By Will Bryan
MaxPreps.com
Despite nasty conditions, a malfunctioning play clock and yard markers that were washed away, there was nothing sloppy about West Charlotte’s 34-10 playoff win over North Mecklenburg.
West Charlotte had won five of its last six playoff games and could get to the West regional final game without facing any team that beat them in the regular season.
The win was the first in the playoffs for first-year head coach Aaron Brand.
Brand is the third different West Charlotte coach in three years, yet he seems primed for longevity after a successful inaugural season and the makings of a strong playoff run. Brand is an understudy of Independence head coach Tom Knotts and prides himself on intense organization.
After the game, the Lions continued their season-long tradition of clapping their hands three times and yelling, “1-2-3. We love you, coach!”
Brand had plenty of reason to like his team as well. After beginning the season with a pass-heavy offensive attack, he has instituted more of a rushing offense in recent weeks.
Friday night’s sloppy conditions made the run game even more deadly.
The Lions had 289 yards rushing, including an 18-carry, 191-yard night from sophomore running back Scoot Simmons. Simmons scored two of the Lions five touchdowns.
“It was wet and good running weather,” Simmons told the Charlotte Observer.
The sophomore has tallied more than 600 yards and nine touchdowns in his last three games.
West Charlotte’s defense seemed to feed off the wet field as much as its offense. The Lions held North Meck to just 33 yards rushing and 152 total yards. Linebacker Brandon Grier had 12 tackles and two sacks.
“We're playing well right now,” Brand told the Charlotte Observer. “We like our chances from week to week. We're preparing well. I'm a little hard on the coaches, but I tell them it's not the time for buddy-buddy stuff. We'll be buddies after the season. Right now, let's get it done.”
West Charlotte will next play Richmond County.
Charlotte Christian 42, Country Day 35 (2OT)
Ty Linton deserves his title of being an all-purpose player. Linton led Charlotte Christian to a double overtime playoff victory with big plays in all three phases of the game: offense, defense and special teams.
As his team’s starting running back and linebacker, Linton put the Knights up with a 15-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. He had already scored a touchdown on a 99-yard kickoff return.
Country Day responded with a scoring drive that ended with a 15-yard touchdown strike from Hedley Jennings to Nick Kamerer, forcing overtime.
Linton came up big one more time as Country Day faced a fourth-and-goal with a chance to extend the game. The linebacker came off the end and sacked Jennings in the backfield, sealing the win.
Charlotte Christian advances in the NCISAA playoffs and will play Charlotte Latin.
Independence 41, West Mecklenburg 18
Despite playing with several key injuries, the Independence Patriots rolled to a first-round 41-18 win over West Mecklenburg.
Led by Anthony Carrothers’ two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown, the Patriots responded to every West Meck attack with one of their own.
Carrothers accounted for 257 of the Patriots 299 yards in the first half to build a 34-12 lead at intermission.
“We're a bit banged up,” coach Tommy Knotts told the Charlotte Observer. “We're a bit thin right now. We tried playing a few new people at new spots, and in some cases, it didn't work. But we got a big game from Anthony. And I was pretty pleased with the way the offense worked.”
Independence will host East Mecklenburg in the next round of the playoffs.