No fluke. Mallard Creek dominates Butler with aggressive game plan, determination
There could not have been too many people who saw this coming.
Mallard Creek — and, no, not that Mallard Creek that you were used to — went to Matthews and outplayed Butler in the first round of the N.C. 4A football playoffs.
Mallard Creek, the No. 25 seed, beat the No. 8-seeded Bulldogs 29-8, using an aggressive, go-for-broke game plan and showcasing the type of size and team speed that had fans hoping for a big season back in August.
Well that’s possible now.
Mallard Creek will play at No. 9-seeded Asheville next week in the second round. Asheville (9-2) beat Davie County on Friday.
And this win seemed to come out of nowhere. Mallard Creek (5-4) had lost to Hough, the No. 1 team in the state, 31-7 on Oct. 15. It lost to No 2 Chambers 32-7 on Oct. 29.
This was not the team that won three consecutive state titles from 2013-15 and had been nationally ranked virtually every year until going 4-3 in the spring in the first season under new coach Kennedy Tinsley.
On Friday, however, Tinsley — whose team had lost three of its last four games — got the biggest win of his Mallard Creek career.
Butler (7-3), meanwhile, had a six-game win streak snapped. In that run, Butler was averaging 42 points per game.
After taking a surprising 9-0 halftime lead, Mallard Creek began the second half with a great drive, capped by a touchdown pass from quarterback Brayden Hinze to Darren Hamilton for a 16-0 lead with 8:35 in the third quarter.
The Mavericks then tried — and recovered — an onside kick, getting the ball at Butler’s 49.
David Lampkin finished off that drive with a nice run from about 20 yards out. Mallard Creek was up 23-0. Hamilton got an interception on Butler’s next possession.
Butler kept fighting, however, getting a touchdown and a 2-point conversion after a long scoring run from quarterback Xavion Brower was called back because of a penalty.
In the first half, Butler got off to a slow start. The Bulldogs had three penalties in the first 2 1/2 minutes and suffered a fumble in the red zone.
Mallard Creek recovered with 10:24 left in the first quarter.
After the Bulldogs’ second possession, a bad snap flew over the Butler punter’s head and led to a safety.
Butler’s next possession was yet another issue. The Bulldogs threw an interception in the Mallard Creek end zone, and the Mavericks returned the ball to Butler’s 29 with 80 seconds left in the first quarter.
Mallard Creek played aggressively, going for a fourth-and-16 in the second quarter and trying to block every Butler punt. The Mavericks blitzed Brower — who transferred from Mallard Creek this summer — early and often.
Ahead 2-0, Mallard Creek brought pressure on a Butler punt attempt. It led to a short kick and gave Mallard Creek good field position. Hinze hit Tay Shosola across the middle, and Shosola ran away from Butler defenders like Usain Bolt at the Olympics.
No. 25 seed Mallard Creek was up 9-0 over No. 8 Butler.
Butler’s defense kept the Bulldogs in it in the second quarter, stopping Mallard Creek on fourth down deep in Bulldogs territory and later intercepting Hinze just before the half.
This story was originally published November 5, 2021 at 9:34 PM.
