to account for two of the three Panthers’ touchdowns.
Mallard Creek defensive back Darren Hamilton had an important second-half interception that seemed to take the wind out of the Providence offense.
Mallard Creek head Coach Kennedy Tinsley, who navigated his team and coaching staff through two postponed games due to Covid, allowing the Mavericks to pick up a win in their first game of the season.
They said it
“It feels amazingly different. When you think about us playing Vance earlier this year (when the 2020 football season was moved to early 2021) that was this year. It is an excellent feeling to secure a win against a really good football team.” -- Mavericks’ coach Kennedy Tinsley on the difference between his second season and first season as Mallard Creek coach.
RECORDS: Providence (1-2, 0-0), Mallard Creek (1-0, 0-0)
WHAT’S NEXT: Providence will be off this coming Friday and will be back in action on Friday, September 17 when they’ll play Charlotte Catholic at Memorial Stadium in a Carolina Panthers’ Big Friday football non-conference matchup at 7 p.m. Meanwhile Mallard Creek will play on the road this coming Friday night at Gaffney (SC) at 7:30 p.m. in a non-conference game.
TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
Providence | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 20 |
Mallard Creek | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
P: Luke Bailey 37 pass from QB Kamen Carson; (Graham McPhail kick)
P: Jaiden Lee 21 pass from QB Brayden Hinze: (Samer Alhussan kick)
MC: Dewayne Gissendanner 100-yd kickoff return; (MacPhail kick)
MC: Jordan Collins 8 pass from Hinze: (Alhussan kick)
MC: Jahki Patten 7 run; (Alhussan kick)
MC: Tomar Bivens 23 run; (Alhussan kick)
P: Gissendanner 77 pass from Brady Hibbard: (kick blocked)