East Lincoln All-American Chazz Surratt suffers elbow injury

In the first quarter of a second round N.C. 2AA playoff game against Wilkes Central, East Lincoln quarterback Chazz Surratt, one of the heavy favorites to win N.C. player of the year, was tackled and stuck his left throwing arm out to break his fall.

He was hit on his arm as he did it. His elbow popped out of the socket. When he got to the sidelines, a local doctor popped it back in. But Surratt’s elbow came out again. His night was done.

He finished 8 yards short of breaking the state record for total offense of 16,590 yards, set by former Independence All-American QB Chris Leak in 2002.

“He’s devastated,” Surratt’s mother, Brandi, said after the game. “I think ‘devastated’ would be an understatement. As parents, we’re heartbroken to see him devastated. But he’s happy for the team, and he didn’t want to leave the game until he knew the team had it in hand.”

East Lincoln beat Wilkes Central 47-6, outscoring Wilkes 40-6 after Surratt left. Backup QB Marcus Graham threw for more than 150 yards and, coach Mike Byus said, managed the well.

“He didn’t risk any throws to put us in any danger,” said Byus, whose team has won 29 straight games and will host East Burke in a third round playoff next week. “He managed the game well and made no turnovers.”

After the game, Surratt and his family went to a local hospital in Denver. X-rays showed no fractures, his mother said. Doctors said the alignment of the elbow looked good. Surratt was given a special brace for his elbow and a Monday afternoon appointment for a follow-up and MRI with a specialist.

His season, which looked finished after his injury, may not be done after all.

“He’s in pain and has got some swelling,” Brandi Surratt said. “But this is the best-case scenario.”

▪ Monroe coach Johnny Sowell got his 100th win Friday in a 58-20 win over Maiden. Monroe, which has won two playoff games by a combined 133-27, will host Franklin in a third round 2AA game next week.

▪ Next week’s Mallard Creek at Hough game is a rematch of perhaps the best game in Mecklenburg County all season. Hough won after Tennessee recruit Marquill Osborne intercepted a potential game-winning pass in the end zone. Both teams are playing their best of the season. Mallard Creek appears to have the championship focus it lacked earlier in the season. And, in a county where all the big games almost always seem to involve teams like Independence or Butler, the biggest game of the year is in the north end. That’s a real power shift.

Friday’s Top Performers

Jaret Anderson, Charlotte Catholic: 28 carries, 131 yards and the game-winning touchdown with 21.2 seconds left as Charlotte Catholic beat Fayetteville 71st. Anderson also had two catches for 36 yards.

Charlotte Catholic’s defense: Cougars allowed 60 yards on 40 plays.

Chancery Bowman, Mallard Creek: 20 carries, 110 yards, 1 touchdown in a 35-30 win over Butler.

Thaddeus Moss, Mallard Creek: 3 catches, 78 yards and a score plus 1 run for 10 yards and a score in Butler game.

Jarrett Nagy, Hough: 194 yards on 19 carries in his team’s 34-7 win over Ardrey Kell. Rashad Williams added 85 yards on 20 runs.

Davis Cheek, Butler: 15-of-27 passing for three touchdowns against Mallard Creek. Clifton Duck caught 5 passes for 81 yards and a score. He also had an interception.

Friday’s Roundup

West Forsyth 20, Myers Park 3: Myers Park had several chances to score touchdowns but got stopped on downs on turnovers deep in West Forsyth territory. West Forsyth, which rallied to beat North Meck 14-13 last week, beat its second straight Mecklenburg County team to advance to the 4AA West semifinals. West Forysth will play at county rival East Forsyth.

Crest 31, Cuthbertson 21: Cuthbertson’s passing game Crest’s heralded defense some trouble in this game, and Cuthbertson had the ball driving late with a chance to upset the reigning state champs, down 24-21. But Crest got a punt block and took over deep into Cuthbertson’s territory. Crest went on to score the put-away touchdown. Crest will host Weddington next week.

Weddington 28, Asheville Reynolds 21 OT: Weddington, a No. 6 playoff seed, missed a potential game-winning field goal in regulation, but scored on its first possession in overtime and stopped Reynolds, a No. 3 seed, on downs to get the upset.

Community School of Davidson 24, Andrews 0: The No. 1 seed in the West 1A playoffs, Community School has not allowed a point in the postseason. It beat South Stanly 54-0 last week. CSD will host Thomas Jefferson in the third round next week.

This story was originally published November 20, 2015 at 11:32 PM with the headline "East Lincoln All-American Chazz Surratt suffers elbow injury."