East Mecklenburg wins first game of the season, stopping Garinger on the road
For this night, at least, East Mecklenburg and Garinger got to see what high school football is like for the other guys.
They saw their plays work, just like they were drawn up by coaches. They cheered their defensive units when they registered sacks and tackles for losses. And they heard the cheering of their fans.
On Friday night, East Mecklenburg and Garinger, each of which entered their Southwestern 4A Conference game with 0-5 records, got the whole package.
In the end, the visiting Eagles ruined Garinger’s homecoming festivities with a 40-18 victory.
But the host Wildcats, beaten 70-0 last week by Butler, trailed only 7-6 in the first quarter and narrowed the gap to 34-18 in the fourth quarter.
Garinger played one close game this season but had been blown out the other four times. The Eagles had a pair of narrow losses and a couple of one-sided defeats.
With both teams facing the conference’s powers in the remaining weeks of the season, Friday’s game looked like a golden opportunity to avoid a winless season.
“It was nice that one of these teams finally got the feeling of winning,” East Mecklenburg athletics director Jason Fowler said.
After Garinger scored touchdowns in the third and fourth quarter, cutting East Meck’s 34-6 lead to 34-18, the Eagles put the game away. They moved 42 yards after a failed Garinger onside kick and got the final score on an 18-yard run by James Bailey.
“Our kids haven’t quit,” Eagles’ coach Lennie Sanders said. “When we’ve needed them to step up, they’ve done it. We have to play some powerful teams in our conference, and it’s nice to finally be rewarded for the work.”
Garinger’s first-year coach, Josh Williams, said his team also has kept at it this season.
“We had 30 guys with us since spring ball,” Williams said. “I told them that if they don’t like what we’re doing, they can leave. Nobody has left.”
Three who made a difference
Marquis Byrd (East Mecklenburg): Byrd, a junior running back, carried 14 times for 115 yards. He had a 52-yard run in the first minute of the game, setting up the opening score.
Jeremiah Stallings (Garinger): Stallings escaped the Eagles’ pressure often enough to complete 11-of-20 passes for 182 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Bryce Lee (East Mecklenburg): Lee, a junior defensive lineman, had three tackles for losses, two sacks, and three quarterback hurries.
Worth noting
▪ This was not a cleanly played game. Each team was whistled for 12 penalties, for a total of 229 yards. There were 11 penalties in the first quarter, which took nearly one hour to complete.
▪ Garinger’s Kingston Johnson had four catches for 92 yards and a touchdown.
▪ East Mecklenburg has won 14 of its last 16 meetings with Garinger. The Wildcats interrupted that string by winning in 2018 and ’19.
What’s next
Each team goes back to facing Southwestern 4A powers next week. East Mecklenburg is home against Butler, while Garinger visits Independence.
Scoring summary
East Mecklenburg 20 14 0 6 — 40
Garinger 6 0 6 6 — 18
EM – Marquis Byrd 5 run (Logan Parsons kick)
G – Kingston Johnson 27 pass from Jeremiah Stallings (pass failed)
EM – Takeo Massey Jr. 69 punt return (PAT snap fumbled)
EM – Byrd 17 run (Parsons kick)
EM – Chase Storey 10 run (Parsons kick)
EM – Cialyn Richards 54 run (Parsons kick)
G – Sincere Watson 8 run (run failed)
G – Jordan Jenkins 19 pass from Stallings (run failed)
EM – James Bailey 18 run (kick failed)
PHOTOS: East Meck at Garinger
