Mallard Creek football’s win over Myers Park proves Mavericks ready for road

Mallard Creek will face some tough out-of-state competition and rack up a lot of mileage over the next three weeks.

But the Mavericks showed Thursday night that they can hold their own with anyone.

Mallard Creek, the No. 15 team in the Observer’s Sweet 16 poll, dominated eighth-ranked Myers Park 21-3 in the nightcap of the Charlotte Kickoff Night event at Memorial Stadium.

“Our defense really came to play,” Mavericks’ head coach Kennedy Tinsley said, after his team spotted the Mustangs a 3-0 lead and then put the clamps on the Myers Park attack.

“The defense put us in a good position,” added quarterback Justin Wheeler, a former Charlotte Latin standout who played his first game with the Mavericks on Thursday. “They played really well and gave us time to get the offense going.”

Wheeler was a sort of hidden hero Thursday night.

His number, 16, was listed on the Mallard Creek roster as Mekhi Gaines-Coakley. Wheeler was listed as No. 12. So every time No. 16 ran or passed the ball, Gaines-Coakley got the credit from the public address announcer.

“He and I traded uniforms,” Wheeler said, referring to Gaines-Coakley.

Wheeler admitted he dealt with butterflies before the game.

“Yeah, I was excited about playing my first game here,” he said, adding that playing in the second game and having to wait during the early evening only made matters worse.

“I was just itching to play,” he said. “I couldn’t wait to play.”

He completed 8-of-17 passes for 83 yards and ran 12 times for 34 yards. Most importantly, the Mavericks had no turnovers in the game.

“I think we’ve got the kind of offense that can dominate,” Wheeler said.

The Mavericks might need that sort of offense over the next few weeks. Mallard Creek travels to Buford (Ga.) next Friday, then has road games against South Pointe and Gaffney. All three of those teams are state title contenders, and Gaffney is the defending South Carolina 5A champion.

“Playing a schedule like that gives our players an opportunity to show what they can do,” Tinsley said. “And it will prepare us for our own conference, which will be tough.”

The buzz about the Mavericks is that this could be a breakthrough season.

Their performance Thursday night certainly supported that idea.

Myers Park, playing for the first time under new head coach Jason McManus, surprised the Mavericks by throwing a 39-yard flea flicker on the game’s first play from scrimmage. But Mallard Creek’s defense stiffened and held the Mustangs to a Hank Thompson field goal.

The Mavericks then answered with a 73-yard scoring drive, capped by a Tomar Bivens touchdown run. That was all the scoring they really needed.

The defense shut down Myers Park’s offense the rest of the way, and the Mavericks tinkered with their offense until they got it moving in the second half.

“I think our offense wore them down in the second half,” Tinsley said.

He was referring to an absolutely dominating series to start the second half. The Mavericks drove 88 yards, running 19 plays and eating up all but two minutes of the quarter. The drive ended with a short run by Wheeler for a touchdown.

Mallard Creek showed another side of its offense in the fourth quarter. This time, their touchdown drive took one play – a 76-yard dash by Bivens down the left sideline.

Three who made a difference

Kenneth Jackson, Mallard Creek: Several Maverick defenders made a difference in this game, and Jackson certainly contributed. He had a role in two sacks and pressured Myers Park quarterback Wendell Thompson all night.

Win Byerley, Myers Park: Byerley did his best to keep the Mustangs in the game with his punting. He kicked six times for an average of more than 42 yards, flipping the field several times.

Tomar Bivens, Mallard Creek: Bivens ran for 96 yards and had a 17-yard reception. He scored two touchdowns.

Worth mentioning

▪ Mallard Creek coach Kenneth Tinsley said his team’s difficult schedule – three straight out-of-state games against championship contenders, is partly to toughen the Mavericks for their Queen City 3A-4A schedule, and also partly because of a few scheduling problems. “It will make us stronger,” he said.

▪ One big problem for Myers Park’s offense Thursday was fumbles. The Mustangs had five of them, and although they lost only one fumble, the others disrupted the offense.

▪ And while we’re talking about problems, Mallard Creek had some issues with penalties. The Mavericks were whistled 10 times for 80 yards. One of those infractions negated what would have been a 76-yard punt return for a touchdown by Jaidan Lee.

▪ Unlike recent years, the Charlotte Kickoff Night event was not disrupted by thunderstorms. However, a heavy shower passed over the stadium, dousing fans for about 15 minutes in the second quarter.

▪ Traffic was an issue prior to the opening game Thursday, between Hough and Dutch Fork. Backups at the parking deck next to Memorial Stadium left a number of fans in their cars while the game began. Many fans didn’t get into their seats until the second quarter.

What’s next?

Mallard Creek plays next Friday at Buford (Ga.), while Myers Park travels to the Winston-Salem area for a game against Reagan.

Friday’s High School Football Scores

Mecklenburg nonconference

AL Brown 41, North Mecklenburg 7

Ardrey Kell 21, Providence 0

Butler 27, West Charlotte 0

Charlotte Catholic 41, South Mecklenburg 26

Charlotte Latin 10, Christ School 6

Community School of Davidson 52, Bessemer City 6

Corvian Community at Christ the King, late

Cox Mill 59, Hopewell 25

East Mecklenburg 16, Berry 15

Harding 14, Garinger 0

Hickory Grove 35, Wake Christian 17

Independence 33, Robinson 15

Lake Norman Charter 18, SouthLake-Davidson Day 2

Olympic 49, Sun Valley 14

Porter Ridge 45, Rocky River 0

Providence Day 42, Legion Collegiate 7

Trinity Collegiate (SC) at Charlotte Country Day, late

Weddington 39, Charlotte Christian 38

West Mecklenburg 48, Palisades 0

Area nonconference

Alexander Central 33, Hickory 15

Andrews 42, Hickory Hawks 14

Ashbrook 46, Concord 12

Bunker Hill 47, Stuart Cramer 28

Burns 42, Forestview 0

Cabarrus Warriors at North Raleigh Christian, 7

Carolina Bearcats 20, Highland Tech 6

Chase 42, Mountain Heritage 0

Cherryville 14, Avery County 0

Crest 40, Freedom 22

Cuthbertson 28, Parkwood 26

Draughn 43, Thomas Jefferson 0

East Burke 28, Patton 0

East Gaston 28, North Gaston 8

East Lincoln 36, Hibriten 8

Forest Hills 27, Piedmont 7

Hickory Ridge 45, Hunter Huss 0

Kings Mountain 28, Shelby 26

Maiden 50, Fred T. Foard 7

McDowell 39, R-S Central 36

Monroe 28, Marvin Ridge 6

Mooresville 44, Davie County 28

Mount Pleasant 35, Central Cabarrus 14

Northwest Cabarrus 33, West Cabarrus 13

Parkland 21, South Rowan 14

Polk County 42, Newton-Conover 28

St. Pauls 34, Metrolina Christian 28

South Caldwell 28, West Caldwell 7

South Point 28, Lincolnton 13

St. Stephens 26, Bandys 13

Statesville 30, Carson 0

Thomasville 14, Albemarle 0

Union Academy 42, Wake Prep 0

Watauga 42, T.C. Roberson 13

West Henderson 35, East Rutherford 0

West Lincoln 33, North Lincoln 14

West Rowan 31, Salisbury 7

West Stanly 45, South Stanly 0

SATURDAY, AUG. 20

Nonconference

Cardinal Gibbons vs. Chambers, at Rock Hill, 4:30

Idle: Covenant Day

Thursday’s Scores

Dutch Fork 27, Hough 24, F

Lake Norman 55, West Iredell 0

Ledford 41, North Stanly 14

Mallard Creek 21, Myers Park 3

Mount Tabor 45, Richmond Senior 7

North Rowan 34, East Rowan 14

South Iredell 44, North Iredell 7

▪ Note: Saturday’s Chambers vs. Cardinal Gibbons game concluded after print deadline. Find coverage of that game at charlotteobserver.com/sports/high-school