Mallard Creek finds its inner drive, just in time

All season long, Mallard Creek’s Mavericks have given the rest of the state’s 4AA teams a lot of hope with some uneven play and two surprising losses.

Friday night, in the third round of the N.C. 4AA playoffs, Mallard Creek took a whole lot of that hope away.

The Mavericks who beat Hough 44-0 looked a whole lot like the team Mallard Creek was expected to be when it returned 18 starters off a two-time state champ and was ranked as high as No. 6 in the nation in preseason.

Mallard Creek’s defense was astonishingly good Friday. At halftime, when the Mavericks led 23-0 and had taken away any doubt, Hough had five first downs and 82 yards. Mallard Creek had 14 first downs and 333 yards.

Hough finished with six first downs and 96 total yards, just 22 rushing. Mallard Creek had 506 yards of offense, including 301 rushing.

Mavericks QB James Smith, who threw four touchdowns and ran for one Friday, said the playoffs have brought a renewed focus from himself and his teammates. And honestly, if anything was missing from Mallard Creek this season, it sure wasn’t talent.

“We had to find our inner selves and come together more,” Smith said Friday night. “We wanted to get better. The turning point was at the beginning of the playoffs and we came out firing on all cylinders. We want this as bad as ever. We want to touch that third ring. I wouldn’t say we were bored (during the regular-season), but we’ve come together and we’re winning when it matters.”

Elevator

↑Weddington’s Keith Duncan: Nailed a 50-yard field goal in first quarter at Crest.

↑Zach Gilbert, South Mecklenburg: Sabres star defensive end committed to Pittsburgh on Friday night. Gilbert is the son of former Carolina Panther DT Sean Gilbert.

↑Chazz Surratt, East Lincoln: Broke the N.C. record for total offense with a pass to Coleton Banks during a 35-14 win over East Burke. After injuring his elbow last week, Surratt wasn’t sure if he would play Friday. It was expected to be his final high school game.

↑Mallard Creek defense: Mavericks beat Sweet 16 No. 3 Hough 44-0. It was the first time Hough has been shut out since Oct. 14, 2011 when Mooresville beat the Huskies 31-0.

Friday’s Top Performers

Jaret Anderson, Charlotte Catholic: 19 carries for 182 yards and four touchdowns; also had a 50-yard reception for a score.

Trevor Childers, East Lincoln: Helped spark Friday’s 35-14 win over East Burke with two first half interceptions and a receiving touchdown.

Marcus Graham, East Lincoln: 15-for-23 passing for 186 yards and two scores for the freshman. He also ran for 72 yards and a score.

Jamario Holley, Rock Hill Northwestern: 11 catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns in 49-21 win over Westwood in the S.C. 4A playoffs.

Gage Moloney, Rock Hill Northwestern: 24-of-28 passes for 345 yards and five touchdowns in 49-21 win over Westwood.

James Smith, Mallard Creek: 203 yards passing and four touchdowns in a 44-0 win over Hough in the N.C. 4AA quarterfinals. Smith also ran for 108 yards and a score.

Corey Sutton, Thad Moss, Mallard Creek: Both players caught two scoring passes against Hough.

Justice Woods, Holden Rizzo, Community School of Davidson: Woods had four catches for 91 yards, touchdown, in 33-28 win over Thomas Jefferson in N.C. 1A semifinal. Rizzo had five catches for 73 yards and a score. He also threw a TD pass.

Friday’s Roundup

Concord 39, South Iredell 14: South Iredell had an 86-yard drive in the third quarter, capped by Tyree Hallman’s one-yard run. That trimmed Concord’s lead to 19-14. But the Spiders answered with 20 unanswered points – scores from Ethan Wilder, Carter Mozingo and Antonio Campbell – to advance to next week’s 3A regional.

Monroe 50, Franklin 7: Franklin scored with 42 seconds left in the first quarter and then watched Monroe score 43 unanswered points to advance to the N.C. 2AA state semifinal game. Monroe will play East Lincoln in a battle of unbeaten teams. East Lincoln has won 30 straight games. Monroe has won 18 of its past 19 games.

Crest 47, Weddington 44, 2 OT: Weddington scores in the final minute of regulation to tie the game, and then forced Crest to kick a field goal in the first overtime. If Weddington could score a TD it would have won, but the Chargers’ vaunted defense forced a field goal in the first OT, then another in the second. In high school, teams get four downs from the opponents’ 10 in overtime. On Crest’s second overtime possession, Tre Harbison scored from four yards out with the game winner.

This story was originally published November 27, 2015 at 11:35 PM with the headline "Mallard Creek finds its inner drive, just in time."