Vance 56, West Meck 12

The Vance Cougars had been waiting for nearly nine months for Friday’s season-opener, Coach Aaron Brand said Friday night after his team took an easy 56-12 home victory against the West Meck Hawks.

“We’ve just been waiting for a chance to play somebody else,” he said, referring to his team’s disappointing season-ending loss to Charlotte Catholic in last season’s playoffs.

Kingley Ifedi led an offense that rolled up nearly 600 yards. The junior quarterback completed 20-of-32 passes for 436 yards and six touchdowns. Three of them were to senior receiver Myles Dorn for scores of 10, 43 and 42 yards.

The Cougars, ranked fourth in the Observer’s preseason Sweet 16, were never really threatened, leading from their first play from scrimmage – an 81-yard touchdown pass from Kingsley Ifedi to his brother, senior receiver Johnathan.

Kingsley Ifedi also ran for a touchdown, an 8-yard keeper that gave Vance a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Cougars were up 27-6 at the half.

West Meck’s only first-half score came on a 50-yard rumble return by Dyami Brown. The Hawks’ other touchdown came in the third quarter, when quarterback Richard Lattimore ended a short drive with a 9-yard touchdown run.

Quote: “We’re pleased with the result. The last time we left the field we had a bitter taste in our mouth. We played hard, but we need a better effort and there’s a difference. We need to learn to finish plays better.” – Vance coach Aaron Brand.

Records: West Meck 0-1, Vance 1-0.

Worth mentioning: The last eight minutes of the game were played with a running clock… How tough a night was it for West Meck? After the Hawks gave up a touchdown to go down 54-12, they downed the kickoff on their own 1 and gave up a safety two plays later for the Cougars’ last points.

What's Next: Vance is at Providence on Friday. West Meck hosts West Charlotte.

This story was originally published August 21, 2015 at 11:58 PM with the headline "Vance 56, West Meck 12."