By Will Bryan
MaxPreps.com
With Halloween trick-or-treaters going out onto the cold, dark streets of North Carolina this past week, one particular community was on the receiving end of the “tricked” part of the equation.
Last Monday, the 10-0 Mallard Creek Mavericks reported to the NCHSAA that they had a player who had violated the eight-semester rule after transferring from a nearby high school. That player had participated in nine of Mallard Creek’s victories, and the association ruled that it would have to forfeit those games.
Mallard Creek principal Kit Rhea immediately appealed the ruling on the argument that the school should not be penalized for a violation that began before Mallard Creek even came into existence. The player in question had participated in sports during his ninth-grade year in another state.
When he transferred to another Charlotte-Mecklenburg school, he repeated the ninth grade with the school unaware that he had participated in sports the year before. Neither CMS nor Mallard Creek knew of the situation when he became a Maverick last year.
But on Friday morning, the executive committee of the NCHSAA upheld the original ruling, and Mallard Creek entered its final game against West Charlotte not in preparation for a championship game between two top teams, but as one in search of redemption following a season that went so wrong, so fast.
Mallard Creek came out firing, scoring the first two touchdowns of the game. But West Charlotte still had a 4A crown on the line, and it went on to score four unanswered touchdowns to win the game 27-15.
Quarterback Marquise Williams got Mallard Creek going early. After he finished a 74-yard drive on a five-yard TD run, he put the Mavericks in the end zone again by scrambling away from a heavy rush to toss a 62-yard touchdown pass right before halftime.
West Charlotte’s Jalen Simmons responded by capping a quick touchdown drive with a six-yard run with just 21 seconds remaining in the second quarter. Simmons went on to spark three more touchdown drives in the second half, scoring on runs of 16, 35 and 69 yards. Simmons finished with 258 yards on 35 carries and four touchdowns.
West Charlotte (7-3, 5-0) now looks ahead to a showdown with Vance next week to determine the 4A conference championship.
In the other locker room, Mallard Creek players were left to wonder what could have been.
Providence 28, Myers Park 21
The Providence defensive unit forced seven turnovers en route to a 28-21 victory over Myers Park.
Providence (6-4, 4-2) corralled five interceptions and recovered two fumbles to rebound from an early 14-0 deficit. After Myers Park (5-5, 2-4) blocked two punts and forced a fumble in the game’s first two quarters, the Panthers responded with some big plays of their own, many coming from junior cornerback Damon Magazu.
“We're never out of a game,” Magazu told the Charlotte Observer. “After we got down early, we knew we just had to come out and make some big plays. We never felt like we were out of the game.”
Magazu finished with four interceptions, including one on the game’s final play to spoil a last-second scoring attempt. Magazu has 10 interceptions on the year, with five coming in his last two games.
Providence quarterback Chauncey Concepcion ran for 61 yards and two touchdowns in the second quarter and tossed a 29-yard scoring strike in the third quarter.
Charlotte Latin 30, Country Day 10
Despite falling behind early, the Charlotte Latin Hawks scored 23 unanswered points to secure another CISAA regular season crown with a 30-10 win over Country Day.
The Hawks were led by quarterback David Pearson, who threw for 182 yards and three touchdowns and ran for the team’s fourth.
Latin used an 82-yard passing play from Pearson to Paul Paschal to set up a 2-yard scoring strike and extend the Hawks’ lead in the third quarter.
“We pulled away and our defense kept that lead,” Pearson told the Charlotte Observer. “The defense was playing great. We were playing great. It was easy.”
Latin sacked the Country Day quarterback twice and batted three balls at the line of scrimmage. Defensive end Archie McIntosh’s first career interception sealed the win in the fourth quarter.
Will Bryan covers the Charlotte, N.C., area for MaxPreps. He may be reached at wbryan08@gmail.com.
