Weddington answers the challenge from Marvin Ridge, advances in 4A playoffs

Kyle Parsons chuckled as he recounted how the season started for the Weddington offense.

“We had a really tough time scoring — I mean really tough,” Parsons said. “I was down near the bottom of the rushing statistics in Union County.”

But as summer turned to autumn, Weddington’s young offensive line grew more comfortable in their roles, as did Parsons and quarterback Grady Brosterhous.

And as was evident Friday night in the second round of the 4A playoffs, the Warriors (11-1) have become an offensive powerhouse.

They answered every challenge from neighborhood rival Marvin Ridge and advanced with a 41-31 victory.

The Warriors will face another Union County opponent, Cuthbertson, in the third round next week at Weddington.

“It was just a matter of us getting more experience and maturing as a unit,” said Parsons, who dominated the game by rushing for 260 yards. “It’s a big difference from the start of the season. We can put up some points now.”

Parsons, sitting at the bottom of the rushing statistics around Labor Day, now is approaching 1,700 yards for the season.

The Warriors needed the points Friday night.

As was the case two weeks ago, when Marvin Ridge (8-3) rallied in the fourth quarter and fell 23-18 to Weddington, the visiting Mavericks pushed the Warriors to the limit Friday.

Weddington led 27-24 with about five minutes remaining, but Marvin Ridge seemed to have the momentum. The Mavericks stopped the Warriors on downs at the Weddington 35, forcing a punt.

Kicker Matthew Moonan boomed a 42-yard punt, and the Marvin Ridge receiver fumbled the ball away. Weddington took over at the Maverick 11 and scored five plays later for a 34-24 lead with 3:44 remaining.

But Marvin Ridge wasn’t done. Sophomore quarterback Evan Medders took his team on an three-play, 80-yard scoring drive that ended with a 19-yard pass to Alex Meeks. Suddenly, the Mavericks trailed only 34-31 with 3:01 left.

“But our guys are resilient,” Weddington coach Andy Capone said. “They’ve done that sort of thing all season, coming back when we needed it.”

A Marvin Ridge onside kick attempt failed, and Weddington took possession at its 47. The Warriors only needed a couple first downs to run out the clock, but on the first play, Parsons broke free on a 43-yard run to the Mavericks’ 10. Two plays later, Parsons scored from 7 yards out.

“On a night like tonight, we needed the offense to deliver,” Parsons said. “It’s great that we’re able to do something like this.”

Three who mattered

Kyle Parsons, Weddington: A 6-foot, 190-pound senior running back, Parsons carried 27 times for 260 yards and three touchdowns.

Evan Medders, Marvin Ridge: The Mavericks’ sophomore quarterback did all he could to keep his team in the game. He completed 14-of-26 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns. He did not throw an interception. And Medders also rushed 25 times for 112 yards, scoring a touchdown.

Grady Brosterhous, Weddington: A senior quarterback, Brosterhous led his team to 467 yards of total offense. He completed 9-of-15 passes for 141 yards including touchdown throws of 48 and 42 yards.

Worth mentioning

▪ Marvin Ridge quarterback Evan Medders is an all-star in the fourth quarter against Weddington. Two weeks ago, he threw a pair of long touchdown passes in a narrow loss. In the fourth quarter Friday night, he completed 9-of-15 passes for 181 yards.

▪ The game produced nearly 900 yards of total offense. Weddington had 467 yards, and Marvin Ridge finished with 414.

▪ In a close game like Friday’s, single decisions can have a big impact. Officials ruled Kyle Parsons reached the end zone on a 1-yard run in the closing seconds of the first half. Marvin Ridge’s coaches vociferously argued the call, saying Parsons had been stopped just short of the goal line.

▪ Get ready for more Weddington football success. The school honored two Weddington Middle teams Friday night for winning Union County championships last week. The sixth-grade team beat Charlotte’s Holy Trinity Middle (a feeder for Charlotte Catholic), and the eighth-grade team beat Monroe Middle’s team.

▪ It’s probably no surprise that the second round of the playoffs produced an all-Union County matchup — and the third round will do the same next week. After all, eight of the county’s 11 football-playing high schools qualified for the playoffs, and they went 8-0 in Week 1 last week.

What’s next?

Weddington is home next Friday against Cuthbertson.

Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle

Scoring summary

Marvin Ridge 7 3 7 14 — 31

Weddington 7 13 7 14 — 41

W: Griffin Reimer 48 pass from Grady Brosterhous (Matthew Moonan kick)

MR: Cole Searight 6 pass from Evan Medders (Jackson Moore kick)

MR: Moore FG 19

W: Kyle Parsons 7 run (Moonan kick)

W: Parsons 1 run (run failed)

MR: Jake Young 11 run (Moore kick)

W: Landyn Backey 42 pass from Brosterhous (Moonan kick)

MR: Medders 13 run (Moore kick)

W: Brosterhous 3 run (Moonan kick)

MR: Alex Meeks 19 pass from Medders (Moore kick)

W: Parsons 7 run (Moonan kick)