Defense and the all-around play of Derion Kendrick lead the Stallions to their second win over a Top 25 team in five weeks.
Video: Ultimate highlights of South Pointe quarterback and defensive back Derion Kendrick
Kendrick led his team to upset over No. 10 Mallard Creek on Friday, see him in action.The football players from
South Pointe (Rock Hill, S.C.) aren't just the Stallions, but spoilers too.
For the second time in five weeks, they spoiled the possible national championship hopes of a Top 25 team with a 17-6 win over visiting and 10th-ranked
Mallard Creek (Charlotte, N.C.).
A 56-yard touchdown pass from
Derion Kendrick to
JP Pendergrass with 6:17 remaining sealed it for South Pointe (4-1), which opened the season with a 30-23 win over then-No. 17 and crosstown rival Northwestern.
Kendrick, a four-star 2018 recruit, also did some damage on defense, adding an interception in the final moments. He also scored the team's other touchdown on a 3-yard run in the first quarter.
The Stallions were coming off a disappointing 28-23 loss to St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) at Morgan State University last week.
The South Pointe defense held Mallard Creek scoreless a until a 43-yard touchdown pass from
Chauncey Caldwell to four-star athlete
Ryan Jones with 8:09 left, cutting the deficit to 10-6. The extra point missed, but the defending North Carolina state champs had all the momentum.
That is, until Kendrick took it back.
South Pointe had less than 100 yards of offense heading into the fourth quarter but held a 10-0 lead on a 44-yard field goal by
BT Potter just before halftime and Kendrick's first-quarter TD run.
Mallard Creek, playing a rigorous schedule, opened the season with tough wins over Dillon (S.C.) 7-0, Butler (Matthews, N.C.) 35-20 and Byrnes (S.C.) 21-14. The team is 98-10 under Michael Palmieri since 2009.
Derion Kendrick, South Pointe
File photo by Dean Swint
