No. 8 Mallard Creek holds off No. 15 West Charlotte after fan disruptions cause hour delay
Sport

No. 8 Mallard Creek holds off No. 15 West Charlotte after fan disruptions cause hour delay

Posted on by Matthew Reynolds

Mallard Creek’s football team took a big step towards its goal of winning a Queen City Conference championship. The Mavericks, a 4A school, defeated West Charlotte, the top 3A contender out of the league, by a score of 13-12 on Friday night.

The game, which was played at West Charlotte, encountered an unfortunate disruption in the home stands and surrounding area at 8:46 p.m. when there were nine minutes left in the third quarter. Something occurred that spurned a mass of West Charlotte fans to rush to the far side of the stadium, opposite from the entrance area. The game was put on hold for an hour and two minutes. The contest could only resume after fans were evacuated from both sides of the stadium. After the departure process, only players, coaches, referees, school officials, cheerleaders, and media remained in attendance.

The Mavericks led 13-0 prior to the delay. West Charlotte came out of the layover with a more ferocious effort. The Lions used two rushing touchdowns by quarterback Jamouri Nichols in the fourth quarter to make it a one-point game. When Nichols scored his second touchdown with 56 seconds remaining, the Lions opted to go for the two-point conversion and the lead. The Mavericks’ pass rush was able to get to Nichols after a drop back and his pass attempt fell incomplete.

Mallard Creek (3-1 overall, 1-0 Queen City 3A/4A Conference) will next host Hopewell next week. West Charlotte (2-1 overall, 0-1 Queen City 3A/4A) will try to bounce back on the road at West Mecklenburg next week. That game will be crucial for the Lions to secure the top 3A spot out of the league for playoff purposes.

This story is being updated.

Scoring

First Quarter

  • 3:48 – Caleb Knight 4-yard touchdown rush. PAT failed. Mavericks 6, Lions 0

Second Quarter

  • 4:41 – Perry Justice 6-yard touchdown rush. Mavericks 13, Lions 0

Fourth Quarter

  • 4:46 – Jamouri Nichols 3-yard touchdown rush. PAT blocked. Mavericks 13, Lions 6
  • 0:56 – Jamouri Nichols 1-yard touchdown rush. 2 pt. try fails. Mavericks 13, Lions 12

Source: highschoolot.com