The third round of the NCHSAA playoffs had national repercussions. No. 20 Mallard Creek (Charlotte) dropped out of the MaxPreps Top 25 rankings after an upset loss and was replaced by No. 25
Butler (Matthews), which dominated Richmond (Rockingham) for the second time this season. And not all the action was on the field — a team was disqualified during the tournament for the first time.
Click here to view MaxPreps' North Carolina football playoff brackets.VANCE SHOCKS MALLARD CREEKLongtime Charlotte Observer writer Langston Wertz Jr. called it the area's biggest upset in at least 18 years.
Vance (Charlotte) knocked off Mallard Creek 10-7 on a 19-yard field goal at the buzzer by Corey Dennis.
It didn't even take a perfect game — Vance committed four turnovers. But the Cougars allowed just 250 yards to an offense that had been averaging almost 53 points a game.
Mallard Creek (Charlotte) beat Vance 44-20 on Oct. 8, but UNC-bound quarterback
Marquise Williams was suffering from an ankle sprain this time and threw for just 79 yards in three quarters of action.
The Cougars took the lead in the second quarter on a 39-yard touchdown pass from Marc Harris to Calvin Hunter. Mallard Creek tied the game in the fourth quarter, but Vance drove 47 yards in the final three minutes to set up the winning kick and earn a spot in the state semifinals for the first time.
Video of Marquise WilliamsBUTLER WINS 29TH IN A ROWMaxPreps.com National Junior of the Year Christian LeMay left before the season, but the reigning 4AA state champions haven't missed a beat. Sophomore
Riley Ferguson threw four touchdown passes as Butler defeated Richmond 48-21.
After going three-and-out on the first drive and falling behind 7-0, Ferguson led the Bulldogs on four straight touchdown drives.
"I told myself to settle down and things slowed down and I couldn't believe how open my receivers were," the first-year starter told the Charlotte Observer.
Richmond's only two losses this season were to the Bulldogs, who now play Vance in a rematch of Butler's 35-14 win in Week 2.
SOUTH BRUNSWICK DISQUALIFIEDFor the first time in the history of the NCHSAA football playoffs, a team has been disqualified during the tournament.
South Brunswick (Southport), a No. 3 seed in 3A, had three players ejecting for fighting during its second-round win against Southern Wayne. By NCHSAA rule, a team with three fighting ejections cannot advance in the playoffs, so the Cougars (11-2) were forced to forfeit their next game against No. 1 Havelock.
"Is it a stiff punishment? Absolutely," NCHSAA commissioner Davis Whitfield told the Raleigh News & Observer. "But it reinforces what we preach all of the time. We are all about teaching sportsmanship, respect and self-control."
The paper reports that four other schools — Pinecrest (Southern Pines), Union Pines (Cameron), Pamlico County (Bayboro) and North Lenoir (LaGrange) — were barred from the playoffs this year after receiving too many ejections in the regular season.
After first signaling that it would appeal the disqualification, South Brunswick decided against it. "We're going to accept our punishment," athletic director Chris Roehner told the Wilmington Star News. "Unfortunately, it's a very difficult punishment to take."
No. 14 SEED ADVANCESThe lowest remaining overall seed in the state semifinals is 1-AA No. 14
Mitchell (Bakersville), which beat rival Avery County (Newland) 47-22 to continue its best playoff performance in school history.
Shawn Jackson rushed for 205 yards and three touchdowns and quarterback
Justin Hughes added 134 yards and four touchdowns in the win. According to the Asheville Citizen-Times, it's the fifth straight road game for Mitchell (8-6), which only dressed 22 players at one point this season after six players were injured in an automobile accident.
The Mountaineers hadn't won a playoff game in 21 years, a streak that seemed likely to continue when the team lost three of its last four in the regular season.
"We're having a blast," Hughes told the paper. "It's a dream come true."
REIGNING CHAMP SURVIVESDefending 2A champion
Tarboro scored on a 5-yard run from
Markel Howell with 7:37 left, and then sweated out a potential tying field goal from 36 yards out in the final seconds to defeat East Duplin (Beulaville) 13-10. East Duplin had more yards (274 to 211) and 10 more first downs than the Vikings, according to the Jacksonville Daily News, but could only get three points from three first-half drives inside the red zone. The loss was the final game for Panthers coach Brian Aldridge, who finished his 26-year coaching career at East Duplin and Whiteville with a 233-83-1 record.
EXTRA POINTSHow's this for a momentum change? East Bladen (Elizabethtown) trailed 14-0, then led 42-14 at the half, and then needed to hold on for a 56-48 win over Carrboro in 2A. Nine different players reached the end zone in the game. East Bladen will now face Tarboro in the state semifinals for the second straight year. ... After losing its first two games, the News and Observer notes that 2-AA Northeastern (Elizabeth City) advanced to the fourth round of the playoffs for the first time. Terry Williams completed 11 of 16 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns, and Mason James ran 19 times for 136 yards and two scores in a 35-7 win over Bunn.
Harold Gutmann covers the state of North Carolina for MaxPreps.com. He lives in Durham and can be reached at haroldgutmann@gmail.com.
