Stung by early TD, Weddington storms back for 52-7 victory over Marvin Ridge
Marvin Ridge took the opening kickoff and drove 73 yards for a touchdown Friday night against the rugged Weddington defense.
The Mavericks’ lead lasted for 14 seconds.
And another 90 seconds later, Marvin Ridge was trailing in its Southern Carolina 3A Conference first-place battle with the Warriors.
Stung by that opening touchdown, Weddington roared back for a 52-7 victory that left the unbeaten Warriors (9-0, 5-0) alone in first place and fine-tuning the attack for a run at a second straight 3AA state title.
“That was a great opening drive by them,” Weddington coach Andy Capone said of the Mavericks (5-4, 4-1). “I was glad our guys didn’t get down. It was the first time we’d been behind all year,”
Capone said trailing 7-0 could help his team in November and December.
“We need to know how to respond to something like that, once we get into the playoffs,” he said. “But our guys are really even-keel.”
Marvin Ridge’s opening drive ate up nearly nine minutes and included 17 plays. Quarterback Sully McDermott ran 3 yards from the score.
Only 3:18 was left on the clock in the opening quarter when Weddington finally got the ball at its 20. But Capone had something special in mind -- an off-tackle running play for standout Will Shipley.
“We planned that all week as our first play from scrimmage,” Capone said.
Shipley blasted through a hole and raced 80 yards for a touchdown.
Marvin Ridge was forced to punt on its next series, and several Warrior defenders swarmed kicker Caden Noonkester, blocking the kick. Weddington took over at the 5, and Shipley scored two plays later. The Warriors led 14-7 with 46 seconds left in the quarter, and they never looked back.
Shipley scored three times -- twice on runs and once on a pass -- and Dante Casciola threw three touchdown passes.
Three who mattered
Will Shipley, Weddington: Shipley carried 12 times for 158 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught a touchdown pass, and he had at least six tackles and a near-interception on defense.
Dante Casciola, Weddington: The Warriors’ quarterback completed 15 of 21 passes for 142 yards and three touchdowns.
Tanner Blackwell, Marvin Ridge: A linebacker, Blackwell seemed to be near the ball for much of the night. He knocked down one pass at the line of scrimmage.
Worth mentioning
▪ Marvin Ridge’s touchdown was the first scored against Weddington in a conference game this season.
▪ The Mavericks gained 73 yards on their opening drive. They gained only 83 additional yards for the rest of the game. Weddington’s defense held Marvin Ridge without a first down in the second half until the closing two minutes.
▪ Weddington has an explosive offense, a strong defense, and a great kicking game. But the offensive line -- Nick Aderholt, Will Owens, Austin Pronk, Jonathan Lowery and Lucas Rogers -- opened gaping holes much of the night for the Warrior running backs.
▪ In a halftime ceremony, Marvin Ridge was awarded the 3A Wachovia Cup, for having the top overall athletic program in the state for 2018-19. The Mavericks won several state titles last athletic year and were especially strong in spring sports.
▪ Marvin Ridge kicker Caden Noonkester was a bright spot. He punted seven times for a 36-yard average. Take away the blocked punt, and his average was 44 yards.
▪ With Noonkester and Weddington standout Ian Williams, the teams have two of the best kickers in the region. Williams was kicking field goals from around 60 yards in pregame drills.
They said it
“That blocked punt was huge. After they drove for the first touchdown, and then we got Will’s long run, I thought the blocked kick changed the momentum.” -- Weddington coach Andy Capone, on the blocked punt that set up his team’s go-ahead touchdown.
What’s next?
Both teams have conference road games next week. Weddington travels to Monroe. Marvin Ridge faces Indian Trail Sun Valley at Indian Trail Porter Ridge’s field. Sun Valley’s stadium is being renovated.
Weddington 14 17 14 7 -- 52
Marvin Ridge 7 0 0 0 -- 7
MR -- Sully McDermott 3 run (Caden Noonkester kick)
W -- Whill Shipley 80 run (Ian Williams kick)
W -- Shipley 2 run (Williams kick)
W -- FG Williams 22
W -- Shipley 23 pass from Dante Casciola (Williams kick)
W -- Malik Mustapha 2 run (Williams kick)
W -- Alex Mock 2 pass from Casciola (Williams kick)
W -- Dusty Mercer 24 pass from Casciola (Williams kick)
W -- Trey Gordon 1 run (Williams kick)
This story was originally published October 25, 2019 at 11:07 PM.