Mallard Creek’s Defense Smothers Byrnes

                Many people who came to watch the Mallard Creek Mavericks take on the Byrnes Rebels expected to see a shootout. But there was not much offense going on as both defenses kept each other’s offenses out of the end zone. But on the last play of the first quarter, Mallard Creek got on the board with a 17-yard touchdown run by quarterback Chauncey Caldwell. Josh Silverstein’s kick for the extra point made it 7-0.

                The Mavericks extended their lead to 14-0 with a 15-yard touchdown run by Joel Gilmore. The Maverick defense, on the other hand, continued to shut down Byrnes’s offense. Their running game was going nowhere and quarterback Brock Carroll was constantly running for his life. That forced the Rebels to have to air it out. Byrnes got on the board before half-time with a 17-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brock Carroll to Demarcus Gregory. Luis Hernandez’s kick cut the Maverick lead to 14-7.

                Byrnes would struggle to get anything going after that. The Rebel defense would prevent the Mavericks from putting more points on the board. But it was the Mallard Creek defense that would draw first blood in the second half. Larry Matkins intercepted a pass from Carroll and he took it 25 yards for a touchdown. Silverstein’s extra point made it 21-7.

                Byrnes cut the Mallard Creek lead in half once more with a Carroll eight-yard pass to Quez Mayes and Hernandez’s extra point. Byrnes would not get any closer. Each team would exchange two turnovers. Though Caldwell and Gilmore scored for the Mavericks, it was senior running-back Darnell Walker that did most of the dirty work with 139 yards rushing.

                “It’s a big win. It’s a great win for the program. We expected a tough game. We watched them last week. They got a lot of fight over there. We just made a couple more plays then they did.” Said Mallard Creek head coach Michael Palmieri

“That’s our style of offense. We are a physical football team. We try and play physical football.” Palmieri added “We are happy with the result. All we care about is winning. We don’t care about stats. We don’t care about who scores. We are going for our fourth title so when we get to that level, we just keep winning games. We’ll worry about stats later. We got to cut down on penalties. We’re killing ourselves with penalties.”

Mallard Creek is off next week. After that, they travel to Rock Hill-South Pointe, S.C before beginning conference play.

“Two good football teams playing each other. The team that made the most mistakes lost.” said Byrnes head coach Brian Lane “They’re a great defense. We couldn’t get anything going. We play top caliber teams. We don’t shy away from anybody. That’s what gets you ready for the playoffs.”

Byrnes will host Rock Hill-Northwestern, S.C. next week.

Turnover Plagued Hunter Huss Falls To Porter Ridge

                Usually when a team is losing the turnover ratio 6-1, you wouldn’t think they would have a chance in the game. That was not the case for Hunter Huss. With five turnovers already in the game, the Huskies had a chance to either send the game into overtime with a field-goal or win it with a touchdown in the closing seconds. That’s when the Huskies committed their sixth and final turnover in their 17-14 loss to Porter Ridge.

                Hunter Huss started freshman Zoe Wallace at quarterback. He threw one touchdown pass to Antwanez Barnett for 63 yards. That gave Hunter Huss a 7-3. Wallace was intercepted six times in the game, however. After going up 7-3, the Huskies fell behind immediately when Pirates’ senior running-back Mason Mills scored on a 66-yard rushing touchdown. Sophomore quarterback Grayson McCall extended the Pirates’ lead with a four-yard touchdown pass to fellow sophomore Jake Myers. Kicker Jared Wheatley was 2-for-2 on extra-point kicks. He also got the Pirates on the board with a 35 yard field goal.

                The second half was more of a scoring drought as both defenses stiffened. The Huskies finally broke through to cut the Pirates lead in the fourth quarter when junior running-back Dallas Danner scored a two-yard touchdown run. They would not get any closer.

                Mason Mills led the Pirate offense with 141 yards and a touchdown. Jake Horstkamp registered three interceptions for the Pirates. Matthew Cambria, William Kilgo, and William Reed each had one. Isaiah Moran sacked Huskies quarterback Zoe Wallace once. Dallas Danner led the Huskies offense with 136 yards rushing and a touchdown. Akeythio Carson recovered a Porter Ridge fumble for Hunter Huss. Devin Harrell and Antonio Washington each registered a sack for the Huskies.

                “No question the turnovers were the Achilles’ heel today. There’s no way you can win a ball game with six interceptions. And to be down by only three points?” said Hunter Huss head coach Jamar McKoy “We harped all week on keeping our penalties down. We got our penalties down today but our turnovers went through the roof.”

                “Defense was on the field about 85-90% of the ball game. So the defense was sucking wind. One time we put our heads down they blow by us with a (66 yard) by the big back (Mason Mills). That’s the tale of the tape. If we can get the offense clicking and get on the same page and keep the defense off the field. Our defense is lights out. We harped on giving up big plays and again today big plays beat us.”

                “No question it’s preparing us for the conference.” McKoy said of his narrow losses “But I can tell you what. My guys, especially my seniors, are sick of losing. I’m sick of losing. We need wins. That’s what matters right now, wins and losses.”

                Hunter Huss will have a chance to do that this Friday as they travel to take on 0-3 Hickory.

                “It was a battle. We came out feeling good after half-time and Hunter Huss just came out and hit us in the mouth in the second half.” said Porter Ridge head coach Michael Hertz “For 75% of my team, last week was their first varsity game. We’re very inexperienced and we’ll take a lot from this. I am glad, happy and proud how we battled and hung in there and held on for the win. We bent but we didn’t break I’d like to be better against the run. But when it mattered, we held.”

                “We worked hard in the offseason. I have a great group of seniors. We worked from February all the way up to the season. We’re just trying to change the culture around here and I’m happy for the community.”

                Porter Ridge plays host to their cross-town rival, Sun Valley (3-0) next week.

                “It’s exactly what we need. They’re our rival and we’re playing them at home. We’re coming off a subpar performance today even though we won so I’ll be anxious to see how our team responds.” Hertz said.

Forestview Defense Shuts Down Kings Mountain; Mountaineers No Longer Undefeated

Coming into this game, Forestview knew they had a big task of having to slow down Kings Mountain’s potent offense which has scored 110 points the past two weeks. The Jaguars did just that. Forestview pitched a shutout in a 28-0 win over visiting Kings Mountain.

The game started out as a defensive battle as both teams were unable to punch it in early. Kings Mountain drove down deep into Forestview territory on their first drive, but stalled near the Forestview 15. The Jaguars had a hard time moving the ball early. Everything they tried to do offensively, the Mountaineers shut it down.

But the Jaguars would soon go to their heavy package which included using NG Nate Whitaker as a fullback. That started to pay off. Whitaker got Forestview on the board with a five-yard touchdown run. Dylan Disarro’s extra point made it 7-0. That would be the score at half-time.

Kings Mountain received the second half kickoff but was not able to do anything with it. The Jaguars would find the end zone again later in the third quarter. Jayveon Love finally broke through and scored on a 15-yard rushing touchdown. Love would score again early in the fourth quarter with a 26-yard touchdown run. Forestview put it away with just over five minutes to go with a two-yard touchdown run. Kicker Dylan Disarro was 4-for-4 on extra points.

Kings Mountain was their own undoing many times in the game with penalties and turnovers. The Mountaineers lost five fumbles in the game. Two of them were on special teams. Three of them on offense. Forestview only lost one. Aveon Reid recovered two fumbles for Forestview. Anthony Nance, Chase Payne and Jacob Ash each recovered one for Forestview.

"We were fortunate. We got some breaks early on. Then we got momentum and it kind of carried us and (Kings Mountain) is a good team so I’m proud of our guys." Forestview coach Chris Medlin said "We hung around early to gain confidence and I thought as we gained confidence, we started to play really well. I hope this propels us going forward because we accomplished something because of who we beat. They are such a good team. Our defense was outstanding."

Medlin said of his team’s next opponent, East Lincoln "They are a great football team. They’ve made deep playoff runs and won state championships. It’s going to be another big challenge."

"I just think we played smashmouth football tonight. We came out very physical." said FB/NG Nate Whitaker "We made a statement tonight. They’re a great team and so are we. We came together as a team. We had a great week of practice and tonight we came out hyped."

The Jaguars travel to play East Lincoln next week. Kings Mountain opens up conference play at East Rutherford.

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Week 3 Picks

Shelby 21 – South Point 14 *

Kings Mountain 35 – Forestview 21

Lincolnton 48 – North Gaston 14

Thomas Jefferson Academy 21 – Mountain Island Charter 14

East Lincoln 55 – North Lincoln 7

West Lincoln 28 – Cherryville 6

Stuart Cramer 21 – West Iredell 14

Bessemer City 20 – Chase 10

Burns 28 – Central Cabarrus 10

Hunter Huss 21 – Porter Ridge 14 ^

 

*= Game is played tonight

^= Game is played Saturday @ Monroe High School

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland, Best To Last

1. Shelby (2-0) – Shelby looks like the best all around team in all three counties. They will be tested by South Point. But it looks like the South Mountain Athletic conference will be theirs to take this year.
2. Kings Mountain (2-0) – Kings Mountain looks like they will challenge Shelby and overtake Crest as the top 3A team in their league. They could get tested by Forestview this Friday.
3. Lincolnton (2-0) – Lincolnton escaped South Point 25-24 in overtime. Lincolnton is favored to take their conference.
4. South Point (1-1) – South Point took a hard loss to Lincolnton last week. They have a bigger test against Shelby. Don’t count South Point out. They could take that #1 spot from Shelby. A loss will not knock them too far down if at all.
5. Crest (1-1) – Crest has had a rocky start. They were beaten handily by South Point 27-12 and barely got past a young Ashbrook team. They are #5 by default right now. They have a bye week so they are not going anywhere.
6. East Lincoln (2-0) – They struggled with Hunter Huss in week one before squeaking out a 14-13 win. Beating a first-year program like Christ the King doesn’t tell us much. They play North Lincoln next whom they should beat handily.
7. Burns (2-0) – Burns blew out their first opponent 51-12, but had a hard time pulling away from Hunter Huss last week in a 31-26 battle. A win over Central Cabarrus won’t move them too far up as the Vikings struggled last week.
8. Forestview (1-1) – Forestview started off with a 27-6 victory at Providence Day. The Jaguars fought hard against a physical Clover team but fell 19-13, if they can give a powerful Kings Mountain team a run for their money they could move up.
9. Bessemer City (2-0) – Bessemer City has been a little bit of a surprise so far this year with a convincing 44-20 win over East Gaston. They had a defensive struggle against a much improved Mountain Island Charter team but prevailed 16-0.
10. Hunter Huss (0-2) – Hunter Huss came close to sniffing a win these past two games but haven’t been able to pull it off. They were up 13-0 on East Lincoln before losing 14-13. They were also in a dogfight with Burns. Being winless is what is putting them at #10, but being competitive is why they aren’t ranked lower.
11. Ashbrook (0-2) – Ashbrook is a hard team to figure out right now. First week, they surrender 41 first half points against Clover in a 48-13 rout. Then they only lose to Crest 14-7 but as mentioned earlier, Crest is struggling this year. Ashbrook also has their bye week this week.
12. Thomas Jefferson (1-0) – Thomas Jefferson opened up the season with a 56-0 win over Hickory Grove Christian. The Gryphons will have a harder time with the team I ranked just below them this week.
13. Mountain Island Charter (1-1) – Mountain Island Charter has made great strides from last year. They opened up with a 35-9 win over Central Academy and they gave Bessemer City a game last week before losing 16-0. If they can beat Thomas Jefferson Academy, that would be huge.
14. Stuart Cramer (1-1) – Cramer beat Cherrvyille 20-6 to open their season up. They also had a defensive struggle with R-S Central last week. Cramer is another team that’s hard for me to figure out, but only beating Cherryville 20-6 does not instill a lot of confidence.
15. West Lincoln (1-1) - They lost to a less than mediocre Draughn team at the start of the season 27-14, then beat North Lincoln 39-20. They typically don't fare well in their conference.
16. East Gaston (0-2) - Talk about a rough start. East Gaston sure has had that with blowout losses to Bessemer City (44-20) and Kings Mountain (56-7). Good thing the Warriors have a bye week this week.
17. North Gaston (0-2) - North Gaston also had a tough go at it. They were blown out by Kings Mountain 54-10. They lost to East Rutherford, but only by 27-14. This week, they travel to face a hot Lincolnton team. This could be another lopsided one.
18. North Lincoln (0-2) - Just like the previous two, the struggles have been real for North Lincoln. The Knights suffered losses to Lincolnton (63-7) and West Lincoln (39-20) and are likely to have another one when their final county rival, East Lincoln, comes to visit.
19. Cherryville (0-2) - Nowhere to go but up. Cherryville lost 20-6 to Stuart Cramer to open the season but was blown out by Chase the following week 33-6. Last year, Highland Tech was their only win. That could be the case this year as well.
20. Highland Tech (0-2) - The Rams suffer two ugly shutout losses to start the year off. The first was a 73-0 drubbing by Newton-Conover. The second was a 49-0 shutout to Central Academy. The Rams have not won a game since 2013.

Blue Eagles Start Fast, Hold Off Jaguars

                Clover got the ball first and had the ball for almost the entire first quarter. The Blue Eagles were moving the ball at will but also were plagued by penalties. Clover finally capped off the first drive with less than 26 seconds left in the first quarter. Quarterback Garrett Miller put the Blue Eagles on the board with a one-yard touchdown run with a quarterback sneak. His pass to Hayden Milley for a two-point conversion put Clover on top 8-0.

                Clover extended their lead with a 36-yard run by Darell Darling. Connor Owens’s run for the two-point conversion gave Clover a 16-0 lead. The Blue Eagles’ defense stymied Forestview’s running game the entire first half. So Forestview finally took to the air. Quarterback Mac England hit Chapperal Smith on a short slant route. Smith took it 66 yards for the touchdown. Dylan Disarro’s kick for the extra point cut Clover’s lead to 16-7. That would be the score at half-time.

                The scoring slowed down in the second half, however. The only scores in the second half were a 29-yard field goal by Clover’s Nick Sciba and a three-yard touchdown run by Forestview’s Jayveon Love. Outside of that, it was missed opportunities by both teams. The Blue Eagles fumbled at their own 35-yard line in the fourth quarter, but the Jaguars would not capitalize on the miscue.

With less than two minutes left in the game, Clover appeared to go for the knock-out punch as they got close to Forestview’s end zone. But they would fumble again at the one-yard line. Once again,  the Jaguars would not capitalize. Clover holds on for the 19-13 win.

“It was amazing. Every time you got a group of kids that face that caliber of team and fight the adversity that they faced, I can’t say enough about them. We got a very special group.” said Clover head coach Chad Smith

The Blue Eagles have a bye week next week, then face South Point at home the following week.

“South Point is one of the best teams in both states. Mickey Lineberger does as good of a job as anybody and it is a privilege to get to play a team like that.” Smith said.

“We’ll show up Monday and try to get better. We saw some things we did well and saw some things we can build on. Got some kids I’m really proud of. We played against a really good football team. That region better watch out.” said Forestview head coach Chris Medlin “They were sending a lot of pressure so we had to adjust to that and find some ways to get some plays off. We had a chance there in the fourth quarter to win. We just didn’t make the plays.”

Forestview will be home again next week as they play Kings Mountain.

“They’re a good team. We got to be ready and have a good week of practice. They’ve gotten us the past couple of years.”

The win gives Clover its first 2-0 start since 2010. Forestview falls to 1-1.

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Week 2 Picks

Game of the Week: Lincolnton (1-0) @ South Point (1-0): Both teams opened the season up with wins. Lincolnton crushed county rival, North Lincoln, 63-7. South Point pulled off the upset that ended defending state 3AA champ, Crest’s, 32-game win streak with a 27-12 victory. This game will be a true measuring stick for both teams. How will Lincolnton’s high-powered offense fare against South Point’s stingy defense? The Wolves and the Red Raiders are favored to win their conferences this year.
 My pick: South Point 27 – Lincolnton 21


Mountain Island Charter (1-0) @ Bessemer City (1-0): These two teams both started the season out much different than they did last year. Bessemer City trounced East Gaston 44-20 last week while the Raptors took care of Central Academy 35-9. This is both teams’ conference opener. The winner of this game will already have a leg up as far as conference play goes.
My pick: Bessemer City 31 – Mountain Island Charter 28


Clover, SC (1-0) @ Forestview (1-0): Clover jumped out to a 41-0 half-time lead last Friday en route to a 48-13 win over Ashbrook. Forestview had a slower start against Providence Day but eventually prevailed 27-6. Clover opens up the season with a win for the first time since 2010. That year, the Blue Eagles swept the Gaston County teams on their schedule (South Point, Ashbrook & Forestview). They added Ashbrook and South Point back on after going four seasons of not playing them. Will they be able to complete the sweep again or will the Jaguars get in their way Friday at home?
My pick: Forestview 24 – Clover 21


Ashbrook (0-1) @ Crest (0-1): Not the start either team was looking for. Crest saw their 32-game win streak evaporate in thin air at the hands of South Point. Ashbrook got clobbered by Clover. Both of these teams could use the win for a confidence booster. Ashbrook has not beaten Crest since 2010 when the Green Wave beat the Chargers 20-17. The Chargers have not opened the season with consecutive losses since 2003. They started 0-3, but went on to win 13 straight games to win the 2003 3AA state title. Don’t look for them to lose this one, however.
My pick: Crest 35 – Ashbrook 7


Hunter Huss (0-1) @ Burns (1-0): Hunter Huss jumped out to a 13-0 lead against East Lincoln last week, but the Mustangs rallied to win 14-13. Burns had no problem with the Carolina Wildcats in a 51-12 rout. But the Huskies will pose a bigger challenge than the Wildcats. Last year, the Bulldogs edged Huss 29-26 so Huss is hoping for some payback.
My pick: Hunter Huss 24 – Burns 20


Shelby (1-0) @ A.C. Reynolds (0-1): Shelby started their defense of their 2A state title in dominating fashion last week dominating Freedom 49-0. The Rockets lost 21-6 at West Forsyth. Reynolds will have a hard time against Shelby’s defense. This game will not be close.
My pick: Shelby 28 – A.C. Reynolds 7


R-S Central (0-1) @ Stuart Cramer (1-0): Both teams started off with wins, but later one of these teams found out they have to forfeit. R-S Central beat McDowell 41-21 last week only to forfeit the win later. They will try and find redemption against Cramer. The Storm beat Cherryville last week 20-6. The Hilltoppers beat the Storm last year 28-21. Will Cramer get their revenge or will R-S Central be too tough.
My pick: R-S Central 21 – Stuart Cramer 14


East Gaston (0-1) @ Kings Mountain (1-0): Don’t expect this game to be close at all. Kings Mountain blew out their opponent (North Gaston) last week 54-10. East Gaston, on the other hand, was blown out 44-20 by theirs (Bessemer City).
My pick: Kings Mountain 49 – East Gaston 7


North Gaston (0-1) @ East Rutherford (1-0): North Gaston suffered a blowout loss in their home opener against Kings Mountain 54-10. They will look to rebound as they travel to East Rutherford. The Cavaliers pummeled East Henderson 43-0 last week. Things might not be much better for the Wildcats this week.
My pick: East Rutherford 31 – North Gaston 13


North Lincoln (0-1) @ West Lincoln (0-1): Both teams would love to leave last week in the past. West Lincoln fell to Draughn last week 27-14. But North Lincoln suffered an even bigger loss, a 63-7 drubbing by Lincolnton. Look for the Rebels to win in their home opener.
My pick: West Lincoln 28 – North Lincoln 7


Christ the King (0-1) @ East Lincoln (1-0): East Lincoln escaped in their home opening win against Huss 14-13. Their next opponent, Christ the King, lost in their varsity football debut 72-0. Look for the Mustangs’ second stringers to get some playing time in this one.
My pick: East Lincoln 63 – Christ the King 0


Cherryville (0-1) @ Chase (0-1): Another set of teams looking for their first win meet. Cherryville lost 20-6 to Stuart Cramer while Chase lost a tough one to Polk County 34-28. One thing is for sure, one of these teams will get in the win column tonight.
My pick: Chase 27 – Cherryville 7


Hickory Grove Christian (0-1) @ Thomas Jefferson (0-0): Hickory Grove Christian opened up the season with a 27-3 loss to Lake Norman Charter. Thomas Jefferson did not play last week so this will be their 2016 debut. The Gryphons have fielded competitive teams these past few years and this year could be another one of those.
My pick: Thomas Jefferson 24 – Hickory Grove 13


Highland Tech (0-1) @ Central Academy (0-1): Highland Tech suffered a brutal 73-0 beating last week against Newton-Conover. Though Central Academy suffered a blowout loss themselves last week, this one is still pretty predictable.
My pick: Central Academy 51 – Highland Tech 0