No. 5 Hough dominates Mallard Creek with dominant defensive performance

Hough head football coach DeShawn Baker didn’t think the Huskies’ offense played up to its potential in Friday night’s matchup against rival Mallard Creek.

Hough’s defense, on the other hand, had a lot to do with the Huskies’ 30-6 victory against the Mavericks to solidify the team’s lead in the Queen City 3A/4A conference standings.

In winning its seventh consecutive game, Hough (7-1, 5-0) held Mallard Creek to just six first-half points. It also came in the wake of the Mavericks (4-4, 3-2) outscoring their opponents 135-7 in the past three games.

“Our defense, man — our defense is really, really good,” Baker said. “If our defense keeps playing like that and we can hang on, manage the ball and score points, we’re going to be pretty good.”

Despite just throwing for 48 yards, Hough quarterback Trey Blakeney had two touchdowns — a 4-yarder to Sean Brady in the first quarter, and a 23-yarder to Jacob Dossey in the fourth quarter. Dossey also had a 1-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter as the Huskies took a 14-0 lead.

But the Huskies’ defense — as well as their special teams play — held Mallard Creek to just four first downs (and none in the second half) and 108 yards total offense. They even came up with some points, sacking Khalil Ali in the end zone with 6:38 left in the third quarter for a safety.

The Mavericks’ lone score came after they got a short Hough punt near midfield, capping a 60-yard drive with Ali’s 8-yard keeper with 7 minutes, 35 seconds left in the second quarter to pull within 14-6.

That’s as close as Mallard Creek would get, although it had a chance to pull within five points at the half. However, Samer Alhussan’s 39-yard field goal attempt with seconds left was blocked by Hough’s Anthony Walker. Teammate Morgan Linton picked up the blocked kick, and — protected by a half-dozen teammates — raced 85 yards for a touchdown and a 21-6 halftime lead.

The Mavericks’ defense stiffened in the second half, getting a pair of turnovers off fumbles and sacking Blakeney twice. But the Huskies’ defense kept Mallard Creek in check, stopping five consecutive drives.

“At the beginning of the game, we started fast offensively,” Baker said. “The first quarter and halfway through the second, we were rolling — we were running the ball really well.

“If we can move the ball and we can score, and we can get touchdowns from our defense and special teams, that’s a championship team. If you can score in all phases of the game and win in all phases of the game, that’s the way to play ball.”

Three who made a difference

Will Jones, Hough: The senior running back finished with a game-high 83 yards and 19 carries, carrying much of the workload of the Huskies’ offense.

Trey Blakeney, Hough: The sophomore quarterback finished just 5 of 12 for 48 yards passing – about a third of his season average — but two of those went for touchdowns. That gives him five on the season.

Khalil Ali, Mallard Creek: The junior running back kept the Mavericks’ offense going, rushing for a team-best 44 yards on 13 carries, and completing a 44-yard pass to Curtis Clark in the second quarter that set up his touchdown run.

Worth mentioning

▪ With both West Charlotte and Chambers winning Friday, Mallard Creek drops to fourth in the Queen City 3A/4A standings.

▪ Mallard Creek still leads its series with Hough 13-7, but Huskies are now 6-3 against the Mavericks since the 2018 season.

▪ Hough finished with 181 yards in total offense: 133 yards rushing, 48 passing and 10 first downs.

What’s next?

Hough hosts Harding University in a Queen City 3A/4A matchup on Friday, Oct. 20; that same day, Mallard Creek plays at conference rival West Mecklenburg.

Scoring summary

HOUGH 14 7 2 7 – 30

MALLARD CREEK 0 6 0 0 – 6

H—Sean Brady 4 pass from Trey Blakeney (Nolan Hauser kick),, 5:04 1^st.

H—Jacob Dossey 1 run (Hauser kick), 1:19 1^st.

MC—Khalil Ali 8 run (kick blocked), 7:35 2^nd.

H—Morgan Linton 85 blocked field goal return (Hauser kick), 0:00 2^nd.

H—Safety, Ali sacked in end zone, 6:28 3^rd.

H—Dossey 23 pass from Blakeney (Hauser kick), 3:14 4^th.

This story was originally published October 13, 2023 at 10:27 PM.