Chambers, Mallard Creek fall; Butler, Hough, Christian, W. Charlotte advance in playoffs

Chambers High’s streak of N.C. state finals appearances came to an end on Friday night, but several Mecklenburg County teams advanced in the N.C. playoffs.

▪ In the mountains, AC Reynolds kicked a 42-yard field goal in the final minutes to upset Chambers 17-16 and end the Cougars’ hopes for a fifth straight N.C. state championship appearance.

▪ In Mooresville, Butler started slow but rolled past Mooresville 41-21 to reach the third round next week. Butler will play at AC Reynolds.

▪ At West Mecklenburg, West Charlotte rolled past Hibriten 56-7, and the Lions advanced to play at No. 1 Kings Mountain next week in the 3A third round. Kings Mountain beat Smoky Mountain 42-0 Friday.

▪ In the N.C. Independent School semifinals, Charlotte Christian rallied to beat Rabun Gap on the final play of the game to win 33-31, when Christian QB Cam Estep hit Ryan Henley on an untimed down following a Rabun Gap penalty.

The Knights will play the winner of Saturday’s Providence Day-Christ School game for the private school Division I state championship. Charlotte Christian upset the Chargers earlier this season and the Knights’ win now creates a bit of a “trap game” for the favored Providence Day team Saturday. Providence Day is 10-1 and the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs. Christ School is 6-5.

▪ And finally in Cornelius, Hough avenged a regular-season loss to Mallard Creek, winning 16-6 in the 4A second round.

It was a defensive battle, as expected, in a game between these two defensive juggernauts. Each team was trading possessions early until Hough managed to get the ball into 5-star kicker Nolan Hauser’s range. He promptly hit a 49-yard field goal to end the first quarter.

The Huskies were quick to halt the Mavericks the next drive. Hough marched down the field quickly thanks to two deep passes from UNC commit Tad Hudson. Two plays later, Hudson found Saquon Osbourne for a 10-yard touchdown strike extending the Husky lead to 10-0.

On the Huskies next drive, Mavericks’ defensive back DJ Hamilton laid out for the ball and intercepted Hudson’s pass, giving the Mavericks the ball back at their own 40-yard line.

It wouldn’t seem to matter as the Husky defense would force a three-and-out, getting two sacks and one tackle for loss in the process.

With 1:40 to go in the half, Justin Wheeler connected with DJ Hamilton on a 63-yard touchdown strike to narrow the gap to 10-6 in favor of the Huskies. The Huskies blocked the point after attempt by Mallard Creek. And that was about all the offense the Mavericks could muster.

Two more field goals from Hauser provided the final margin, and Hough will play the winner of Saturday’s East Forsyth-Mount Tabor game in the third round next week.

Chambers falls in the mountains

ASHEVILLE — Chambers will not be making a return trip to the state football finals.

Jarod Glenn kicked a 41-yard field goal with 1:37 remaining Friday night, and host A.C. Reynolds downed the Cougars 17-16.

The team that beat Chambers in the 4A finals last season, Cardinal Gibbons, was knocked out of the playoffs Thursday night.

Glenn’s winning field goal was set up when the Rockets (11-1) blocked a Chambers punt with about 3:30 to play. Reynolds took possession at the 38 and moved to the 24 before going for the field goal on fourth down.

Chambers (9-3) was able to move the ball on its final possession to around the A.C. Reynolds 40, but a last-play pass from Bubba Camp into the end zone fell incomplete.

The Cougars took a 2-0 lead when they sacked Reynolds quarterback Bailey Craig in the end zone, just 65 seconds into the game. Chambers added a touchdown three minutes later for a 9-0 lead.

Craig then threw touchdown passes for Christian Lewis and Wesley Rumbough, putting the Rockets up 14-9 late in the first quarter.

Chambers regained the lead midway in the second quarter, on a fourth-down play from the Rockets’ 16. Wide receiver Kevin Concepcion took the snap on a wildcat play and ran 16 yards for a score. That gave Chambers a 16-14 lead that held until the closing minutes.

The Cougars threatened in the fourth quarter. Still up 16-14, they drove to the Reynolds 11, but a fourth-down pass was broken up with 7:47 to go.

— Steve Lyttle

Christian wins on final play

RABUN GAP, GA — Cam Estep’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Henley on the game’s final play lifted visiting Charlotte Christian to a 33-31 victory Friday night over Rabun Gap School in the private school playoff semifinals.

The winning play happened after the Knights’ apparent last-chance play had failed with an incomplete pass.

But a Rabun Gap penalty gave Charlotte Christian one more chance, with no time showing on the clock.

The victory sends the Knights (10-2) into next Friday’s N.C. Independent School Athletic Association Division 1 championship game.

Charlotte Christian’s opponent will be the winner of Saturday’s Christ School-at-Providence Day semifinal.

The Knights lost to Rabun Gap 24-10 on Sept. 29.

This time, Charlotte Christian built a big early lead, but the host Eagles (8-4) rallied to take the lead.

After Rabun Gap scored first for a 7-0 lead, the Knights rallied, as L.J. Porter scored on a blocked punt with 4:37 left in the first quarter, and Tripp Woody put the Knights ahead 10-7 with a 26-yard field goal three minutes later.

An Estep-to-Grant Tucker touchdown pass put the Knights up 17-7 with 9:04 left in the second quarter, and then Estep connected with Henley on a 20-yard scoring pass for a 24-7 lead with 4:05 remaining.

Rabun Gap scored on a long run, but Woody kicked a 31-yard field goal with 35 seconds left in the half, giving Charlotte Christian a 27-14 intermission lead.

The Knights didn’t score again until the final play.

Rabun Gap scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns for a 28-27 lead, then added a field goal with 2:52 remaining.

That set up Charlotte Christian’s final drive.

— Steve Lyttle

Kings Mountain rolls in 3A

Lamont Littlejohn threw four touchdown passes, three of them to Caleb Holland, as host Kings Mountain walloped Smoky Mountain 42-0 in a second-round 3A playoff game.

The Mountaineers (12-0), top-seeded in the 3A West and top-rated by The Observer, host West Charlotte (7-5) in the third round next Friday.

After blocking a punt early in the game, Littlejohn fired a 17-yard scoring pass to Holland, and the Mountaineers led 7-0.

A.J. Richardson scored on a run, and Holland and Jaquaylan Sanders caught touchdown passes in the second quarter, as Kings Mountain took a 28-0 lead to the locker room.

A Teddy Jeffries run and a 34-yard Littlejohn-to-Holland pass accounted for Kings Mountain’s other touchdowns, in the third quarter.

— Steve Lyttle

Butler gets five straight touchdowns at Mooresville

MOORESVILLE — Butler scored 35 consecutive points Friday night and downed host Mooresville 41-21 in the second round of the 4A playoffs.

The Bulldogs (10-2), ranked sixth by the Observer but seeded 15th in the West Region, will travel to Asheville next Friday for a meeting with seventh-seeded A.C. Reynolds.

Butler jumped in front 6-0 on a 31-yard touchdown catch by Dequadre Currence, but Mooresville’s standout running back, Jawarn Howell, broke loose on a 70-yard scoring run later in the first quarter, giving the Blue Devils (10-2) a 7-6 lead.

Butler regained the lead early in the second quarter on D.J. Horton’s 29-yard touchdown run, and the Bulldogs led 13-7 at halftime.

The Bulldogs blew it open in the third quarter, scoring on an 8-yard touchdown reception by Makhi Carr and a 5-yard run by Horton. That put Butler ahead 27-7, and the Blue Devils never got within 20 points again.

Butler padded its lead with two touchdowns early in the fourth quarter for a 41-7 lead. Mooresville scored twice in the final five minutes, narrowing the gap.

— Steve Lyttle

This story was originally published November 11, 2022 at 10:08 PM.